880–1279 CEIn-depth studyShiva as Lord of Dance, Tamil Nadu, approximately the late eleventh century, Chola period. Museum photograph of a religious image, not a reconstruction of a historical person.Picture source & rightsThe Metropolitan Museum of Art · Gift of R. H. Ellsworth Ltd., in honor of Susan Dillon, 1987 · 1987.80.1 · Public domain / CC0 · Resized and converted to WebP · Licence termsAsia / CultureChola Tamil country: living temples, bronze images and poetrySouth Indian history includes powerful regional courts and living traditions of worship, poetry and skilled metalwork. Chola temples and bronze images offer a picture-led route into Tamil cultural history.Read →