The Government Museum, Egmore, is perhaps the only institution in the world to have over 1,500 metal figures (Hindu, Buddhist and Jain). The earliest relics are said to date from the earliest centuries of the Christian era.
The 114.5 cm Tiruvalangadu Nataraja bronze icon, which was discovered 107 years ago, occupies a prime place in the Bronze Gallery, Government Museum. Critics described the dancing Siva as ‘the perfect art’ and ‘perfectly balanced’ as early as 1911. In 1949, the Indian postal department published a series of stamps on Indian heritage, which included the Tiruvalangadu Nataraja. In 2004, the 128th session of CERN Council closed with a ceremony to unveil a statue of the Nataraja, offered to CERN by the Government of India as a symbol of India’s long-standing relationship with CERN.
Location courtesy: Commissioner of Museum, Government Museum
Pics: Samuel Anand