In the shastras, the tandava of Shiva has been expounded in great detail. He dances to annihilate the entirety of drshyam (existence as we perceive it); He dances to birth the entirety of drshyam anew; He dances at that through creation and annihilation and everything in between. Such is the power of the Shivatandava.
The Tanjore painting that you see on this page is a composite depiction of the many tandavas of Shiva. It is a collection of miniscule tandava portraitures, arranged in uniform rows of rectangular panels. The background colours alternate between carmine and Prussian blue, against which the pristine complexion of the tandava figure shines forth.
At the centre of the canvas is the traditional Nataraja-roopa of Shiva, with His wife, Devi Kali in Her serene mood, standing right next to Him. Given the complex stance of most of the tandava figures and the fact that each is executed on a very small scale, the high-precision metallic gesso-work is proof of the artisan’s superb skill.
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