The statue reflects Shiva as the deity of dance and theatrical arts, with all its design and dimensions based on Hindu scriptures on arts. It usually depicts Shiva performing in a few of the Natya Shastra styles, retaining fire in his left backhand, the front hand in “Gajahasta” the elephant hand or “Dandahasta”, stick hand mudra, or the front right hand with a curled serpent in Abhaya The fingertips, ankles, neck, face, head, ear lobes, and dress are all decorated with figurative language that differs depending on the particular era and location.

He is engulfed by a ring of fire and stands on a lotus raised platform, raising his lower ankle or, in extreme cases, the right ankle and juggling or trampling on a devil depicted as a miniature Apasmara or Muyalaka who represents incompetence. The clattering hair, which stretches out in fine fibres as a fan behind his back, reflects the inventiveness of the vigorous performance. Since before the twelfth century, Indian scholars have perceived the Nataraja artwork's descriptions for their symbolic significance and spiritual nature.