assembly " of gods. [1] The asterism Ārdrā occurring in the bright half of the solar month Margāli (December-January) is sacred to Natarāja. All Siva temples celebrate a festival on that occasion by taking out in procession miniature representations of Natarāja or, where such do not exist, the chief processional image of Siva. In Chidambaram, of course, where the worship of Natarāja is the most prominent and where the Sabhā-mandapa (assembly hall) is covered with gold plate, the festival is the grandest held in the year.
Two main forms of dancing Siva may be distinguished : one with the raised leg as shown in the illustrations given above and the other with the same lifted_up higher, to the level of the head. The latter is called Ūrdhva-tāndava− a dance which is locally believed to have been first performed by Siva at Tiruvālangādu near Arkōnam. The origin of this form of dance is as follows. There was once a dispute between Siva and his consort Kāli as to who was better in the art of dancing. Siva danced many a dance and Kāli successfully followed him; till at last, in order to suppress her pride, Siva lifted up one of his legs to the level of his crown and danced on. Kāli was too modest to imitate Siva in this performance and she accepted the superiority of Siva (fig. 50). Images of Natarāja are sometimes also seen with a small antelope prancing on his left side near the foot, the Gangā (Ganges) and the crescent decorating the head,[2] the sages Patanjali
- ↑ The Kāranāgama has the following about Sabhāpati :― " On the top of the Kailāsa mountain, in front of the goddess Gauri (Pārvati) who is seated on a jewelled throne, Siva with the crescent on his head dances in the evenings. All the dēvas attend the dance ; Brahmā plays on cymbals ; Hari (Vishnu), on a pataha ; Bhāratī (Sarasvatī), on the lute ; the Sun and Moon, on flutes; Tumbura and Nārada supply vocal music; and Nandi and Kumāra (Skanda) beat drums." The Mayamata also mentions other gods and goddesses in the congregation, such as Vighnēsa (Vināyaka), Kāli and the Seven Mothers. It adds that Siva then performs the dance called Bhujangalrāsita with the serpent Karkōtaka on him ; see Burgess's Elura Cave Temples, Plate XLlll, fig. 5.
- ↑ The description of the image of Ādavallān (i.e., "the expert dancer,"Natarāja) given in the Tanjore Inscriptions, mentions " four arms, nine braids of hair (jatā), the goddess Gangā-bhattārakī on the braided hair and seven flower garlands. The goddess Umāparamēsvarī who formed a part of the group was standing on a separate pedestal." Another image of a similar description in the same temple was Tanjai-Alagar with whom was connected also the figure of a Ganapati. Of the sages Patanjali and Vyāghrapāda who usually accompany the dancing image of Natarāja, the Tanjore Inscriptions describe the former as a solid image which measured " three-quarters and one-eighth (of a mulam) in height from the tail to the hoods (phana). It had five hoods ; one face in the midst of these hoods, one crown (makuta), two divine arms, above the navel, a human body, and below the navel three coils" ; (S.I.I., Vol. II, Introduction,
