Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam is acclaimed as a rare combination of a dancer, research scholar, choreographer, music composer, singer, teacher, author, and Indologist. As an outstanding dancer she has carved a unique style of her own terming it Bharatanatiyam. She is the recipient of many awards including Padma Bhushan, from Government of India, and Fukuoka Asian Cultural Prize from Japan. She has authored many articles, research papers, and books. She has designed the sculptures of the 108 sculptures of Lord Nataraja and Goddess Parvathi in black granite for the Nataraja temple at Satara.