Shiva is a Hindu God. He is the supreme being within Shaivism. The Lord Shiva idol has several guises and the most familiar ones are the Shiva Nataraja who is the well-known Lord of the Dance. The Shiva Nataraja is a very popularly seen Shiva sculpture in the museums and art galleries. The Lord Shiva statues are very often placed in the esoteric shops across the entire world, restaurants and temples. The Nataraja idol is highly rich in iconography and also has a hidden meaning.
Shiva is one of the most worshipped Hindu Gods. As per mythology, Shiva is said to possess a complex character. He has numerous traits and many times these traits tend to conflict each other. As per the Hindu Mythology, Nataraja is firmly believed to be a Creator, Preserver as well as the Destroyer. Thus, Nataraja has three major roles. The Lord Shiva statue as a dancing figure was first found in the fifth and sixth century CE and then again in the tenth century CE a free standing sculpture of Lord Shiva was again found. The Nataraja idol of Lord Shiva depicts as a dancing God with a flaming halo across his head. This flaming halo is termed as a "prabha mandala" which is a representation of time as per Hindu mythology. This is believed to be never ending. The Nataraja idols are often made of bronze. There are also other metals like silver, brass and gold which are being used to prepare idols of Nataraja.
Tandava is a cosmic dance that has the ability to create as well as destroy the universe. The immense amount of energy as well as the wildness involved in Tandava is being depicted in the bent of His knees. Also immense amount of energy is being depicted by the extravagant spread of the God's hair. Also the hair of the Lord Shiva has a datura blossom, a skull and a crescent moon which are all very much visible. Also, there is a prominent figure of Ganga from the Lord's hair. This is a personification of the Ganga River and it is brought very gently from the heaven to earth by the Lord.
Lord Shiva is believed to provide his own music. The belief is such as the idol of Lord Shiva is seen to hold a drum in His upper right hand. This drum is popularly termed as "damru" in the Hindu mythology. The Lord Shiv's drum beats not only depicts rhythm but it has a deeper significance. The sound of "damru" is synonymous to the very first sounds of creation. The upper left hand of Lord Shiva holds fire or "Agni" which is believed to be the divine fire and has the power to destroy the entire universe. So, a Shiva sculpture has several significance especially for the Hindus in India and across the world.
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