India: Shiva Nataraja or 'Dancing Shiva' from Pondicherry, c. 15th century CE. Bronze covered with green patina from weathering in salty air, placed for some hundred years in a temple close to the sea. Photo by Hannes Grobe (CC BY-SA License). Nataraja or Nataraj ('The Lord (or King) of Dance'; Tamil: Kooththan) is a Tamil 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 the god Brahma to start the process of creation.

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Size: 3500px × 4969px
Photo credit: © Pictures From History / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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