competition with a dance contest. Shiva
finally bests Kali by manifesting as
Nataraja and doing an athletic
(tandava) dance style that Kali’s femi-
nine modesty prevents her from copy-
ing. Mythic roots aside, the Nataraja
temple at Chidambaram has been an
important center for classical Indian
dance for well over a thousand years.
The temple’s eastern wall bears relief
carvings of the 108 basic dance posi-
tions (karanas). These positions are
central to classical Indian dance, partic-
ularly in the Bharatanatyamschool,
which is the major dance tradition in
Tamil Nadu.
Nath
(“lord”) Epithet of the god Shiva, based
on his power as the ultimate lord.
Among the Nathpanthis, a renunciant
asceticcommunity whose members are
devotees (bhakta) of Shiva, “Nath” is
added to the end of one’s name after
final ascetic initiationas a symbol of
membership. This practice apparently
dates from the Nathpanthis’ earliest
days, since according to tradition they
were founded by the sage Gorakhnath.
Nathamuni
(10th c.) Compiler of the Nalayira
Divyaprabandham, the collected hymns
of the Alvarsthat are popularly known
as the “Tamil Veda.” Nathamuni is also
a pivotal figure in the later develop-
ment of the Shrivaishnava religious
community, in which the passionate
devotion in the Alvar hymns found
more systematic philosophical articula-
tion. According to tradition, Nathamuni’s
grandson was Yamunacharya, the
teacher of Ramanuja, the greatest
Shrivaishnava figure. See also Ve d a.
Nathdwara
City and sacred site (tirtha) about twenty-
five miles north of the city of Udaipur in
the south-central region of the state of
Rajasthan. Nathdwara has a temple
housing an image of the god Krishnain
his form as Shrinathji. According to tra-
dition, the image was originally hidden
on the top of Mount Govardhan, a
mountain in the Brajregion where
Krishna is said to have lived. The loca-
tion of the image was revealed in a
dreamto Vallabhacharya, the founder
of the religious community known as
the Pushti Marg. Vallabhacharya built
a temple to house it on Mount
Govardhan, and his descendants have
remained the image’s hereditary ser-
vants since that time. The image was
moved to the state of Rajasthan in 1669,
prompted by fears that it would be
destroyed by the Moghul emperor
Aurangzeb. According to tradition
Shrinathji revealed his wish to stay in
Nathdwara by sinking his wagon’s
wheels deep into the earth, so that
it could not go further. Nathdwara is a
fairly remote location, making it a safe
place to keep the image. See also
Moghul dynasty.Nathpanthi
Renunciant asceticcommunity founded
by the sage Gorakhnath. The
Nathpanthis are also known by many
names: as jogis(from their emphasis on
the practice of yoga), Gorakhnathis
(from the name of their founder),
Kanphatas (meaning “split-ear” by
virtue of the signature earrings placed in
the split cartilage of both ears), Gosains
(“master of the senses”), and simply as
Naths(“lord”) from the characteristic
suffix taken as part of their names upon
ascetic initiation. The Nathpanthis are a
very old organization and have a long
tradition in northern India, but their
historical record is relatively faint. The
organization has no single organizing
body; their emphasis on yoga has meant
that their practice has been internalized,
rather than focused on temples or other
material objects. Although the
Nathpanthis are usually described as
devotees (bhakta) of Shiva, they are dis-
tinct from the Shaiva Sanyasis.
The spiritual practice of the Naths
has traditionally focused on the masteryNath