Nataraja (literally. The Lord (or King) of Dance, Sanskrit: नटराज; /nɐ.tɐ.rɑ.dʒɐ/ is a depiction of the Hindu god Shiva as the cosmic dancer who performs his divine dance to destroy a weary universe and make preparations for god Brahma to start the process of creation. Nataraja is most often depicted through a statue. The dance of Shiva in Tillai, the traditional name for Chidambaram, forms the motif for all the depictions of Shiva as Nataraja.