Shiva Tandava: When Shiva danced, the entire cosmos joined in! He’s not just any god – he’s Nataraja, the ultimate Lord of Dance. One of Shiva’s Pancha Kriyas is dance itself. Kriya means action, and through his dance, Lord Shiva keeps the universe’s rhythm and flow in perfect balance. He uses his dance moves to control life, space, time, and energy, keeping everything in sync and making sure the whole universe runs smoothly!
When Lord Shiva busted his moves, every place turned into a temple showing off his dance and explaining his divine purpose. Each dance was all about waking up our minds, making us look beyond our weaknesses, and feeling the godly power from within. The temple isn’t just a building – it’s where these Kriyas stay alive. When you step into it, those Kriyas hit your body, and suddenly, you’re in tune with the universe’s divine rhythm!
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The Tandava, coming from the word “Tattu,” is one of the most mind-blowing dance forms the universe ever wanted to see. There are seven main types of Tandava, and each one’s linked to a temple in Tamil Nadu that’s literally buzzing with the energy of the Dance King himself!
Shiva Tandava Divine Dance
One of the most popular versions of Shiva’s Sapta Tandavas is the Ananda Tandava, which is said to have gone down in the Thillai forest, now the Chidambaram temple. In this dance, Lord Shiva’s got four arms, and Chit is the mind, Ambara is the sky. The temple is where the vibes are so high that happiness literally hits the ceiling when you witness Shiva in his Ananda form at the Kanaka Sabha!
In his Ananda Tandava, Shiva’s left hand is in dola hasta, pointing down, while his main right hand’s holding the abhaya hasta, offering protection to everyone. With his other right hand, he’s got the damaru – the drum that made the first sound in the whole Universe! The second left hand’s holding fire, symbolizing how fire burns away all evil. His right foot is on the demon dwarf Apasmara Purusha, who represents arrogance, while his left foot’s up in the air, dancing in pure bliss. His primary left hand’s down, showing he’s totally crushing evil as he stomps on that demon beneath his feet. This is what we call the Nataraja Tandava!
The Nallur temple in Tanjavur is said to be where Lord Shiva did the Kaliki Tandava. In this dance, Shiva’s got eight arms! His right hands, from top to bottom, hold the damaru, paasa – the noose that catches arrogance by the neck. His main right hand is in Abhaya hasta, offering protection, and he’s also holding the trisula, which he uses to wipe out all evil!
Shiva’s Cosmic Dance
In this dance, Shiva’s left hand’s in dola hasta, showing total victory. His right foot’s in Vaishnava Sthanaka, and his left foot’s stomping on Apsamara Purusha, the demon of ignorance. This Tandava’s all about peace – wiping out evil and ignorance while teaching us the balance of life and death. On his left, he’s got the sacred fire, the bell that clears all the noisy thoughts in your head and helps you focus, and a skull representing the cycle of birth and death.
Next up is the Tripura Tandava, also called the Vijaya Tandava. This form is said to be in the Thirukutralam temple in Tenkasi district, Tamil Nadu. The temple’s famous ‘cause Sage Agastya did some serious penance there to witness the wedding of Lord Shiva and Parvati. This Tandava happened after Lord Shiva defeated the evil elephant Gajasura. The story goes that a bunch of sages, using their powers for their own selfish reasons, started a sacrificial fire in anger. That’s when an evil elephant attacked Shiva, and Shiva, wanting to show them his supreme form, did his thing.
Shiva takes the four-handed Tandava pose, grabs the evil elephant Gajasura with one hand, pierces its skin. And lifts it with his top two hands like he’s draping it over himself. In his right hand, he’s holding the Trisula, and with his left, he’s got the Suchi hasta – his pointed finger as a warning to the sages that nothing should ever get in the way of Dharma. He’s dancing in the Bhujangatrasita Karana, also known as the Gajasura Tandava. The sages finally see his cosmic power, bow down, and Shiva dances in total victory!
Shiva and Parvati’s Dance of Balance: The Urdhwa Tandava at Tiruvalangudu
The Tiruvalangudu temple is where Lord Shiva is said to do the Urdhwa Tandava, in the Naganipattanam district of Tamil Nadu. Also called Vataranyeswara, this temple perfectly shows the balance of both masculine and feminine energy. To show that men and women are equal in the universe, Lord Shiva, aka Ardha Nareeswara, gave half of his body to his wife, Goddess Parvati. So, every time Shiva dances, Parvati’s dancing too. But there was always this sweet little competition between them about who’s the best dancer. And one time they even had a showdown to see who could bust the best moves!
It all started as an equal dance-off, but at one point, Parvati started showing off a bit more. To keep up, Shiva lifted his right leg straight up into the sky and touched his forehead with his toe! Now, Parvati, being the modest lady she is, wasn’t about to do the same and stayed chill, so Shiva ended up winning the battle. When he lifted his leg like that, it’s called the Urdhwa Tandava. It’s also known as the Lalata Tilaka Tandava, ‘cause Shiva touched his forehead (Lalata) with his toe, almost like he was putting on a Tilaka!
The Uma Gowri and Samhara Tandavas at Thiruvothur and Thirukovilur
The Uma Gowri Tandava is all about the same vibe – the cosmic dancer who not only gives life but also takes the soul out of the body. This Tandava is linked to the Thiruvothur temple in Tamil Nadu’s Thiruvanmalai district. Also called Vedapurareeswara, the one who gave the essence of the Vedas to the world. Lord Shiva does the Uma Gowri Tandava in his full-on Tandava form. He’s dancing alongside his wife, Gowri, bringing the spirits out of the material world and into the divine!
Shiva’s got ten hands in this Tandava – both left and right hands are in abhaya and dola hasta. He’s dancing with his partner Parvati, holding a bunch of things in his other eight hands: the danda, damaru, ankusa, pasa, trisula, agni, naga, and even Ganga chillin’ on his forehead!
The Thirukovilur temple in Tamil Nadu’s Kalakurichi district is where Lord Shiva’s Samhara Tandava went down. This dance totally destroys lust, greed, and all the illusions that tie us humans down. Shiva performed it after he took out the demon Andhakasura. Holding the trisula, paasa, damaru, agni, and dancing in the Alaata Karana pose. He’s also got his abhaya hasta out, protecting all of us while he’s at it!
Shiva’s Cosmic Joy: The Sandhya Tandava at the Madurai Temple
The Sandhya Tandava is Lord Shiva’s epic masterpiece, done in the Rajata sabha at the amazing Madurai temple. It’s a dance full of pure joy. And what makes it even more epic is that all the celestial beings join in. Shiva’s groovin’ in the Kanakasabha, the golden hall. While all the gods watch in awe and jam with him on different instruments. Brahma’s on the talas, Vishnu’s rockin’ the mridangam, and Goddess Saraswati’s there too, joining the cosmic jam!
Shiva’s got four hands in this one, holding the damaru, a peacock feather, and doing the abhaya and varada hastas. And guess who’s groovin’ alongside him? His wife Parvati! “They dance in the twilight hour, which is why they call this dance the Sandhya Tandava – pure cosmic joy under the evening sky!”
Each temple is like a symbol of one of Shiva’s Kriyas. Showing that temples aren’t just places to go ask for stuff. “They help us understand how the universe moves.” Think of the temple as the universe itself, with Shiva at the center – the whole cosmos spins around him. And as we experience this cosmic dance. Our soul (jeevaatma) connects with the supreme soul (paramatma) and becomes one with him.
