A History of Fine Art in India and Ceylon, from the Earliest Times to the Present Day c13.s6.47

c13.s6.47

The place of honour may be given to the spirited images of Siva as ‘Naṭarāja’, 'Lord of the Dance', the first of their kind to be found in Ceylon (Plate LI; Fig. 188); which compare favourably with the best examples of similar compositions in Southern India (*ante*, p. 238). A specimen in the Madras Museum arouses enthusiasm, which few can share fully, in the breast of Dr. A. K. Coomaraswamy, who first published photographs of the work. In order to make the Ceylonese bronzes intelligible, the explanation of the legend of Siva's manifestation as 'Lord of the Dance', given in the *Koyil Purānam*, and said to be familiar to all southern worshippers of the god, is quoted from the eloquent pages of the author referred to:—