2025-04-17 Thu

The fifth stamp in the Archaeological and Historical Monuments Definitive series, 1949, is of Nataraja or the Cosmic Dancer Shiva. With a face value of 2 Annas, Nataraja is one of the dancing forms of Lord Shiva, commonly associated with the Chola Bronze sculptures. The iconography was developed during the Chola period between the 9th and 10th centuries.

This Nataraja on the stamp is shown in an AnandaTandav pose. The sculpture has four hands representing the cardinal directions. He is posing on a lotus pedestal with his left foot rising elegantly and the right foot placed on the Apasmara Purusha, a demon representing ignorance.

Nataraja Shiva is holding Agni (fire) in his left hand, while his front hand is in the dandahasta mudra. His front right hand has a snake wrapped in it, and that hand is in the abhaya mudra. His backhand is holding a damru.

A 2-metre-high Nataraja bronze was unveiled in 2004 at the European Center for Research in Particle Physics (CERN) in Geneva.

The Nataraja by the Cholas continues to be a popular icon in South Asian art and iconography. The sculpture on the stamp is originally from Tiruvalangadu - housed in the Government Museum, Chennai (TamilNadu ).