Many years ago I traveled to India on a business trip.
Aurangabad sightseeing
UNIDO invited me to attend a Petrochemical Conference in Baroda (or Vadodara).
In front of the Petrochemical Development Institute
There was an opening party and there I saw a beautiful performance of the DANCE of SHIVA
Dance of SHIVA (1)
Dance of SHIVA (2)
Dance of Shiva (3)
Dance of Shiva (4)
Dance of SHIVA (5)
After the conference I visited Aurangabad and made the following picture:
Aurangabad
From Wikipedia:
Dance of Lord Shiva
Characteristics
Nataraja, Lord Shiva as the Cosmic Dancer representing the rhythmic movement of the entire cosmos.
- A cobra uncoils from his lower right forearm, and the crescent moon and a skull are on his crest. He dances within an arch of flames. This dance is called the Dance of Bliss, ananda tandava.
- The upper right hand holds a small drum shaped like an hourglass that is called a ḍamaru in Sanskrit.[4][5][6]. A specific hand gesture (mudra) called ḍamaru-hasta (Sanskrit for “ḍamaru-hand”) is used to hold the drum.[7] It symbolizes sound originating creation.
- The upper left hand contains Agni or fire, which signifies destruction. The opposing concepts in the upper hands show the counterpoise of creation and destruction.
- The second right hand shows the Abhaya mudra (meaning fearlessness in Sanskrit), bestowing protection from both evil and ignorance to those who follow the righteousness of dharma.
- The second left hand points towards the raised foot which signifies upliftment and liberation.
- The dwarf on which Nataraja dances is the demon Apasmara, which symbolises Shiva’s victory over ignorance(ego).
- As the Lord of Dance, Nataraja, Shiva performs the tandava, the dance in which the universe is created, maintained, and dissolved. Shiva’s long, matted tresses, usually piled up in a knot, loosen during the dance and crash into the heavenly bodies, knocking them off course or destroying them utterly.
- The surrounding flames represent the manifest Universe.Also, the circle of fire/flames symbolizes the cycle of transmigration/suffering the ego goes through(endless births and rebirths, before attaining salvation).
- The snake swirling around his waist is kundalini, the Shakti or divine force thought to reside within everything.
- The stoic face of Shiva represents his neutrality, thus being in balance.
A beautiful mural
The Deccan area is utmost interesting to me for the caves of Ajanta & Ellora.
The Deccan Plateau
Soon I will post more pictures of other countries.
