The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hindusim vol 2

Nath
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competition with a dance contest. Shiva
finally bests Kali by manifesting as
Nataraja and doing an athletic
(tandava) dance style that Kali’s feminine
modesty prevents her from copying.
Mythic roots aside, the Nataraja
temple at Chidambaram has been an
important center for classical Indian
dance for well over a thousand years.
The temple’s eastern wall bears relief
carvings of the 108 basic dance positions
(karanas). These positions are
central to classical Indian dance, particularly
in the Bharatanatyam school,
which is the major dance tradition in
Tamil Nadu.
Nath
(“lord”) Epithet of the god Shiva, based
on his power as the ultimate lord.
Among the Nathpanthis, a renunciant
ascetic community whose members are
devotees (bhakta) of Shiva, “Nath” is
added to the end of one’s name after
final ascetic initiation as a symbol of
membership. This practice apparently
dates from the Nathpanthis’ earliest
days, since according to tradition they
were founded by the sage Gorakhnath.
Nathamuni
(10th c.) Compiler of the Nalayira
Divyaprabandham, the collected hymns
of the Alvars that are popularly known
as the “Tamil Veda.” Nathamuni is also
a pivotal figure in the later development
of the Shrivaishnava religious
community, in which the passionate
devotion in the Alvar hymns found
more systematic philosophical articulation.
According to tradition, Nathamuni’s
grandson was Yamunacharya, the
teacher of Ramanuja, the greatest
Shrivaishnava figure. See also Veda.
Nathdwara
City and sacred site (tirtha) about twentyfive
miles north of the city of Udaipur in
the south-central region of the state of
Rajasthan. Nathdwara has a temple
housing an image of the god Krishna in
his form as Shrinathji. According to tradition,
the image was originally hidden
on the top of Mount Govardhan, a
mountain in the Braj region where
Krishna is said to have lived. The location
of the image was revealed in a
dream to Vallabhacharya, the founder
of the religious community known as
the Pushti Marg. Vallabhacharya built
a temple to house it on Mount
Govardhan, and his descendants have
remained the image’s hereditary servants
since that time. The image was
moved to the state of Rajasthan in 1669,
prompted by fears that it would be
destroyed by the Moghul emperor
Aurangzeb. According to tradition
Shrinathji revealed his wish to stay in
Nathdwara by sinking his wagon’s
wheels deep into the earth, so that
it could not go further. Nathdwara is a
fairly remote location, making it a safe
place to keep the image. See also
Moghul dynasty.
Nathpanthi
Renunciant ascetic community founded
by the sage Gorakhnath. The
Nathpanthis are also known by many
names: as jogis (from their emphasis on
the practice of yoga), Gorakhnathis
(from the name of their founder),
Kanphatas (meaning “split-ear” by
virtue of the signature earrings placed in
the split cartilage of both ears), Gosains
(“master of the senses”), and simply as
Naths (“lord”) from the characteristic
suffix taken as part of their names upon
ascetic initiation. The Nathpanthis are a
very old organization and have a long
tradition in northern India, but their
historical record is relatively faint. The
organization has no single organizing
body; their emphasis on yoga has meant
that their practice has been internalized,
rather than focused on temples or other
material objects. Although the
Nathpanthis are usually described as
devotees (bhakta) of Shiva, they are distinct
from the Shaiva Sanyasis.
The spiritual practice of the Naths
has traditionally focused on the mastery