Östasiatiska museet - The Collections

This is the god Shiva dancing his cosmic dance.
In Hinduism, Shiva is both creator, guardian and destroyer.
Shiva has a few special characteristics, for example, the third eye in his forehead. He stands with one foot on the daemon Apasmaradurusa, who symbolises ignorance. He holds a drum in his right hand, symbolising the rhythm of the cosmic dance.
“Creation originates in the drum, guardianship proceeds from the hand of hope, liberation comes from fire, and the lifted foot provides deliverance.”