9IN SIVA SIT

Seated in the heroic ‘virasana’ posture with his right leg pendent over a raised pedestal is the minutely fine image of Shiva, the wandering ascetic, and the supreme destroyer of the cosmos. The ‘sthapati’ has rendered our powerful deity in a very subtle, simplistic image of worship, and that only humbles the presence of Shiva in front of his devotee, who represents one of the most famous and major strands of Hindu thought and religiosity. His four armed form is beautifully executed in the ‘madhuchista vidhana’ lost wax fashion, and presents him sitting blissfully as he serves the righteous and vanquishes the adharmic way of life. Four attributes define his spirit in this image – the battle axe ‘parashu’ in his upper right hand, a bowl for alms in his lower right hand, a snake in his lower left hand, and a ‘mriga’ or deer galloping in his upper left hand. The artistic value beautifully encapsulates his fierce and powerful form with the benevolent and guiding aspect. Moreover, his command over the universe is also as the Pashupatinath, as the lord of the animal kingdom – one of the earliest aspects of Shiva, or Rudra. The artist has creatively tied Shiva’s hair in a magnificent bun befitting his divine persona, yet at the same time, the frugal and inornate dressing serves to remind us of his mastery and transcendence from the material world.