Siva, the First Lord of Dance is a Global Religious Icon

THE HINDU
By A. Srivathansan

Chola Bronze -Tiruvalangadu Nataraja Madras Government Museum

INDIA - How did Nataraja become an icon representing the Indian genius for sculpture? It all began in a small village near Madras just over a century ago. With a leg up, arms across and framed within an aureole of flame, the iconography of Nataraja, cast in bronze, is possibly the ubiquitous example of Indian art. It has gone beyond the secluded portals of temples and museums to reach living rooms, corporate lobbies and up-market lounges the world over. To the many admirers, this form of the dancing Siva, with its “sleek grace and calm agility”, is the “summation of Indian genius”. Though Nataraja has existed in this form for more than a thousand years, its ascent to ubiquity and fame is a relatively recent phenomenon. [link]