Nataraja

Shiva as lord of the dance, performing the Ananda Tandava, the dance of bliss, in the Tillai forest for the sages Patanjali and Vyaghrapada. The image holds the drum of creation and the fire of dissolution, tramples the dwarf Apasmara (ignorance) and dances inside a ring of flame. Chidambaram's sanctum keeps the formless 'space linga' behind a curtain beside him. Chola bronzes carried the image across South-East Asia.