This dramatic representation of the Hindu god Shiva performing the twilight Dance of Frenzy (sandhya tandava), which is a more dynamic dance than the Dance of Bliss (ananda tandava) that Shiva performs as the Lord of Dance (Nataraja; see M.75.1). Here, Shiva dances with his right leg crosses behind his left leg and is pointed downward towards a subjugated demon. Conversely, in the Dance of Bliss Shiva dances with his right leg planted firmly on the Dwarf of Ignorance (Apasmara) and his left leg held aloft in front of his right leg as a symbol of liberation. Shiva has ten arms emphasizing his tamasic (“darkness”) demon-destroying aspect. His right hands hold a sword, dholaka drum, trident, libation bowl, and a rosary. His left hands hold an antelope, bow, arrow, and cobra. His lowermost left hand points towards the titan. Shiva wears a conical golden crown with pearls and rubies. He has a cosmic third eye and his body is smeared with cremation ashes. The sun and moon are both depicted to indicate it was twilight. In accordance with the description of the dance form in the Shivapradosha Stotra, in which the gods sang Shiva’s praise to enlist his aid in battle against the demons, the blue-skinned Vishnu is playing a dholaka drum and the multi-headed Brahma plays hand cymbals. Additional folios from this dispersed series are in the Jagdish and Kamla Mittal Museum of Indian Art, Hyderabad (76.460 D59) and Philadelphia Museum of Art (1975-149-1).
