A handmade brass statue of Nataraja from Nepal.
Nataraja roughly translated, means lord of the dance and the statue depicts Lord Shiva as the cosmic dancer. In this statue he is surrounded by flames and is standing on a demon symbolising ignorance.
The two most common forms of Nataraja's dance are, Lasya (the gentle form) is associated with the creation of the world and Tandava (the vigorous form) is associated with the destruction of the universes negative energy and the removal of weary world views for the protection and benefit of humanity. Lasya and Tandava show Shiva's nature, for he destroys in order to create, tearing down to build again.