Nataraja in the Tandava dance Posture
- The upper right-hand holds the drum, which signifies the sound of creation.
- The upper left-hand holds the eternal fire, which represents destruction.
- The lower right hand is raised in the gesture of abhaya mudra signifying benediction and reassuring the devotee not to be afraid.
- The lower left-hand points towards the upraised foot and indicates the path of salvation.
- Shiva is dancing on the figure of a small dwarf and the dwarf symbolizes ignorance and the ego of an individual.
- The matted and flowing locks of Shiva represent the flow of the river Ganges.
- In ornamentation, one ear of Shiva has a male earring while the other has a female which represents the fusion of male and female and is often referred to as Ardhanarishvara.
- A snake is twisted around the arm of Shiva and the snake symbolises the kundalini power, which resides in the human spine in the dormant stage.
- The Nataraja is surrounded by a nimbus of glowing lights which symbolises the vast unending cycles of time.