Nataraja and Meenakshi

This Tanjore painting in a gilded wooden frame is a depiction of Nataraja and Meenakshi embellished with coloured glass and gold leaf. Nataraja is a depiction of lord Shiva as the cosmic dancer, who dances the universe into being, sustains it with his rhythm, and eventually dances it into annihilation. Nataraja’s hands and feet are held in various gestures that denote specific meanings, while the objects in his hands are symbolic too. Shown here in his left back hand is Agni (fire), which represents the forces of creation and destruction. The upper right hand holds a small drum, shaped like an hourglass, which symbolizes rhythm and time. The open palm of the lower right hand in the front, symbolises fearlessness and divine reassurance, while the left hand extending across his chest symbolizes concealment.  Shiva is surrounded by a ring of flames, with his left leg in the air, and the right leg trampling a dwarf who symbolizes ignorance. On either side of the dwarf are two makaras. Shown beside Nataraja is Meenakshi, the fish-eyed goddess, a tutelary deity of Madurai who is considered as the reincarnation of the goddess Parvati. She is the divine consort of Sundareswarar, a form of Shiva. To the right of Shiva, with a serpent's body is Patanjali, while the figure on the left of Meenakshi, with tiger’s legs is Vygrapadha. In the bottom panel of the painting from left to right are Ganesha, Bhringi, Nandi, Nandi with Mrdanga, Nayanyars, and Vishnu.