Maha Shivratri: Why CERN has a statue of Lord Shiva

At CERN, the enigmatic bronze Nataraja stands as a bridge between the empirical and the ineffable—a cosmic emblem transcending disciplinary bounds. This Shiva statue, a gift from India, celebrates the eternal Tandava: the interplay of creation, preservation, and dissolution. It evokes both the artistic grace of ancient mythology and the perplexing dance of quantum phenomena, echoing Rodin’s transcendent encounter in Chennai. As physicists grapple with the unfathomable T = 0 moment of the Big Bang, Shiva’s dance reminds us that the universe, much like art, is a dynamic tapestry of paradox and possibility—a mystery perpetually unfolding.