Shiva+Research

Shiva as Lord of Dance (Nataraja), copper alloy, h. 26 7/8 in. (68.3 cm); diam. 22 1/4 in. (56.5 cm), Chola period, ca. 11th century (New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of R. H. Ellsworth Ltd, in honor of Susan Dillon, 1987, Accession ID:1987.80.1); photo © The Metropolitan Museum of Art http://www.metmuseum.org/Works_of_Art/viewOne.asp?dep=6&viewmode=0&item=1987.80.1 ." //Grove Art Online// . //Oxford Art Online//. 9 Sep. 2009 < http://www.oxfordartonline.com/subscriber/article/img/grove/art/F020400 >.
 * The halo around Shiva is a flaming ring representing the universes boundaries.
 * Shiva is dancing in the center of the universe
 * Lower right hand represents Shiva removing fear and protecting earth, upper right hand is to beat the drum that created sound, the upper left hand represents the consumption of fire as Shiva's food, his right foot is trampling a dwarf, his left foot is raised to refuge troubled souls.

This site came off of the micds database under Arts/Literature. Under Arts/Literature we went Oxford Art Online. In the search bar of Oxford Art Online we typed in Shiva the Lord of Dance. Then we clicked on the second search result and that forwarded us to this website. This website contains specific information such as dimensions, what its made out of, and when it was made, but it also has information about symbolism and importance.

"Nataraj."__About.com:Hinduism__.2009. 10 September 2009. .
 * the origin of Nataraja form
 * The Vital Form and Symbolism
 * The significance of Shiva's dance
 * A scientific metaphor

For this website we typed in Nataraja AND Hinduism on Google search and this website came up. It contains a bunch of information about the symbolism and importance the Nataraja has to Hindu culture.

"Nataraja." //World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras//. ABC-CLIO, 2009. Web. 9 Sep. 2009. 

 * Shiva is called Nataraja when referred to as the lord of dance
 * This represents the balance between creation and destruction in the world.
 * Shiva is the god of destruction but also of creation

On the micds database we found this database under History/Social Studies. Its called ABCCLIO Ancient World History. In the search bar of this web site we typed in Nataraja. For most of the other ones we just typed in Shiva the Lord of dance, but once we found the actual name of the piece we got much more specific details about the art.

"Shiva as Lord of the Dance (Nataraja) [Tamil Nadu, India] (1987.80.1)". In //Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History//. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ho/07/sss/ho_1987.80.1.htm (October 2006)
 * Shiva is in the golden hall of Chidambaram,
 * This is showing that Shiva can be a creator, preserver, and destroyer
 * he is on the outer limits of hinduism