Art - Nataraja and Nandi

This is our last year in India, so it's time to start purchasing those things we really want to bring back with us. In addition to some home furnishings we've been using for a while now, I've recently purchased three sculptures.

After our tour of south India last February, I really wanted a bronze Nataraja -- Shiva as Lord of the Dance. Surrounded by a circle of flames, Shiva has one foot raised and the other placed on a dwarf. One hand holds a flame and the other a small drum (damru).  His dreadlocks fly out at the sides, and the Ganga emerges from them.

Nandi, Shiva's bull and vehicle, is another favorite of mine. In temples, he is always shown a lot of affection: secrets are whispered in his ear, and he anointed with sacred ashes. This particular Nandi is carved from wood.

A second Nandi. This one is a bit smaller and made from soapstone. Since it's made of stone, I can put this one in my garden back home. I'd really like to get a larger Nandi, but stone is difficult (and expensive) to ship!

To put Nandi in some context, here are a few pictures of Nandi from sites in southern India.

You never know where Nandi will pop up.

Sometimes he's in a grand and prominent place. Here he sits outside Shiva's sanctum in the Meenakshi temple in Madurai.

Sometimes you just come across him in the landscape. Here he sits in a pile of boulders near Hampi.

Nandi is shown a great deal of affection.

In the Meenakshi Temple inMadurai, this Nandi is covered with sacred ashes and other offerings.

Here you can get an idea of how large some of the Nandi figures can be. This is in Pattadakal.

And finally, an incomplete Nandi near the Five Rathas at Mahabalipuram.

Everyone loves Nandi!