Nataraja
Nataraja ( Sanskrit : नटराज Naṭarāja = "King of the Dance") is a manifestation of the Hindu god Shiva . In his form as Nataraja, Shiva performs a cosmic dance ( tandava ) , which symbolizes the process of creation, destruction and re-creation of the universe. The figure of Nataraja is best known for numerous South Indian bronze sculptures from around the year 1000 and is one of the most famous symbols of Hinduism in the West today. The place where Shiva performed his dance is, according to myth, Chidambaram ; the Nataraja temple there is dedicated to the dancing Shiva.
iconography
As Nataraja, Shiva appears in anthropomorphic form as a four-armed dancer in the middle of a circle of flames, which symbolizes both the spreading energy of God and the edge of the universe. The braids of hair that spread laterally through the twists during the dance form a kind of aura around Shiva's head. The god's left leg is raised in a dance figure; with his right he steps on the dwarf demon Apasmara , who is lying on the ground , the embodiment of ignorance and stupidity. In his upper right hand Nataraja holds the hourglass drum ( damaru ) of the wandering ascetics; with his lower right hand he shows the gesture of protection ( abhayamudra ) . A flame blazes out of the left open palm, the other left hand forms a parallel figure to his left leg.
myth
There are two versions of the Nataraja myth.
- 1st version
- According to the first version, Shiva, as a wandering ascetic, met a group of heretical sages ( rishis ). To punish them, Shiva brought Vishnu with him, who took the form of the beautiful Mohini and charmed the wise. Meanwhile, Shiva seduced her wives. The wise men became angry and, one after the other, set a tiger, an elephant, a snake and an antelope on Shiva to kill him. But Shiva defeated the animals and wore their skin (tiger skin, elephant skin, etc.) as jewelry. Shiva also defeated the dwarf demon Apasmara and began to dance on his back, so that the wise men submitted to Shiva.
- 2nd version
- The second version of the myth tells of a dance contest in which Shiva defeated the goddess Kali .
history
The earliest known portraits of Shiva as Nataraja were created during the Gupta period in the 5th / 6th centuries. Century and come from an archway ( torana ) from the village Sakor (or Sakaur ) in the north Indian Madhya Pradesh ; possibly existing older wooden versions of the topic have not been preserved. A century later, depictions of the dancing Shiva can also be traced back to Central and South India in the rock temples of Badami , Aihole , Elephanta and Ellora . It is therefore unclear whether the figure of Nataraja has a north or south Indian origin. From the 8th century, depictions of Natarajas are common all over India. Nataraja only rose to great popularity under the South Indian Chola kings (9th to 13th centuries), who chose Nataraja as a symbol of their rule and appeared as patrons of the arts. During the Chola period, Natarajas made numerous bronze sculptures in South India, which are counted among the masterpieces of Indian art.
Due to the growing interest in Indian culture and mysticism, the figure of Nataraja became well known in the West from the early 20th century. The essay The Dance of Shiva by Sri Lankan art historian Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy , published in 1918, had a decisive influence . In the period that followed, numerous Western museums acquired Nataraja bronzes - this made the dancing Shiva an icon of Hinduism and today - alongside the Om symbol - one of the most famous symbols of this religion.
literature
- Johannes Beltz (Ed.): Shiva Nataraja. The cosmic dancer. With a contribution by Saskia Kersenboom. Museum Rietberg , Zurich 2008, ISBN 978-3-907077-38-2 (catalog of the exhibition of the same name, November 16, 2008 to March 1, 2009).
- Ananda K. Coomaraswamy: The Dance of Shiva. Fourteen Indian Essays. MM Publ., New Delhi 2009, ISBN 978-81-215-0153-8 (unchanged reprint of the London 1918 edition).
- Anneliese and Peter Keilhauer: The Imagery of Hinduism. The Indian world of gods and their symbolism. DuMont, Cologne 1983, ISBN 3-7701-1347-0 , pp. 142ff.
