[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Physical](https://indike.org/pramana/inp) › [Artefacts](https://indike.org/pramana/inp.artefact) › [Victoria and Albert Museum, London](https://indike.org/pramana/inp.artefact.vam) › Shiva Nataraja # Shiva Nataraja Here the Hindu creator god Shiva performs the ‘tandava ananda’ dance. Its function was to create, maintain and cyclically destroy the elemental forces of the universe. Ringed by a flaming aureole, Shiva dances on the prostrate figure of the demon-dwarf Apasmara, who personifies ignorance and materialism. - **Kind:** artefact - **Date:** 700–900 CE --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/inp.artefact.vam.im-2-1934](https://indike.org/pramana/inp.artefact.vam.im-2-1934) · Pramāṇa