This masterpiece from southern India was used as an image during processions. The hole in its base allowed space for a processional stretcher so that the divine image could be carried by worhsippers or on a float.
The goal of the ceremony was that the God, who was physically present in the image through an installation ritual could see the worhsippers and be seen by them.
For the sovereigns of the Chola dynasty who ruled over southern India from the 9th to the 13th century, the representation of Shiva as the lord of the dance was the highest divinity. Captured in a Bharatanatyam posture, the classical dance from Tamil Nadu, he performs the ‘fearsome dance that brings joy’ by way of which the god showcases all his power. He tramples the demon of ignorance. With his upper right hand he holds the drum which symbolises the rhythm of the creation of the world, and with his upper left hand he holds the fire of destruction. As a master of the cycle of existence he therefore possesses the power to create and destroy the universe in a perpetual cycle. However, during our existence, Shiva is also the one that protects, as shown by his lower right hand in the abhaya mudra gesture, representing the absence of fear while his lower left arm is in the beautiful ‘elephant trunk’ gesture, pointing to his extended foot in front of which worshippers are invited to kneel and be bestowed divine grace.
The vigour of the dance causes Shiva’s ascetic bun to unravel and his long woven hair to fall across his face. In his hair, one can spot a small mermaid-like creature: she is the goddess of the Ganges, the celestial river Shiva accepted to carry on his head to soften the fall of the waters on earth.
This statue was made using the lost-wax casting technique, which makes for a unique work of art with a particularly fluid and delicate modelling.
