we are told often that the nataraja form is a creation of the chola empire - though the form does feature much earlier, it was under them that it was cast in bronze and accquired its current definition. this is a spendid book ( more a penance)....some excerpts...
NATARAJA THE LORD OF DANCE C.Sivaramamurti
The composer of an inscription has said, and probably, in a normal sense, rightly, that dance in the darkness is an impossibility. Let kings compose hundreds of mellifluous poems, or chum up hosts of foes on the battlefield, or scatter their wealth on deserving donees, but with the passage of time all these their exploits would be like dancing in utter darkness if these were not recorded by poets in prasastis: kurvantu kirtanasatani rananganeshu mathnantu vairinikaram dhanam utsrijantu kalanatare tad akhilam prabalandhakaranrityopamam kavijanair anibaddhyamanam (Epigraph. Ind. 27, p. 281).
Dance in the darkness is no doubt unimaginable. But, Siva only chooses the evening for his dance, when it is dark, but the darkness is lit up by his own effulgence, the moon on his crest, the stars around, the flame in his hand, and the powerful rays shooting forth from the gems on the hoods of snakes he wears as his ornaments. This is abundantly illustrated in literature, as stated elsewhere, to show how Siva requires not a powerful light focussed on him, but the mild and soft tone of moonlight, chosen to reveal not too luridly, but softly and gracefully, the movement of his limbs.
Siva's dance cannot be comprehended by lesser masters. It is only the great ones like Brahma, Bharata, Hari, Narada or Skanda who can understand or appreciate his dance. An inscription on the cave temple at Saluvankuppam has a verse to elucidate not only the distinction of Siva's dance, but also to enumerate the great celestial exponents of natya and sangita and their ability, as the right audience, to appreciate Siva's dance: yadi na vidhata bharato yadi na harir narado na va skandha boddhum ka iva samarthas sangitam kalakalasya (Epigraph. Ind. 10, p. 12). The word used here sangita includes music, both vocal and instrumental, and dance. Poetry, music, literature and dance are time arts, while painting, sculpture and architecture are space arts (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition. Vol. X). The word Kalakala, emphasizing the concept of time and eternity of Siva, appropriately makes him the master of sangita, including music and dance. Ratnakara goes one step further, when he describes even elements like water, personified in the heavenly stream, Ganga, on his head, applauding, as he imagines, his excellence in dance. Siva's dance movements, wherein the excels, are loudly applauded it would seem by the deep rumbling sound of the waves of the heavenly stream entering the hollows of the garland of skulls on his head: kukshipravishtasuranir-jharinitarangajhankarataraninadair nrikapalapanktih nritsatisayasvamandam (Haravijaya 2.57).
It is not only these great gods and goddesses, the creators each in his or her own important way, that are the witnesses to applaud the dance of Siva, but they enthusiastically also join in creating the orchestra for him, by playing the musical instruments. At the very sign of his brow, Vishnu takes up the drum mardala, which, with is noble rumbling notes, like the cloud inspiring the blue-throated peacock to dance, starts the musical sound. With his louts hand, Brahma takes up a pair of cymbals, ostensibly to keep time to the dance of the victor of Kama, but really because they allow his mistaking them for the breasts of his consort, Sarasvati. Indra places the bamboo flute on his lip, the honey of which was lovingly tested by the celestial nymph, Rambha, and even by the excellence of his playing, which keeps the worlds spell-bound, Indra makes himself conspicuous in his high station. Sarasvati, the consort of Brahma, beautifully plays the lute with the rosary placed on her left ear, as if to suggest a faster pace in the musical play. Parvati smiles at the impatience of her beloved one (Siva) to dance, as he gets ready by tying up his locks with the long snake coil and his waist with the elephant hide. Sambhu, the kind-hearted, knowing that his dance festival was not to be comprehended by the mortal eye, graciously bestows divine sight for those who lack it. Then the whole concourse witnesses the dance of Siva, with the locks whirling around and lashing clusters of stars, as his feet with the serpent anklet, jingling at his tread, pushes down the earth: tatra sankarakatakshachoditas charumardalam avadayaddharih yah payoda iti pushkarasrito nilakanthanatanochitadhvanih kamajinnatanakaranena va bharatikuchayugabhramena va tatra talayugalim athadade panipankajayugena padmabhuh rambhaya hritarase radachchhade vamsanalam avasajya vasavah vadanad api vimohayan janan adade kila na vasavasthitam vadaya drutam itiva samsata sphatikakshavalayena dakshine asrita sravasi charuvallakivadanam vyatanute Priya vidheh ayatena phanina jatabharam madhyabhagam ibhacharmakakshyaya badhnatah priyatamasya nartitum vikshya sambhramam uma smitam vyadhat vikshanochitam apamsachakshusha nartanotsavam avekshitum nijam sambhuna sakaladehinam tada divyam akshi didise dayaluna sandadarsa sapadi bhramajjatataditoduputalam tada janah vyalanupuraranatpadarpananyanchitaksshiti natesanartanam (Patanjalicharita 4. 61-67).
As Siva commences his dance in the evening. Ratnakara imagines, in the loftiest terms the sun and moons as the cymbals used by the goddess of prosperity herself for tala and laya, the most important in the nritta aspect of dance. At the commencement of dance by Siva at dusk, with the sun disc setting near the astagiri and the full moon emerging into light from his locks, it seems to make the celestial goddess of prosperity hold as it were these two as cymbals for the Lord's musical orchestra: astavalambiravibimbitayodayadsrichudonmishatsakalachandrataya cha sayam sandhyapranrittaharavadyagrihitakamsyataladvayeva samalakshyata nakalakshmih (Haravijya 19.5).
This exacting musical orchestra, the vina played by the Lady of music, Sarasvati herself, the flute by Indra who excels, Brahma keeping time and Vishnu himself sounding the drum, is because Siva himself is an adept in all the musical instruments. In the Sivasahasranama, there is an elaboration of his musical accomplishments. He is described as Sarvaturyaninadi, he is also Vainavi, Panavi, Vini, Tali and Nali: vainavi panavi kalah kalakanthah katamkatah .. vini cha panavi tali nail kalikatus tatha sarvaturyaninadi cha sarvavyuapyaparigrahah (Lingamahapurana 1, 65, 11) tumbuvino mahako
Hi vijay we do find natarjas in stone in several rastra kuta temples.
and i dont understand the chola being first to cast it in bronze. nataraja in his pancha loka form already existed in chidambaram much earlier as the devaram trio and manicka vasakar mention it. karaikal ammaiyar one of the earliest of the 63 nayanmar mentions nataraja in thiruvalangadu. she should have preceded the cholas by 700 years atleast. se this link for the explanation of the symbolism
Hi Sps the psychological bonding the cholas had with natraja was out of the world.
you yourself have quoted so many links between the big temple and thillai. the cholas crowned themselves symbolically in chidambaram. they had to sit on the siver panchaatchara steps have an abishekam and then move to the 1000 pillared hall where the chief dhikshitar crowned them on behalf of nataraja. chidambaram was the defacto capital of rajendra when he built GKc. his star too was margali thiruvathirai. he chose gkc because floods in the kolidam prevented him from going to a chidambaram temple festival. kulothunga (?) threw govinda raja into the sea rvoving al competition to natraja.the last event is however disputed.
Hi puliyur comes wherver vyagrapathar went and worshipped. thiru pathiri puliyur in cudalore is another one. i dont see any link. we in the group have visited two beautiful temples - pulivanam uthiramerur where there are claw marks on the lingam) and pulipakkam on the hilltop near chingelpet. the latter has rrc time edicts. there are hundreds of puliyurs. the 2nd reign of cholas must have been this link to chidambaram. quite a few of them claim to have put the gold on top of it. venketesh