Shiva Nataraja is an enchanting image, and can be seen in museums, temples, books and esoteric shops across the world. Virtually every element in the image is symbolic and has a deeper hidden meaning. It combines in a single image Shiva’s roles as creator, preserver, and destroyer of the universe and conveys the Indian conception of the never-ending cycle of time. The ring of fire as the universe, the drum of creation, the fire of destruction; the “abhaya Mudra” of fearlessness, the trampled dwarf of overcoming apathy and ignorance; the snake, an image of destruction and reincarnation.