As the cowherd youth recently arrived in Vrindavan, the effect Krishna had on the hearts of the cows and the milkmaids alike is known and sung about to this day. And it was not just His youth and handsomeness and the charm of His demeanor that brought Vrindavan thus to life. His way with the flute is the stuff of legends. In fact, myth has it that His music drew the simple-hearted to Himself l

Sri Hanuman is one of the most widely revered gods of the Hindu pantheon. This imposing, bejeweled statue of the Lord captures His divine appeal to perfection: the resplendence of all three looks pours forth from the skin, while His muscles give away His superhuman strength. The clenched fist, the parting of His legs, and the angle of His mace - without which His iconography is incomplete - are in

This brass image of Ganapati, small in size but immeasurable in its magnificence and grandeur, defines his Vira Ganapati – the ‘valiant warrior’ form, one of his initial thirty-four classical forms which early texts, the eighth century Maudgalya Purana in special, have identified or conceived. Though exceptionally beautiful and endowed with divine aura, Vira Ganapati, primarily a votive form

A life-sized Lord Shiva statue for the home or office of the finest devotee. Sculpted from brass and given a sturdy finish, the big Lord Shiva statue that you see on this page is fit to be installed outdoors. It depicts the great Adiyogi Shiva seated in lalitasana on a mound of the Himalayas. A tigerskin asana lies beneath Him. While it is common iconography to depict the ascetic Shiva in a standi

Lord Shiva forms the part of the cosmic trinity and holds the position of being the destroyer of the impurities and evils prevailing in the universe. Lord Shiva is the darkness, which is always there. Light is a limited happening as it will eventually lose its ability, but darkness is eternal, it is everywhere, just like Lord Shiva. This Lord Shiva wooden sculpture depicts the supreme being as the

Shiva literally means "the auspicious one". In Hinduism, he is known as the Destroyer within the Trimurti, the Hindu trinity, that includes Brahma and Vishnu. In Shaivism tradition, Shiva is one of the supreme beings who creates, protects, and transforms the universe. One of his titles, Nataraja, is a depiction of Lord Shiva as the divine dancer. His dance form is called Tandavam or Nada

A standing Ganesha is one of the most rarely seen postures of Ganesha sculptures. Here he stands diligently on a thick pedestal having a green grassy platform with the mouse towards his left foot, busy eating modak. This sculpture is chiseled out of a single piece of white translucent marble that allows light to enter and produce a soft glow while retaining its high polish. Have a look at the beau

She is the fairest Devi of the Hindu pantheon. She strums Her veena, cradled on the lap of a divine lotus. She lulls Her devotees with Her music and Her charm. She is the wife and the loved one (‘priya’) of Lord Brahma, who presides over the creative process (termed ‘srshti’ in Indian philosophy). She is the Devi of learning and the arts, crucial to that process. She is Devi Sarasvati, the

ME IN FRONT OF ANDY GRIFFITH'S STATUE IN HIS HOMETOWN. WHO LIKES WATCHING THE CLASSIC TV SHOW "THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW"...?

Dharma-Artha-kama-moksha (virtue, finances, pleasure, liberation) - these are the four Purusharthas or pursuits of a person, in Hinduism. Goddess Lakshmi’s four hands, the most common attributes attached to her iconography, represent these four life goals. It is well established that in the pursuit of any of the above-mentioned goals, Ma Lakshmi’s Kripa (regards) is required by the devotee. La

Exceptionally ornate cast in brass, as lustrous and worked with as fine details as an image cast in gold: the same minuteness and precision as defining a piece at a goldsmith’s workshop, the statue represents Lord Krishna playing fully absorbed on his flute. Hearing the melody a cow is drawn to him and stands supporting him from behind. Halebid in the country’s southern part had a highly ornat

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

The image of the gently reclining Ganesha wooden statue endears Him to us all. The chubby, elephant-headed son of Shiva and Parvati is widely revered for His childlike appeal. The twin qualities of innocence and wisdom pour forth from His every iconography, including and especially the one that you see on this page. On a bed of lotus petals of varying colors, reclines the Lord. A bolster under His

Nara-Narayana, sages who were the incarnations of Bhagavan Vishnu were deep into austerities when Devas alarmed by their powers, sent celestial nymphs to disrupt their effort. Reacting to this nuisance, Narayana placed a lotus flower on his thigh, from which an unmatchable beauty emerged. She was Urvashi, the maiden whose beauty put to shame all the women of the Devlok. Among the many lessons from

Lord Shiva, the auspicious one, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism and is also known as Mahadeva or the Supreme God. He is known for his attributes of being benign, the Beneficient, and the Lord and God. He possesses greater powers than most Hindu Gods and has incredible endurance and remarkable speed due to the increased reflexes from his four arms and can even manipulate power but not a

The saptamatrka is a set of interesting deities from the Hindu pantheon. They are the maternal manifestations (‘matrikas’) of seven (‘sapta’) Hindu devas; and, as divine manifestations, are distinct from the wives and companions of those devas. Devi Varahi, whose murti you see on this page, is one of the saptamatrkas. She is the ashtabhujadhari (eight-armed) maternal manifestation of Lord

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 beauty of the Devi Kali lies in her ferocity and invincibility. The very picture of her is enough to make the adharmee tremble with fear. Each of Her ten arms ('dasha' in Sanskrit means 'ten'; 'bhuja', 'arm') bears a deadly weapon of divine prowess. She uses them to slay adharmees, whose severed heads are hanging in the garland that hangs down her ne

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

Over the years, Buddhist-Tantric traditions have incorporated numerous elements of Hinduism. Its deities are no exception: they have varied iconographies in different, predominantly Buddhist countries. The murti that you see on this page is of the Japanese Devi Durga. She is known as Butsu-Mo or Koti-Sri and is worshipped as a wrathful protectoress. The Japanese Durga is seated in padmasana on a l

Karttikeya, also known as Murugan, Skanda, Kumara,and Subrahmanya, is the Hindu god of war. He is the son of Parvati and Shiva, brother of Ganesha, and a god whose life story has many versions in Hinduism. He is a philosopher-warrior, who destroyed evil in the form of the demon Taraka while teaching the pursuit of ethical life and the theology of Shaiva Siddhanta. After many exploits which proved

Icons depicting Shiva as the Lord of Dance (Nataraja) seem to have originated in the North in Gupta times, and developed in the South under the post-Gupta Vishnukundin dynasty early in the seventh century. One of the first southern sculptures is a colossal dancing figure carved upon the cliff face above the facade of a cave- temple at Mogallarajapuram on the Krishna river. The Pallavas took up the

Goddess Durga created seven Matrikas from her own self and battled against the demon Raktabija. Devi Varahi, one of them is the female counterpart of Varaha, the boar Avatar of Lord Vishnu. The Goddess who is the regent of the southern direction and protector of the age is sometimes described as the Goddess of darkness and the ideal time for worshipping her is after sunset and midnight. Some templ

Rajarajeshwari is one of the most beautiful female figures in all of the three worlds. She is a royal manifestation of Shakti and personifies grace and balance. Trailokya Sundari or Tripura Sundari, as she is often named, is the presiding deity of Sri Chakra. Hers is the path of transcendence through the material world of senses. She presides over the Sahasrara as well the Swadhisthan Chakra. Her

Devi Mariamman is the name given in South India to the more recognisable Sheetala Mata. She is known to infuse Her devotees with divine cool and calm ('sheetal' in Sanskrit means 'cool'). In Tamil, the suffix 'amma' stands for 'mother', denoting the nature of the people's devotion to Her. She has been traditionally worshipped as the curer and eradicator