A Thousand Years' Journey - Story of Stolen Gods

Bharata Dance & Allied Arts presents A Thousand Years’ Journey, an original Bharatanatyam dance-theater production choreographed by Ganesh Vasudeva, that tells the extraordinary story of a thousand-year-old bronze idol of Nataraja from Tamil Nadu, India. Through evocative movement, music, and multimedia, the production reimagines the idol’s journey across centuries — from its creation to consecration in a temple, to its worship by generations of devotees, to its theft, displacement, and eventual appearance on the global auction block.

At once historical and deeply human, A Thousand Years’ Journey is narrated through the voice of the idol itself — an eternal witness to devotion, artistry, violence, longing, and resilience.