The Hindu god Shiva in his form as the cosmic dancer.
The most common images show him with four arms and flying locks, dancing on a dwarf (a symbol of human ignorance) and encircled by a ring of flames. The Nataraja sculpture shows Shiva as the source of all movement within the cosmos, represented by the loop of flames. The dance's purpose is to release humans from illusion; the place where the god performs the dance is believed to lie both at the centre of the universe and within the human heart.
Naṭarāja, dancing Śiva, Indian bronze image, 12th–13th century AD; in ...
By courtesy of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam