Cleveland Museum of Art

Stone sculptures in a Shiva temple

Date

c. 1710

Medium

gum tempera and ink on paper

Culture

Northern India, Pahari kingdoms

Department

Indian and Southeast Asian Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Viewers see a temple sanctum, the innermost and holiest part of a temple, from the point of view of the artist standing in front of the doorway. On a pedestal is a stone carving of the Hindu god Shiva on his mount, the bull Nandi. His wife, the goddess Parvati, sits on a lotus above his folded knee. The flowers, textiles, and devotional pigments are traces of ardent religious activity. At the right is an abstract cylindrical sculpture denoting the formless essence of Shiva, known as a linga. The tridents in front of the linga’s pedestal were placed by devotees whose wishes came true after visiting the temple. An image of Ganesha can be seen on the left wall of the sanctum sanctorum.

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