Tandava is an ancient Indian classical dance that is a part and parcel of the ancient culture and mythology of India. It is a very strenuous and vigorous dance, the main hero being Lord Shiva, the cosmic dancer. It is said that tandem originated from early Indian inscriptions and texts.

The Natyashastra is the most extensive treatise on Indian performing arts, and it adds to the hand gestures, footwork, and facial expressions while referring to the Tandava dance. It also describes in detail the movements that are wild and rhythms very complex in the historical writing called Harshacharita.

Many sculptures in temples all over India depict Lord Shiva Performing the Tandav. The most famous of them all is the Nataraja, a bronze image of Shiva dancing the Tandava, currently hailed one of the best examples of Indian art.

The Tandava signifies Shiva’s cosmic dance, symbolizing the cycles of creation and destruction. It also connotes a very strong manifestation of the divine and helps in one’s spiritual practice to touch the divine. Thus, Tandava has over the years remained an important facet of India’s cultural heritage.