Tandavam (also spelled asTāṇḍava), also known asTāṇḍava Natyam, is a divine dance performed byHindu godShiva.[1][2][3][4][5] Shiva is depicted as dancing the Tandava in his form ofNataraja.[6]
TheNatya Shastra, a Sanskrit treatise on the performing arts, describes various aspects of the Tandava.
Tandava, as performed in the sacred dance-drama of India, has vigorous, brisk movements. Performed with joy, the dance is calledAnanda Tandava. Performed in a violent mood, the dance is calledRaudra orRudra Tandava. The types of Tandava found in the Hindu texts are: Ananda Tandava, Tripura Tandava, Sandhya Tandava, Samhara Tandava, Kali (Kalika) Tandava, Uma Tandava, Shiva Tandava, Krishna Tandava and Gauri Tandava.[7] Tandava mudras and postures occur within the person by itself without volition, if his Kundalini (shakti within) is invoked. Mudras and postures of sculptures in ancient Indian temples are a mere depiction of spirituality (invoked spirit, the kundalini), which actually is supposed to occur in the person as a fruit of his practices.
Shiva Tandava is described as a vigorous dance that is the source of the cycle of creation, preservation and dissolution. While theRudra Tandava depicts his violent nature, first as the creator and later as the destroyer of the universe, even of death itself, theAnanda Tandava depicts him as joyful. InShaiva Siddhanta tradition, Shiva asNataraja (lit. "King of dance"[8]) is considered to be supreme lord of dance.[9]
Tandava takes its name fromTandu (taṇḍu), the attendant of Shiva, who instructedBharata (author of theNatya Shastra) in the use ofAngaharas andKaranas[4] modes of the Tandava at Shiva's order. Some scholars consider that Tandu himself must have been the author of an earlier work on thedramatic arts, which was incorporated into the Natya Shastra.[10] TheNatya Shastra portrays Shiva narrating about the various aspects of the dance to the godBrahma.[4]
The 32 Angaharas and 108 Karanas are discussed by Bharata in the 4th chapter of the Natya Shastra,Tandava Lakshanam.[11] Karana is the combination of hand gestures with feet to form a dance posture. Angahara is composed of seven or more Karanas.[7]
"How many various dances of Shiva are known to His worshipers I cannot say. No doubt the root idea behind all of these dances is more or less one and the same, the manifestation of primal rhythmic energy. Whatever the origins of Shiva's dance, it became in time the clearest image of the activity of God which any art or religion can boast of." -Ananda Coomaraswamy[9]
The dance is described as a pictorial allegory of the five principle manifestations of eternal energy:[9]
The dance performed by Shiva's wifeParvati in response to Shiva's Tandava is known asLasya, in which the movements are gentle, graceful and sometimes erotic. Some scholars consider Lasya to be the feminine version of Tandava. There are two types of Lasya, Jarita Lasya and Yauvaka Lasya.
The Hindu scriptures narrate various occasions when Shiva performed the Tandava. WhenSati (first wife of Shiva, who was reborn as Parvati) gave up her life inDaksha's sacrifice, Shiva is said to have performed the Rudra Tandava to express his grief and anger. TheShivapradosha stotra says when Shiva performs theSandhya Tandava, the other gods likeBrahma,Vishnu,Sarasvati,Lakshmi andIndra play musical instruments and sing Shiva's praises.[7]
TheShiva Tandava Stotra is astotra (Hindu hymn) that describes Shiva's power and beauty, believed to have been written byRavana, a great devotee of Shiva.[12]
Ganesha, the son of Shiva, is depicted asAshtabhuja tandavsa nritya murtis (Eight armed form of Ganesha dancing the Tandava) in temple sculptures.[13]
TheBhagavata Purana talks ofKrishna dancing his Tandava on the head of the serpentKaliya.[14][15] KingChikka Devaraja (the fourteenthmaharaja of theKingdom of Mysore) minted a series of gold coins called "Devaraja [with] the image of dancing Krishna" (tandava krishnamurti devaraja) to commemorate his coronation.[16]Purandara Dasa calls the dancing Krishna ("Nritya Krishna") as "Tandava Krishna".[17]
According toJain traditions, Indra is said to have performed the Tandava in honour ofRishabha (Jain tirthankar) on the latter's birth.[18]
The similarly correlated Buddhist deityAcala is shown in some depictions to trample upon Vighnarāja, a demon of obstacles, in the manner of Tandava.
InKathak dance three types of Tandavas are generally used, they are, Krishna Tandava, Shiva Tandava and Ravana Tandava, but sometimes a fourth variety - Kalika Tandava, is also often used.[19][20]Bharatanatyam andKuchipudi have variants of Krishna dancing his Tandava on Kaliya.[21]
TheManipuri dance is categorized as either "Tandava" (vigorous, usually go with Shiva, Shakti or Krishna as warrior-savior themed plays) or lasya (delicate,[22] usually go with love stories of Radha and Krishna).[23][24] In the Krishna Tandava in Raslila performance of Manipuri dance is graceful yet with swift movement and acrobatic gestures.[25]
The 108 karanas of Tandava have inspired Shiva sculptures of the 1st-millennium BCE, particularly the Tandava style which fuses many of these into a composite image found at theNataraja temple ofChidambaram.[26][27]
Shiva as Nataraja or Krishna dancing the Tandava is a recurring theme in theChola period bronzes. Various Shiva temples in South India depict the dancing Nataraja.[28]
There are three types of Tandavas generally used in Kathak, namely, Krishna Tandava, Shiva Tandava and Ravana Tandava, but sometimes a fourth variety - Kalika Tandava, is also recognised .
Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi developed a style of dance known as Tandava, a set of vigorous dance moves mainly performed with brisk movements of the feet, which was once said to have been performed by the child Krishna while he defeated the sepant Kaliya in Kalind lake in Brindavan.
Krishna tandava as used in the raslila has very spritely and joyful dance movements. It involves small quick movements, light springy jumps, fast footwork, spinning at a dizzy speed and some acrobatic movements. But the overall effect of the form is that of grace and delicacy suitable to the romantic and youthful character of Krishna.
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