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Brianna Rafferty
Professor Peter Barr
LAS 341 AA
3 February 2015
Shiva, Lord of Dance versus the Buddhist Wheel of Life
Both Hinduism and Buddhism have works of art that explain their culture and their
beliefs. Shiva, Lord of Dance represents Hinduism while the Buddhist Wheel of Life represents
Buddhism. They are similar in their purpose and shape. Despite some similarities, these works of
art are vastly different from each other. They represent distinct subject matter and meaning in
their shape. Also, they were built out of varying materials in different areas of the world during
separate time frames. However, whether similar or different, each work of art can give an
individual greater insight into the Hindu and Buddhist religions.
Shiva, Lord of Dance and the Buddhist Wheel of Life are similar in their shape and their
purpose. Both works of art are circular in their making. Shiva, Lord of Dance is surrounded by a
circle and the wheel of the Buddhist Wheel of Life is circular. Along with their shape, the purpose
of each work of art is similar. Each work, Shiva, Lord of Dance and the Buddhist Wheel of Life,
was created for instructional/informational purposes. They are to inform followers as well as
outsiders about the religion of Hinduism, for Shiva, Lord of Dance, and Buddhism, for the
Buddhist Wheel of Life.
Although Shiva, Lord of Dance and the Buddhist Wheel of Life are similar in shape, the
actual meaning of their shape differs. The circular shape of Shiva, Lord of Dance symbolizes the
cosmic universe’s boundaries. Enclosed in the universe, are the humans that are trapped on Earth
and Shiva, who protects the humans by trampling apasmara purusha, the demon that leads
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humankind astray. The shape of the Buddhist Wheel of Life represents the cyclic existence of life
and death, in which the turning wheel shows the different realms of rebirth as well as symbolizes
life’s changes. To Buddhists, the wheel of life is a way of representing their view of
reincarnation within the universe.
The subject matter of Shiva, Lord of Dance and the Buddhist Wheel of Life are mostly
different. In Shiva, Lord of Dance, each of Shiva’s arms and legs represents something
meaningful to the Hindi religion. For example, in his upper right hand, Shiva holds the damaru
which, according to the Hinduism, is the hand drum that produced spiritual sounds that created
the universe. The Buddhist Wheel of Life represents the six domains of the desire realm: deva,
asura, manussa, tiryagyoni, preta, and narka. Each realm is representative of the different states
in which a soul can be reborn into. For example, deva is the realm of bliss in which the gods
roam while narka is the realm of hell in which those that were odious in their past life roam.
The subject matter of the gods also varies between Shiva, Lord of Dance and the
Buddhist Wheel of Life. Shiva, Lord of Dance places a strong emphasis on the god Shiva while
the Buddhist Wheel of Life places little emphasis, if any, on the gods. One explanation for this
may come from looking further into each religion. Hindu’s believe in three gods/deities: the
creator (Brahma), the maintainer (Vishnu), and the destroyer (Shiva). Buddhist’s tend to believe
in there is no one true god because any soul can enter the realm of the gods through
reincarnation.
Shiva, Lord of Dance and the Buddhist Wheel of Life differ in the material, location, and
time in which they were created. Shiva, Lord of Dance is made out of copper alloy and stands at
about two feet tall. The Buddhist Wheel of Life is made from a silk applique and is approximately
ten feet by six feet long. Shiva, Lord of Dance was made in 11th century Tamil Nadu, India while
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the Buddhist Wheel of Life was made six hundred years and fifteen hundred miles away in about
1800 in Eastern Tibet.
As seen throughout this paper, both Shiva, Lord of Dance and the Buddhist Wheel of Life
are important in the representation of Hindu and Buddhist religion and culture. However,
representation of religion and circular shape are the only things these works of art have in
common. Shiva, Lord of Dance places emphasis on the god Shiva while the Buddhist Wheel of
Life emphasizes the six domains of the desire realm and the Buddhist belief in reincarnation.
Shiva, Lord of Dance was also made out of copper alloy rather than silk applique and was
significantly smaller than the Buddhist Wheel of Life. In either respect, similar or different, Shiva,
Lord of Dance and the Buddhist Wheel of Life help to bring enlightenment and remembrance to
the Hindu and Buddhist religions.