Overview
Nataraja (Sanskrit: नटराज, IAST: Naṭarāja; Tamil: நடராஜர்), also known as Adalvallan, is a depiction of Shiva, one of the principal deities in Hinduism, as the divine cosmic dancer. His dance is termed the tandava. In various Tamil texts, this form is also referred to as Kuththan, Sabesan and Ambalavanan. The pose and its iconography are described in several Hindu texts, including the Tamil Tevaram and Thiruvasagam, as well as the Sanskrit Amshumadagama and Uttarakamika Agama, along with works in the Grantha script.
The Nataraja murti features in major Shaiva temples and is a widely recognised sculptural symbol associated with Indian art and culture. The sculpture represents Shiva as the lord of dance and the dramatic arts, with its style and proportions guided by Hindu treatises on the arts. Tamil devotional literature such as the Tirumurai, the twelve books of Southern Shaivism, describes Nataraja as the form in which Shiva performs the functions of creation, preservation and destruction, and is also associated with maya and the bestowing of grace upon devotees. In Tamil Nadu, Nataraja is regarded as one of the highest forms of Shiva, and bronze or stone images of Nataraja are venerated in nearly all Shiva temples in the region.
The iconography typically depicts Shiva dancing in one of the poses described in the Natya Shastra, bearing various attributes that vary by period and region, while trampling upon a dwarf-like figure (Apasmara or Muyalaka) who symbolises spiritual ignorance. Each element of the image carries symbolic meaning rooted in the textual tradition.
Among the earliest surviving examples is a sculpture associated with the Pallava ruler Mahendravarman I from the 6th century CE, identified by the Archaeological Survey of India and the Archaeological Survey of Tamil N