The Colas c36.80

c36.80

Fig. 65. Naṭarāja. Bronze. Tiruvālaṅgāḍu, Chittoor District. Now in the Government Museum, Madras. By far the best known *ānanda tāṇḍava* Naṭarāja image. No *prabhā*. It is acclaimed as a wonderful specimen of the ‘art of bronze.’ What a stone carver could not achieve, the image caster has achieved here. The movements of the limbs are rhythmic and the posture graceful. The little exaggeration of the limbs evidently adds poetic flavour to the sculpture and thus makes it a splendid piece. The rounded limbs, the details such as head-dress in high relief, and the long necklace may not indicate a late date but show the depth of knowledge in his art and capacity of the master sculptor to render the details clearly and effectively.