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c. 9th-13th century CE (Chola and Chandella temple age)Reputable source · 2 sourcesWell documented

The Chola Kings Cast Bronze Gods and Raise Temple-Cities

A dancing Shiva ringed by fire, cast in bronze to be carried through the streets, becomes the face of Hinduism

On the timeline · around c. 9th-13th century CE (Chola and Chandella temple age) · Puranic and Bhakti HinduismPuranic and Bhakti HinduismThe Chola Kings Cast Bronze Gods and Raise Temple-Cities700 CE800 CE900 CE1000110012001300

Quick facts

Chola bronze icon
Shiva Nataraja, standardized in bronze from the 10th c. CE
Bronze use
Carried in temple processions, up to 1.4 m tall
Khajuraho temples
Chandella dynasty, mostly built 950-1050 CE
Kandariya Mahadeo temple
c. 1025 CE, developed North Indian design

What happened

Between the 9th and 13th centuries, southern and central Indian dynasties raised Hindu temple architecture and sculpture to a peak. In the Tamil south under the Chola dynasty, bronze-casters produced the image of Shiva as Nataraja, Lord of the Dance, a smiling god dancing the Tandava, the cosmic dance of creation and destruction, inside a flaming halo that represents time as an endless circle. World History Encyclopedia notes that the free-standing bronze form became standard only in the 10th century CE and that Chola craftsmen produced these figures, up to 1.4 metres tall, to be carried in religious processions and festivals; the Nataraja has since become perhaps the most widespread icon of Hinduism. In the north, the Chandella kings built the temple complex at Khajuraho, most of it constructed between 950 and 1050 CE, whose Kandariya Mahadeo temple of about 1025 CE is a fully-developed example of North Indian temple design.

Why it matters

This era gave Hinduism two of its most enduring physical expressions: the portable bronze deity that let temple gods leave the sanctum and move among worshippers in festival processions, a practice still central to South Indian temple life, and the towered stone temple-complex of the north. The Chola Nataraja in particular escaped its religious origins to become a globally recognized symbol of Hinduism and of India itself.

How we know

Chola bronzes survive in large numbers in temples and museums, datable by style and inscription, and the Khajuraho temples survive as dated, inscribed stone monuments; both bodies of evidence are studied by art historians and, for Khajuraho, recognized as physical heritage architecture.

Sources

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