In Sanskrit, Nata means dance and raja means Lord. There is an interesting legend behind the conception of Shiva as Nataraja: In a dense forest in South India, there dwelt multitudes of heretical sages. Thither proceeded Shiva to confute them, accompanied by Vishnu disguised as a beautiful woman. The sages were at first led to violent dispute amongst themselves, but their anger was soon directed a

There is more to the adorable laughing Buddha than meets the eye. His face bursts forth with the mirth of enlightenment. His rucksack contains the bare essentials of a Bodhisattva, which is not much, but He is supremely content. A string of prayer beads graces His ample neck. The laughing Buddha, who lived in Zhejiang during the rule of Later Liang, was reputed to be a Buddha of benevolent charact

Lord Ganapati is hailed as the chief of the celestial hosts and his various prayers recorded in Vedic texts invoke him as the Law of the laws, Seer of the seers, and Principal of the principals. This tiger eye sculpture of Ganesha is an entirely unique artifact to decorate your surroundings in the beauty of its creativity and the dazzling effect it reflects on being exposed to bright light. The go

The serene Lakshmi Devi is seated in lalitasana. Her throne is a gigantic lotus in full bloom. At the base of this lotus-shaped throne is another lotus bloom of more realistic proportions. On its belly cradles the foot of Laxmi Mata’s pendant limb. The posterior of Her four arms bear lotuses, while Her anterior hands are in the mudras of aashirvada (blessing) and Abhaya (fearlessness). This is t

Mahakali, or the great (‘maha’) Kali, is the omnipotent Roopa (form) of Devi Kali. As a manifestation of the wife of Shiva, the otherwise serene Devi Parvati, the wrath of the Kali Goddess knows no bounds. The Kali statue that you see on this page captures the wrathful aspect of the Hindu Mother Goddess with perfection. To begin with, the medium is a jet black marble. It is an expressive, all-

Much has been written about Ganesha. As Hindu dharma's most adorable boy-deity, He has inspired countless artisans and painters, and poets across the subcontinent since time immemorial; and how could He not? So overcome by love are His devotees - and so widespread His followers - that His form is ubiquitous on the streets, inside homes, and across commercial establishments in India. This is b

The image of the Sheshashayi Vishnu induces great calm and stability in the mind of the devotee. Shesha is the name of the naga (snake) on whose coils the Lord lies in sleep, which is the Sanskrit word for 'end'; 'shayi' in Sanskrit stands for one who is lain down. It is the volatile moment between destruction and re-projection, the transitional state between two cycles of time

Balaji is considered Lord Vishnu's Kaliyug Avatar. Lord Tirupati Balaji is believed to be so powerful that mere sight of the idol is enough to emancipate a man from a lifetime of suffering. Lord Venkateshwara is a full four-armed representation of Vishnu. But only two are visible from the front. Lord Balaji is shown having a U-shaped tilak on his forehead which is the signature style to descr

The Skanda Purana, one of the 18 Puranas paints a word picture for the devotee and the seeker – of the marriage of Shiva and Parvati. As a part of the Hindu marriage ceremony, Lord Shiva was asked to name his lineage. But who could know about the family of “Svayambhu”- he who originated from the earth, thus had no parentage? To soothe the anxious heart of the parents of Parvati- Himalaya and

A many-layered Ganesha idol, designed for the finest home or office temple. A traditional-style plinth carved with elongated lotus petals. Featuring a simple floral structure down the frontal midline. The mouse vahana of gigantic proportions, on all four on its surface. It is craning its head back to glance at the Lord Ganesha statue on its back. This Ganesha murti depicts the chaturbhujadhari Lor

Jagadguru Shankaracharya or Adi Shankaracharya was an 8th-century Hindu philosopher and theologian who set up four monasteries in North, East, and West India which were known as Mathias. He is also known for the consolidation of the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta. He is also regarded for unifying and forming the ongoing important thoughts in Hinduism. Adi was also the founder of 'Dashanami Sampr

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A portrayal that is simple. Almost basic. Downright rustic. The Radha-Krishna iconography captures the imagination of devotees and artisans alike, to which the twin sculpture that you see on this page is no exception. Fashioned from brass and finished with a serrated texture, this would make for an unusual yet tasteful addition to your space. The handsome lovers are in bliss in each other’s comp

Sri Maha Shodashi is a Hindu goddess and is an aspect of Mahadevi mainly worshipped in Shaktism, a goddess-oriented sect of Hinduism. She is also revered as one of the prominent Mahavidyas. She is glorified in many Shakta texts, with Lalita Sahasranama being the most popular one. Sri Maha Shodashi is also known as Tripura Sundari, Rajarajeshwari, and Lalita. She is a personification of Supreme Ene

Garuda 'the devourer' is the mythical 'Lord of birds' in both the Hindu and Buddhist traditions. In the Hindu Puranic legends, Garuda is the son of Kashyapa and Vinata. He is said to have emerged, fully grown, from an egg, after incubating for five hundred years. Garuda has always been the sworn enemy of snakes and nagas. The archetypal legend of the enmity that exists between

The Hindu deity, Bhagwan Krishna is famous for his naughty leelas with Radha and other gopis of Gokul, the intense charm of his face, and the Madhur (melodious) tunes arousing from his flute. This sculpture of Krishna depicts him as standing on a rectangular thick brass block etched in a realistic stone-like pattern. He is postured in his iconic tribhanga posture with the left leg bent forward and

The panchamukha-roopa is common to many deities in the Hindu pantheon. The word ‘panchamukha’ is a portmanteau of ‘pancha’, which means five, and ‘mukha’, which means face. The murti that you see on this page is of the Panchamukha Vinayaka (another name for Ganesha). Each of the five faces stands for the yogic koshas or layers of existence. It is a murti of Vengai wood, derived from a

Black marble- the lustrous dark stone is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful materials used in the making of idols of Hindu gods and goddesses. Its sturdiness and mysterious shine bring the residents of the heavens to the simple abode of us humans. Though suitable for all kinds of statues and images, the manner in which black marble is used in this enchanting Sri Krishna idol is mesmerizing. Res

Lord Krishna is the god of compassion, love, and tenderness and is revered as one of the prominent avatars of Lord Vishnu in Hinduism. Krishna is interpreted as ‘all-attractive’, as the aura of his charm and purity captivates the eyes of the viewer. The beautiful brass sculptures you see on this page, depict Lord Krishna in his iconic Tribhanga posture, where the left leg crosses the right fro

A one-of-a-kind standing Buddha sculpture. Usually depicted as a seated figure nestled in the belly of a lotus, Siddhartha Gautama had a long past before He sat down at the foot of the Bodhi tree. He had spent years wandering the dense Himalayan foothills as an ascetic and the great Northern plains as a mendicant. The murti that you see on this page is of the wandering mendicant, seemingly just ar

Son of Shiva, warrior and protector and upholder of dharma. The all-powerful shodashabhujadhari (sixteen-armed) Roopa (form) of Lord Ganesha is quite the rarity. The panchaloha medium, a bronze made of five (‘pancha’) iron-based (‘loha’) alloys, and the traditional madhuchista vidhana or lost-wax make, add to the value of this Ganesha murti as a work of art. Lord Ganesha Bronze Statue stan

A compactly carved figure of Devi Lakshmi. Poised within a makeshift temple on a double-layered lotus-bloom plinth. From the iconography to the style of the surrounding temple structure, this composition borrows heavily from Hoysala aesthetics. It is the name given to the art and architecture that flourished under the patronage of the Hoysala rulers in South India. The tradition dates back to the

The embodiment of sacrifice and the savior of Earth, Vishnu’s third avatar, Varaha, is presented in a highly charged form in this ‘panchaloha’ bronze sculptural image, along with his consort Varahi, or the Earth goddess Bhudevi. This visual presentation is also symbolic of what Hinduism today celebrates as Varaha Jayanti, which marks the mythological celebration of Varaha defeating Hiranyaks

The Tibetan deity Chenrezig is the most untiring of the Bodhisattvas. With His thousand arms and thousand heads, He strives until space and time remains to free those of us in ihaloka (current realm of existence) of existential perpetuation and suffering. In this superb sculpture of the Lord Chenrezig, He is depicted in a rudimentary bhadrasana. The plenitude of limb and head is invisible to us ma

The Mother Kali is an unusual deity. The hallmarks of the Hindu Devi are all in Her. She is supremely beautiful, a yogini of the highest adhikara, and bears superlative strength. Yet, She is unlike anything, you have ever set eyes on. For one, wrath is an integral part of Her personality. While the rest of the feminine pantheon are depicted as calm and reserved, Devi Kali comes with an iconogr