Tandava

Tandava, as performed in the sacred dance-drama of India, has vigorous, brisk movements. Performed with joy, the dance is called Ananda Tandava. Performed in a violent mood, the dance is called Raudra or Rudra 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.{{sfn|Manohar Laxman Varadpande|1987|p=154}} 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 the Rudra Tandava depicts his violent nature, first as the creator and later as the destroyer of the universe, even of death itself, the Ananda Tandava depicts him as joyful. In Shaiva Siddhanta tradition, Shiva as Nataraja (lit. "King of dance"{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=44MTBwAAQBAJ&q=nataraja+king+of+the+dance&pg=PA74|title=Everyday Hinduism|page=74|author=Joyce Burkhalter Flueckiger|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|date=23 February 2015|isbn=978-1118528181}}) is considered to be supreme lord of dance.

Tandava takes its name from Tandu ({{IAST|taṇḍu}}), the attendant of Shiva, who instructed Bharata (author of the Natya Shastra) in the use of Angaharas and Karanas[https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/the-natyashastra/d/doc209696.html Natya-shastra IV.263-264] modes of the Tandava at Shiva's order. Some scholars consider that Tandu himself must have been the author of an earlier work on the dramatic arts, which was incorporated into the Natya Shastra.Quarterly Journal of the Andhra Historical Research Society, part III, pp. 25-26, as cited in {{harvnb|Manohar Laxman Varadpande|1987|p=154}} The Natya Shastra portrays Shiva narrating about the various aspects of the dance to the god Brahma.

The 32 Angaharas and 108 Karanas are discussed by Bharata in the 4th chapter of the Natya Shastra, Tandava Lakshanam.Ragini Devi, Dance Dialects of India, pp. 29-30. Motilal Banarsidass (1990) {{ISBN|81-208-0674-3}} Karana is the combination of hand gestures with feet to form a dance posture. Angahara is composed of seven or more Karanas.{{sfn|Manohar Laxman Varadpande|1987|p=154}}

"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[https://web.archive.org/web/20170817194048/http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/Religions/Avatars/Natar.html Ananda K. Coomaraswamy, "The Dance of Shiva", in The Dance of Shiva: Fourteen Indian Essays, rev. ed. (New York: Noonday Press), (1957)] {{ISBN|81-215-0153-9}}. Cited, "Nataraja", Manas, UCLA

File:Kadavul tandavas.jpg

The dance is described as a pictorial allegory of the five principle manifestations of eternal energy:

• Srishti - creation, evolution
• Sthiti - preservation, support
• Samhara - destruction, evolution
• Tirodhana - illusion
• Anugraha - release, emancipation, grace

The dance performed by Shiva's wife Parvati in response to Shiva's Tandava is known as Lasya, 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. When Sati (first wife of Shiva, who was reborn as Parvati) gave up her life in Daksha's sacrifice, Shiva is said to have performed the Rudra Tandava to express his grief and anger. The Shivapradosha stotra says when Shiva performs the Sandhya Tandava, the other gods like Brahma, Vishnu, Sarasvati, Lakshmi and Indra play musical instruments and sing Shiva's praises.{{sfn|Manohar Laxman Varadpande|1987|p=154}}

The Shiva Tandava Stotra is a stotra (Hindu hymn) that describes Shiva's power and beauty, believed to have been written by Ravana, a great devotee of Shiva.{{Cite book |author=Vanamali |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/827262640 |title=Shiva : stories and teachings from the Shiva Mahapurana |date=4 October 2013 |isbn=978-1-62055-248-3 |oclc=827262640}}

File:Indischer Maler um 1640 001.jpg and his wives Naginis asking Krishna for his mercy. From a Bhagavata Purana manuscript, c. 1640.]]

Ganesha, the son of Shiva, is depicted as Ashtabhuja tandavsa nritya murtis (Eight armed form of Ganesha dancing the Tandava) in temple sculptures.{{sfn|Manohar Laxman Varadpande|1987|p=5}}

The Bhagavata Purana talks of Krishna dancing his Tandava on the head of the serpent Kaliya.{{sfn|Manohar Laxman Varadpande|1987|p=98}}{{cite book|title=Indian Theatre And Dance Traditions|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sVNQAAAAMAAJ|page=14|author=Shovana Narayan|publisher=Harman Publishing House|date=1 January 2004|isbn=978-8186622612}} King Chikka Devaraja (the fourteenth maharaja of the Kingdom of Mysore) minted a series of gold coins called "Devaraja [with] the image of dancing Krishna" (tandava krishnamurti devaraja) to commemorate his coronation.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cMHADwAAQBAJ&pg=PA267|title=Devotional Sovereignty: Kingship and Religion in India|page=8|author=Caleb Simmons|publisher=Oxford University Press|date=2 December 2019|isbn=978-0190088910}} Purandara Dasa calls the dancing Krishna ("Nritya Krishna") as "Tandava Krishna".{{cite book|author=Tumuluri Seetharama Lakshmi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cBTmAAAAMAAJ|title=A study of the compositions of Purandaradāsa and Tyāgarāja|publisher=Veda Sruti Publications|year=1994|page=116}}

According to Jain traditions, Indra is said to have performed the Tandava in honour of Rishabha (Jain tirthankar) on the latter's birth.{{sfn|Manohar Laxman Varadpande|1987|p=146}}

The similarly correlated Buddhist deity Acala is shown in some depictions to trample upon Vighnarāja, a demon of obstacles, in the manner of Tandava.

In Kathak 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.{{cite book|title=Classical and Folk Dances of India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tzwOAQAAIAAJ|publisher=Marg Publications|year=1963|page=43|quote=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 .}}{{cite book|title=Kathak, Classical Dance of India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l6kkAQAAIAAJ|page=12|author=Marie Joy Curtiss|publisher=University of the State of New York|year=1970}} Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi have variants of Krishna dancing his Tandava on Kaliya.{{cite book|author=Lavanya Vemsani|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4fw2DAAAQBAJ|title=Krishna in History, Thought, and Culture: An Encyclopedia of the Hindu Lord of Many Names: An Encyclopedia of the Hindu Lord of Many Names|date=13 June 2016|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9781610692113|page=220|quote=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.|author-link=Lavanya Vemsani}}

The Manipuri dance is categorized as either "Tandava" (vigorous, usually go with Shiva, Shakti or Krishna as warrior-savior themed plays) or lasya (delicate,{{cite book|author=Vimalakānta Rôya Caudhurī|title=The Dictionary of Hindustani Classical Music|url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofhind00roya|url-access=registration|year=2000|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-1708-1|page=[https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofhind00roya/page/80 80]}} usually go with love stories of Radha and Krishna).{{Sfn|Reginald Massey|2004|pp=193-194}}{{Sfn|Saryu Doshi|1989|pp=xvi-xviii, 44-45}} In the Krishna Tandava in Raslila performance of Manipuri dance is graceful yet with swift movement and acrobatic gestures.{{cite book|title=The Raslila Performance Tradition of Manipur in Northeast India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HAw7eAozMjwC|author=Angana Jhaveri|publisher=Michigan State University. Department of Theater|year=1986|page=105|quote=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.}}

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 the Nataraja temple of Chidambaram.{{Sfn|Dalal|2014|p=278}}{{cite book|author=Brenda Pugh McCutchen|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C0yjXGJ3EEoC|title=Teaching Dance as Art in Education|publisher=Human Kinetics|year=2006|isbn=978-0-7360-5188-0|pages=450}}

Shiva as Nataraja or Krishna dancing the Tandava is a recurring theme in the Chola period bronzes. Various Shiva temples in South India depict the dancing Nataraja.{{cite book|author=Sehdev Kumar|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nSDACkmA_ukC|title=A Thousand Petalled Lotus: Jain Temples of Rajasthan : Architecture & Iconography|publisher=Abhinav Publications|year=2001|isbn=978-8170173489|page=184}}

{{reflist}}

• {{cite book |author=Manohar Laxman Varadpande |title=History of Indian Theatre |publisher=Abhinav |year=1987 |isbn = 978-81-7017-278-9 }}
• {{cite book|author=Reginald Massey|title=India's Dances: Their History, Technique, and Repertoire|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t6MJ8jbHqIwC |year=2004|publisher=Abhinav Publications|isbn=978-81-7017-434-9 }}
• {{cite book|author=Saryu Doshi|title=Dances of Manipur: The Classical Tradition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xRbkAAAAMAAJ|year=1989|publisher=Marg Publications|isbn=978-81-85026-09-1}}
• {{cite book|last= Dalal |first=Roshen |title=Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zrk0AwAAQBAJ&pg=PT120|year=2014 | publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=978-81-8475-277-9 }}

• [https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/the-natyashastra/d/doc209696.html Description of the Class Dance (tāṇḍava)], Chapter IV of the Nāṭyaśāstra

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