Maha Shivratri in Mumbai
If you study this impressive hand-painted reproduction of Shiva Nataraja in porcelain, you'll see the flames are all similar but no two are identical.According to the moon, the date of the Mahashivratri festival changes every year. In 2010 it's Friday 12. And today the streets of Mumbai have pop up temples to Shiva appearing on the street side, in front of the closed shutters of shops because it's also a national holiday.
Along with Brahma (the one that creates) and Vishnu (the one that preserves), Shiva is one of the most important gods in Hinduism. Shiva is associated with creation and destruction, that is, the rhythmic movement of the cosmos. He destroys in order to build again.
Though Shiva has different manifestations, the most popular is the seated Shiva. But when depicted in a dancing pose, as a symbol of the act of creation, he is called Nataraja -- which is my favorite pose. You normally see it in brass or silver in the jewellery shops. I've even seen a massive Nataraja at the front of a rave party.
When performing this cosmic dance, Shiva arouses energies that can shape the world. He dances both in joy and sorrow as the god of rhythm and movement. The dance symbolises the cleansing of ego and illusion by means of the fire of knowledge, enlightenment and severe austerities.
His position reveals the path of liberation for every soul, and every detail has a symbolic meaning. Shiva's hair symbolizes the Ganges river falling from heaven to earth; the drum in his upper right hand beats of the rhythm of creation; the snake represents the cosmic energy and the lotus blossom on which he dances is the heart of the devoted.
And there's more.
The ring of fire represents the divinity of creation, or the births and deaths of the world, while the flame in the left hand destroys in order to build anew.
And why is he trampling a baby? He's not. It's a demon dwarf and is supposed to symbolize your ego and ignorance, defeated by Shiva, to reach true wisdom.
Now that you know what each detail means you deserve your own Shiva statue. Consider this svelte Shiva porcelain figure by Lladro.
Gold Shiva Nataraja, Rs 3,21,000; 47x44 cm; Limited Edition of 3,000 pieces by Lladro.Shop No 42, Ground floor, Atria Millennium Mall, Dr Annie Besant Road, Worli; tel. +91 (0) 22 2481 3341. Also at No. 1, Sunder Mahal, 141, Marine Drive, Churchgate; tel. +91 (0) 22 2282 3436/37
