page_title: Iconography of Shiva temples in Tamil Nadu
section_title: Nataraja
hierarchical_section_title: Iconography of Shiva temples in Tamil Nadu / Other Images / Nataraja
caption_attribution_description: English&#58; Nataraja from Tamil Nadu, India. Chola DynastyFrançais&#58; Shiva Nataraja. Art Chola, Tamil Nadu (Inde)Русский&#58; Медная скульптура Шивы из Индии (Тамил-Наду)العربية&#58; ناتاراجا من تاميل نادو الهند أسرة كولا
context_page_description: Iconography of Shiva temples in Tamil Nadu is governed by the Shaiva Agamas that revere the ultimate reality as the Hindu deity, Shiva. Āgama in the Hindu religious context means a traditional doctrine or system which commands faith. Temple worship according to Āgamic rules can be said to have started during the Pallava dynasty in South India, but they were fully under establishment during the Chola dynasty The temples during the Chola period expanded to Sri Lanka and islands in South East Asia. The temple complex was expanding with niches for various deities on the stipulated sides of the sanctum. Lingam was universalised and prakarams with subsequent deities came up. The temple parivara expanded considerably during the Chola period. The niches of following Āgamic rules for building Shiva temples in Tamil Nadu, a South Indian state continues even in the modern era. Some of the prime images like that of lingam, Vinayagar and Parvati are present in all the Shiva temples. Almost all the temples follow the same custom during festivals and worship methods with minor exceptions. Most of the Shiva temples in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka are built in Dravidian architecture.
context_section_description: Nataraja or Nataraj, The Lord (or King) of Dance; (Tamil: கூத்தன் (Kooththan))  is a depiction of the Hindu god Shiva as the cosmic dancer Koothan who performs his divine dance to destroy a weary universe and make preparations for god Brahma to start the process of creation. A Tamil concept, Shiva was first depicted as Nataraja in the famous Chola bronzes and sculptures of Chidambaram. The dance of Shiva in Tillai, the traditional name for Chidambaram, forms the motif for all the depictions of Shiva as Nataraja. He is also known as "Sabesan" which splits as Sabayil aadum eesan in Tamil which means "The Lord who dances on the dais".  The form is present in most Shiva temples in South India, and is the main deity in the famous temple at Chidambaram.
  The sculpture is usually made in bronze, with Shiva dancing in an aureole of flames, lifting his left leg (or in rare cases, the right leg) and balancing over a demon or dwarf (Apasmara) who symbolizes ignorance.
caption: Shiva Nataraja, the Lord of the Dance
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