Large Nataraja Bronze Statue, Shiva as the Cosmic Dancer Cast in Bronze in South India 45"

The significance of the Nataraja sculpture is said to be that Shiva is shown as the source of all movement within the cosmos, represented by the arch of flames. The purpose of the dance is to release men from illusion of the idea of the "self" and of the physical world. The cosmic dance was performed in Chidambaram in South India, called the center of the universe by some Hindus. The gestures of the dance represent Shiva's five activities, creation (symbolized by the drum), protection (by the "fear not" hand gesture), destruction (by the fire), embodiment (by the foot planted on the ground), and release (by the foot held aloft).

The Symbolism Behind the Nataraja Pose:

The Nataraja dances within the universe. The locks of his hair stand out in many strands as he whirls around in his dancing frenzy. His locks are decked with a crescent moon, a skull, and are interspersed with the sacred river Ganges.

Shiva's unkempt hair, a symbol of a rejection of society, shows him to be an ascetic. This contrasts with his role as a grhastha, or householder, with his wife and family.

The fiery ring surrounding Shiva, prahabhamandala, represents the universe ignorance and pain. The outer edge is fire the inner edge the waters of the oceans. Many Nataraja statues have multiple levels of fire and water. The crescent moon in his matted hair keeps Kama, the god of nightly love, alive. Through the waxing and the waning of the moon Shiva creates different seasons and rejuvenates life. The goddess of the Ganges nests in Shiva's dreadlocks. The river Ganges that flows in Nataraja's hair originally flowed in heaven. When the heavenly Ganges was needed on earth, she was unwilling to fall to earth because she realized that her fall from heaven would be too much for the earth to withstand. Shiva as Nataraja agreed to break the violent power of the sacred Ganga's fall by catching her in his tangled hair, breaking the fall with his hair on its way to the Himalayas and Northern India.

Nataraja wears a snake coiled around his upper arms and neck symbolizing the power he has over the most deadly of creatures. Snakes are also used to symbolize the Hindu dogma of reincarnation. Their natural process of molting or shedding their skin is symbolic of the human souls' transmigration of bodies from one life to another.

In the back right hand Shiva holds an hour glass shaped drum or damaru. The drum represents the rhythmic sound to which Nataraja dances and ceaselessly recreates the universe. The front right hand is in the abhaya-mudra (the "fear not" gesture, made by holding the palm outward with fingers pointing up).

The back left hand carries agni (fire) in a vessel or in his hand. The flames represent the destructive energy with which Nataraja dances at the end of each cosmic age, cleansing sins and removing illusion. The front left hand is across the chest in the gahahasta (elephant trunk) pose, with the wrist limp and the fingers pointed downward toward the uplifted foot.

Shiva's raised left foot, grants eternal bliss to those who approach him. The other foot treads firmly upon the dwarf of ignorance, allowing the birth of knowledge. Nataraja dances above the body of the demon, Apasmara, whom he has killed; in this role he is called Natesa. Apasmara, the dwarf demon, represents the ignorance of teaching that all opposites (for example good and evil) are false.

Bronze is an extremely durable metal made from a combination of 5 metals; copper, iron, tin, with minute additions of silver and gold. This combination is called Panchaloha bronze and is the basis for making the sacred Hindu temple statues of India and the world. Copper is the most prevalent metal in the alloy. Copper also gives the metal a softer composition that allows the bronze artisans to carve the details that are prevalent in each piece.
All the South Indian bronze sculpture Lotus Sculpture carries are Panchaloham and thus suited for any home altar or community temple.

Because of the durability of the metal not much is needed to maintain a bronze sculpture. Many of our customers purchase a bronze statue and perform daily puja and abhisheka consisting of bathing the Hindu deity in ghee, milk, coconut milk or other liquids. In this case nothing is needed to keep the statue clean as it will be bathed daily. If the sculpture is used for "darshan" or simply viewing the sculpture it is best to dust the statue as needed so no dirt collects in the details of the sculpture. For both polished golden bronzes and antique patina bronze statues if you would like the sculpture to shine use a cotton cloth with some coconut oil or other natural oil to wipe down the piece as needed.

Many of our bronze Hindu statues have been placed in outdoor temples. Bronze's durability makes it perfect for cold winters and hot summers of any climate. We suggest you bathe the sculpture every couple of months so that dirt does not collect on the sculpture and then use a cotton cloth with some natural oil to give the statue a shine. Both indoors and outdoors a bronze statue can be left alone which, overtime, will give the bronze an antique patina.

On some bronze statues you can see small hints of lime green, verde-gris patina. Some people prize this color for its age others want to remove it. If you would like to remove the verde-gris use a tooth brush with some coconut oil or other natural oil and lightly go over the verde-gris. This should remove the unwanted patina from the sculpture.

Polished Gold Bronze: Many temples and homes prefer the highly polished gold bronze for temples or home altars. In order to give the statue a bright polished sheen we recommend using a cotton rag and buffing the piece. An acid like tamarind or lemon juice will help aid this process. This takes time and effort to bring out the polish. If you are looking for a short cut; some of our customers have used a product called Brasso which has been good at bringing a tarnished golden piece back to its golden shine.

If you have any questions concerning your bronze statue please email us at [email protected] or call us at 1(760) 994-4455.

Bangladeshi Bronze is an extremely durable metal made from a combination of 5 metals; copper, iron, tin, with minute additions of silver and gold. This combination is called Panchaloha bronze and is the basis for making the sacred Hindu temple statues around the world. Copper is the most prevalent metal in the alloy. Copper also gives the metal a softer composition that allows the bronze artisans to carve the details that are prevalent in each piece. All the Bangleshi bronze sculpture Lotus Sculpture carries are Panchaloham and thus suited for any home altar or community temple.

Because of the durability of the metal not much is needed to maintain a bronze sculpture. Many of our customers purchase a bronze statue and perform daily puja and abhisheka consisting of bathing the Hindu deity in ghee, milk, coconut milk or other liquids. In this case nothing is needed to keep the statue clean as it will be bathed daily. If the sculpture is used for "darshan" or simply viewing the sculpture it is best to dust the statue as needed so no dirt collects in the details of the sculpture. For Bangladeshi bronze statues if you would like the sculpture to shine, use a cotton cloth with some coconut oil or other natural oil to wipe down the piece as needed.
If you have any questions concerning your bronze statue please email us at [email protected] or call us at 1(760) 994-4455.

USA Shipping

This sculpture is in our Oceanside, California gallery and ready for immediate packing & shipping. Packing takes anywhere from 1-4 business days. Shipping takes anywhere from 1-6 business days. The shipping price is automatically calculated from Oceanside, California to the destination in the online checkout. Or you can get a shipping quote by clicking the Calculate Shipping link beneath the Add to Cart button. Shipping will be calculated based on the weight of the sculpture and the distance to the destination from our Oceanside, California showroom.
The delivery charges include insurance, a residential lift gate delivery to your home or business. The freight company will call you to schedule a delivery day and time frame to make the delivery. Someone must be present to receive the statue. Depending on where you are located we will use either R&L Carriers, UPS Freight, Estes, DHX or Roadrunner Transport.
The freight company will use a lift gate to bring the sculpture to the ground and then use a pallet jack to move it anywhere on the same level. They will move it anywhere in your driveway or in your garage. They will not take it to your backyard or in the elevator to your apartment or up or down any steps. They will not be unpacking the statue and taking the crate away. Think of them as you would UPS or Fedex. They only deliver the statue. If you require a little extra service, (within reason) a tip to a delivery man usually works wonders!
For placing the statue our customers have either placed the statue themselves with help of a friend and a tool like a hand truck or a dolly. Or by contacting their landscaper who is used to moving large and heavy objects like rocks and trees into place. For much larger and heavier sculptures sometimes the customer needs a piece of heavy equipment for placing the statue like a crane or forklift. If you have any questions contact me directly at [email protected] or (760) 994-4455

Click here to view pictures of our freight packing

International Shipping

This sculpture is in our Oceanside, California showroom and ready for immediate packing & shipping. This piece is too heavy to ship via UPS  and will be shipped using an international freight service. Packing takes anywhere from 1-4 days depending on the statue. We can ship the statue using either sea or air freight to either the your home or the closest port.
If you place your order online shipping will show in the order as $0. Shipping will be calculated based on the weight of the sculpture and the distance from Oceanside, California to determine the shipping price. The shipping quote will be emailed to you and no charge will be made without your approval.
You can obtain a shipping quote for any statue by clicking the link, Calculate Shipping beneath to the Add To Cart button on every statues' page.  Or you can email [email protected] or call us 760-994-4455 to receive a shipping quote. Please include the item number of the statue you are interested in purchasing as well as your country and postal code.​ 
Here you can view how our freight statues are professionally crated.