What is Lord Shiva connection with Switzerland? Decoding Hindu deity’s statue at CERN

The world's largest particle physics laboratory, CERN in Switzerland surprises many with a statue of Lord Shiva outside the world’s largest and highest-energy particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Many may question the presence of a religious symbol like that of Lord Shiva in a place of scientific research like CERN.   

The answer may also surprise many as it connects Shiva’s cosmic dance and the fundamental principles of physics. 

Lord Shiva’s cosmic dance  

The statue of Lord Shiva, shown as Nataraj-the state of the Hindu deity when he dances, which is called Shiva Tandav, was a gift to the laboratory from the government of India given in 2004. The Tandav symbolises the cycle of creation, preservation, and destruction which is in accordance with the state of matter and energy which are always in motion and changing their states in physics.  

Physicist Fritjof Capra in The Tao of Physics, explained, “I saw cascades of energy coming down from outer space, in which particles were created and destroyed in rhythmic pulses... and at that moment, I knew that this was the Dance of Shiva. 

There is a deep connection between Shiva’s dance and quantum mechanics which are magnificent. In quantum physics, particles are in a perpetual state of transformation, constantly emerging and vanishing, mirroring the eternal cycle of creation and destruction embodied by Shiva. 

Science and Spirituality 

However, the reason why CERN has a Shiva statue has nothing to do with religion, rather, it is a recognition of the cosmic enigmas that lie beyond human understanding. 

The quantum realm defies predictability, with electrons exhibiting dual particle-wave properties. Time loses meaning at the Big Bang's singularity. Such paradoxes push the boundaries of human comprehension, echoing the subversive power of Shiva's dance, which dismantles notions of permanence. 

Famous sculptor Auguste Rodin called the bronze Nataraja statue “one of the greatest works of art ever created by the human mind.”