This massive yet elegant statue cast in bronze, an uncompromising hard alloy not easily yielding such large sizes, represents the Shiva as passionately engaged in ecstatic dance, a form of his image known as Nataraja in iconographic tradition, and the dance, as 'Ananda-tandava'. 'Tandava' is the dance that Shiva performs to dissolve but destruction being the forerunner of creation Shiva performs it with delight, and hence, the 'Ananda-Tandava'. The Shiva's dance 'Tandava' is venerated in the tradition as the most outstanding expression of the divine rhythm, ecstasy, energy and cosmic balance and harmony.
<a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Christy_1999&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="User:Christy 1999 (page does not exist)">Christy 1999</a>
CC BY-SA 4.0
<span class="int-own-work" lang="en">Own work</span>