பதாகை
பதாகை
English (United Kingdom)Sinhala (Sri Lanka)
Siva-Nataraja
month

12 th century A.D. from Siva Devale No. 5, Polonnaruwa. Bronze, Solid cast with hollow pedestal. The four armed god dances balancing his weight on the right foot, trampling down the demon Muyalaka. The upper hands hold the kettle drum and flame, symbols of creation and destruction. The lower hands are in Varada and Gajahastha mudras. The hair spreading in either direction indicates the spread of strands during the god’s dance. The figure of Goddess Ganga indicates it falling onto the god’s head, thus reducing her rapid decent from the Himalayas.