Sandstone Stele Depicting Shiva
Sandstone Stele Depicting Shiva, the rectangular stele is carved in high relief with Shiva standing in tribhanga on a soberly shaped pedestal, the hands in the foreground hold akshamala and kalasha while the upper ones hold trisula and naga. The sinuous body is covered by a dhoti decorated with tassels and jewels. The face with a sweet expression is characterized by large almond-shaped eyes, the elongated earlobes support large earrings, and the face is framed by the beautiful jatamakuta hairstyle. At the feet of the deity the faithful bull and a devoted worshipper.
Central India. 12th century.
Measures: 128.0 x 49.0 cm.
Provenance:
-Private collection, Acquired before 1970
-Christie’s Amsterdam, ref. Live Auction 2687, 18-Apr-2005 Lot No. 48. Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Art
-EU private collection, purchase from above in 2005.
A Central Indian sandstone stele with Shiva
12th century
The rectangular stele deeply carved with Shiva standing in tribhanga on a shaped plinth, his principal hands holding akshamala and kalasha, both upper ones carrying trisula and naga, wearing dhoti decorated with tassels, bejewelled, his face with almond-shaped eyes, elongated earlobes with large earrings, high jatamakuta and flanked by his reclining bull and adorant
*Shiva (/ˈʃɪvə/; Sanskrit: शिव, lit. ’The Auspicious One’, IAST: Śiva [ɕɪʋɐ]), also known as Mahadeva (/məˈhɑː ˈdeɪvə/; Sanskrit: महादेव:, lit. ’The Great God’, IAST: Mahādevaḥ, [mɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh) or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hinduism.
Shiva is known as The Destroyer within the Trimurti, the Hindu trinity which also includes Brahma and Vishnu. In the Shaivite tradition, Shiva is the Supreme Lord who creates, protects and transforms the universe. In the goddess-oriented Shakta tradition, the Supreme Goddess (Devi) is regarded as the energy and creative power (Shakti) and the equal complementary partner of Shiva.[18][19] Shiva is one of the five equivalent deities in Panchayatana puja of the Smarta tradition of Hinduism.
Shiva has many aspects, benevolent as well as fearsome. In benevolent aspects, he is depicted as an omniscient Yogi who lives an ascetic life on Kailasa as well as a householder with his wife Parvati and his two children, Ganesha and Kartikeya. In his fierce aspects, he is often depicted slaying demons. Shiva is also known as Adiyogi (the first Yogi), regarded as the patron god of yoga, meditation and the arts. The iconographical attributes of Shiva are the serpent king Vasuki around his neck, the adorning crescent moon, the holy river Ganga flowing from his matted hair, the third eye on his forehead (the eye that turns everything in front of it into ashes when opened), the trishula or trident as his weapon, and the damaru. He is usually worshiped in the aniconic form of lingam.
Shiva has pre-Vedic roots, and the figure of Shiva evolved as an amalgamation of various older non-Vedic and Vedic deities, including the Rigvedic storm god Rudra who may also have non-Vedic origins, into a single major deity. Shiva is a pan-Hindu deity, revered widely by Hindus in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Indonesia (especially in Java and Bali).
