Definition:
Tandava is the divine dance performed by Lord Shiva. It is considered to be the source of the cosmic cycle of creation, preservation and dissolution. The word Tandava comes from Tandu, the attendant of Lord Shiva, who at Lord Shiva’s orders, instructed Bharat muni, the author of Natya Shastra, the usage of Angaharas and Karanas, which together constitute this cosmic dance
The dance is described as a pictorial allegory of the five principle manifestations of eternal energy:
- Srishti - creation, evolution
- Sthiti - preservation, support
- Samhara - destruction, evolution
- Tirodhana - illusion
- Anugraha - release, emancipation, grace
The dance performed by Shiva's wife Parvati in response to Shiva's Tandava is known as Lasya, in which the movements are gentle, graceful and sometimes erotic. Some scholars consider Lasya to be the feminine version of Tandava.
As per NatyaShastra, there ate 7 types of Thandavams performed by Lord Shiva as listed below.
- AnandhaThandavam - Lord Siva's awesome dance of bliss as Nataraja in Chidambaram.
- SandhyaThandavam - The captivating twilight dance, also known as PradoshaThandavam that Lord Siva performs for his divine entourage.
- KaligaThandavam - The scintillating Siva-Kali dance that symbolizes creation and demonstrates the oneness of Shakthi and Sivam.
- VijayaThandava - The dance of triumph that celebrates the victory of Lord Siva over evil represented by three demons.
- OordhavaThandavam - The peppy dance performed by Lord Siva in Chidambaram when challenged into a dance contest by Kali, his consort.
- Uma Thandavam - The dance performed by Lord Siva with Uma as his co-dancer wherein He rests his left foot on the demon and lifts the right foot.
- SamharaThandavam - The fierce dance of decimation, said to have been performed by Lord Siva when Sati burnt herself into ashes, which releases the good from the shackles of evil.