World’s tallest bronze statue of Nataraja to grace G20 Summit 2023 venue in New Delhi

It is said to be the tallest bronze icon as of now.

The statue is installed in front of the ‘Bharat Mandapam’ at the ITPO Convention Centre in Pragati Maidan where the summit will take place on September 9 and 10 this year.

The Nataraja figure, weighing around 18 tonnes, has been crafted by the artists of Swamimalai (a suburb near Kumbakonam in Thanjavur District in Tamil Nadu) in the traditional lost wax casting process following canons and measurements as mentioned in the ‘Silpa Shastra’ and being followed since the Chola period.

The ‘ashta dhatu’ (eight metals or octo alloy, also called bronze) is composed of Copper (87 per cent), Zinc (10 per cent), Lead (3 per cent), Tin, Sivler, Gold and Mercury (all in traces) and iron as support.

The manufacturing process is long drawn and executed manually.

According to various Indian texts, the posture and four hands of Nataraja artistically constructed have specific indications.

E.g., the arch around the figure represents Shiva’s cosmic theatre; the little drum in his raised right hand symbolises creation; etc.

The right foot is seen crushing a demonic dwarf, who symbolises human depravity caused by ignorance leading to ego.

His dance symbolises his five activities – Creation (Shrishti), Protection (Sthiti), Illusion (Tirobhava), Dissolution (Samhara) and Liberation (Anugraha).

The symbolism of Nataraja and his cosmic dance has been interpreted by people across fields.

Many books and treatises have been written on the concept of Nataraja.

Ananda Coomaraswamy’s essay, ‘Dance of Siva’, penned in 1912, and his explorations into the symbolism of Nataraja is studied even today.

Fritjof Capra in his book, ‘The Tao of Physics’, has devoted a whole chapter on the dance of Shiva as Nataraja.

What is G20?

The Group of Twenty (G20) is a consortium consisting of twenty of the world's largest economies. It was founded in 1999.

According to media reports, G20 nations collectively account for approximately 85 per cent of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP), more than 75 per cent of the worldwide trade, and approximately two-thirds of the global population.

G20, consists of 19 individual nations (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Türkiye, United Kingdom, and the United States)  and the European Union.