Figure 19. Shri Shiva Nataraja temple in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India.
North facing niche or pañjara of the ratha mandapa or chariot hall known as the
Nritta Sabha, with pillars supported by sphinxes or purushamriga functioning as
caryatids. Shiva is depicted as Kankalamurti.
Granite.
Approximately 1100 CE.
Photo by Raja Deekshithar, 23 February 2007.