NATARAJA STATUE (Syllabus: GS Paper 1 – Art & culture)

Context: A 27-ft-tall bronze statue of Nataraja, weighing 20 tonnes, has been installed in front of the venue at the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) complex in New Delhi, which will host the G20 Summit.
Nataraja Statue

• The sculpture has been made using traditional casting methods and “ashta dhatu”, a blend of eight metals, with copper as the primary component at 87%. 
• Nataraja is Lord Shiva in his dynamic dance posture, called “tandava”, which in a single pose captures Shiva’s roles as creator, preserver, and destroyer.
• It was created by the traditional Sthapatis of Swamimalai, the practitioners of an ancient craft that began under the Chola dynasty.
• The Shiva-Nataraja also features two invisible interlocked triangles, representing Shiva and Shakti, symbolizing the mingling of matter and energy,”
• In ornamentation, one ear of Shiva has a male earring while the other has a female. This represents the fusion of male and female and is often referred to as Ardhanarishvara.