Shiva is among the most important Hindu gods. At once terrible and benevolent, he is never more powerful than when he is dancing.
The Rietberg Dancing Shiva
His appeal has spread beyond the borders of his homeland of India. An exhibition at the Rietberg Museum in Zurich is exploring why so many people are drawn to the Dancing Shiva.
The image of Shiva as the Lord of the Dance – multi-armed, posed on one leg, surrounded by a circle of fire, his hair flying – is one of the god’s most famous incarnations.
The Rietberg Museum in Zurich, which is devoted to non-European art and artefacts, boasts its own impressive bronze Dancing Shiva, dating from the 11th century. It was bought by the museum’s founder and collector Eduard von der Heydt in the 1920s-1930s.
The statue has been the inspiration for the “Shiva Nataraja: The Cosmic Dancer” exhibition, which opened on November 16.
“This bronze is a landmark of our museum, it is among the most beautiful pieces we own and is definitely the ultimate object in the Indian collection,” the exhibition’s curator, Johannes Beltz, told swissinfo.
“But never before has an exhibition at the Rietberg been dedicated to Shiva as a Cosmic Dancer exclusively,” he said.
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