Indian Hindu Holy Figure: "Nataraja"

This is an Indian Hindu statue of Nataraja, Sanskrit for “Lord of the Dance.” The figure shows the Hindu god Shiva in his form as the cosmic dancer, represented in metal or stone in most Shaiva temples of South India.

Shiva literally means "auspiciousness, welfare". He is the third god of the Hindu Triad and is the destroyer of all evil. He represents darkness, and is said to be the 'angry god'. However, according to Hinduism, creation follows destruction. Therefore Shiva is also regarded as a reproductive power, which restores what has been dissolved.

In the most common type of image, Shiva is shown with four arms and flying hair dancing on the figure of a dwarf, a symbol of human ignorance. Shiva’s back right hand holds a "damaru," an hourglass-shaped drum. The front right hand is in the "abhaya mudra," “fear-not” gesture. The back left hand carries fire in a vessel or in the palm of the hand. And the front left hand is held across his chest in the "gajahasta," elephant-trunk, pose. The locks of Shiva’s hair stand out in several strands interspersed with the figures of Ganga, the Ganges River personified as a goddess, flowers, a skull, and the crescent moon. His figure is encircled by a ring of flames.

The purpose of the dance is to release humans from illusion, and the place where it is said to have been performed is in reality within the heart. The gestures of the dance represent Shiva’s five activities: creation, symbolized by the drum; protection, symbolized by the “fear-not” pose of the hand; destruction, symbolized by the fire; embodiment, symbolized by the foot planted on the ground; and release, symbolized by the foot held aloft.
 
Hinduism is the oldest living religion, about 4,000 – 5,000 years old. Hindu people believe that Brahman is the creator, preserver and transformer of existence. Gods that are part of Brahman include Vishnu, the preserver god, and Shiva, the god of destruction. Hinduism came from India. No one person founded the religion. There are many Hindu holy books. Hindus honor their deities through worship. Hindus tell stories of the ways that the gods interact with each other and with humans. Hindus believe in rebirth after death (reincarnation); their goal is to escape the movement of the soul into another body and to become one with Brahman.
Source:
http://www.gurjari.net/ico/Mystica/html/shiva.htm

"Nataraja." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. .