Shiva Tandav
Uday Charan Shrestha, 2018
Oil and pencil on canvas
58 × 86 cm

© Uday Charan Shrestha

The Tridev, or the three prominent deities of Hinduism are Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, also known as the Creator, the Nurturer, and the Destroyer. As Natyeshwor, Shiva is also worshipped as Nataraj, king of dance. In Newar communities, Nasadeo, the tantric form of Shiva is worshipped as the lord of dance, drama, and music. There is a tradition of holding a prior ritual nasa, or pooja (worship) for the success of such dance or drama performances.

Shiva performs all kinds of dances, and his tandav dance is believed to include seven types that depend on time and mood. After slaying three asuras (antagonists in Hindu mythology), Vidyunmali, Tarakaksha and Veeryavan, collectively called Tripurasur, a frenzied dance of rage called Tripur Tandav was performed, an act capable of inducing an apocalypse. Parvati Shiva’s female consort, Shakti, calmed him by performing a gentle Laasya dance. Pleased and delighted by this, Shiva then performed the joyful ananda tandav. The furious, wrathful dance Shiva performs as a destroyer during an apocalypse is called samhar tandav. This oil painting presents the samhar tandav. The painting depicts the fearful environment, dark and fiery with bolts of lightning issuing from Shiva’s enraged dance full of ferocious gesturing. To render it more effective, the painting draws on some elements of the poem Shiva Tandav, which was supposedly composed by Lankeshwar Ravan (a mythical figure in the epic poem Ramayana, a devotee of Shiva). Though an oil painting, the work also features some pencil sketching.