________________
ure of Siva carrying a begging bowl; Virabhadra, Siva dancing with Sati, his dead wife on his shoulders; Vinadhara, Siva holding a vina, Bhairava, Siva carrying a club surmounted by a skull.
The most widely known representation of Siva as Natarāja is one with his left leg lifted up and across the body; it has been called one of the 'most beautiful iconic concepts" in the world. This representation of Națarăja has been the subject of many learned interpretations. One specially important theme for Bharat Natyam is Națarāja's Ananda Tandava, 'the dance of ecstasy'. For many this is the typical form of Națarāja; this is what is often shown in bronzes. Natarāja has four arms, the two main or foremost pair of hands in gajahasta, elephant-like hand gestures, and abhayamudra, fearlessness; the other two hands hold the fire and the damarü. It is in this form that Siva is the presiding deity at the great temple at Chidambaram. It was in temples like these in southern India that the dance style Bharata nātyam originated.
For his consort Pårvati in the Himalayas, Siva also dances Sandhyå Tandava, twilight dance. Like Sandhya bhasa, 'twilight language' the language that mediates, like twilight, between light and darkness, revealing the reality behind the 'veil of māya', Sandhya Tandava depicts Siva surrounded by his family and dancing with a sense of gay abandon, creating a sense of true movement. This dance is a favourite theme of many Pahari miniatures in the Himalayas.
Close-up of picture on page 130.
The Indian dances, and the social and cultural ethos associated with the dancers and the profession of dance have evolved greatly over the centuries. Bharatanatyam, the most renowned of Indian classical dances, was traditionally performed by a caste of female dancers; in the great temple cities of south India, it constituted a normal part of a daily ritual. It was also performed in
176
