Nataraja is the most popular representation of the Hindu God Shiva. In Sanskrit, Nata means dance and raja means Lord. Shiva, therefore, is the 'King of Dancers'. To understand the concept of Nataraja we have to understand the idea of dance itself. Like yoga, dance induces trance, ecstasy, and the experience of the divine. In India consequently, dance has flourished with the terrific aus

This exquisitely remarkable and stunning creation from the region of Swamimalai truly awes the viewer, whether for its artistic presence or religious sentiment. This skillful work of art truly encapsulates how a god’s image, or its ‘murti,’ rivets the devotee to the ground, making him lose his material bondings and wholeheartedly devote his life to the service of this benevolent and majestic

The Kalinga Nardhana Krishna is the quintessential image of the triumph of dharma over adharma. When the wicked serpent, Kalinga or Kaliya, had made a home for itself in the Yamuna and none of the inhabitants of Braj could access its beauty and nourishment due to his presence, it was the great Lord Krishna who acted as savior. In a brutal battle between the divine and the serpentine, the conqueror

Gaja Samhara is a ferocious form of Lord Shiva popularized during the Chola period. Gaja Samhara Shiva means the slayer of elephant and represents him as ego annihilator and soul emancipator. Legends tell of an asura who in the guise of an elephant, Gajasura, became so strong in time that he began to torture and kill even the devas. There was none left in the three realms who would stand before Ga

An ancient South Indian legend tells of Deva Guru Brihaspati and Lord of Winds Vayu, descending to Earth to build a Bhuloka Vaikuntam, in the Thrissur district of Kerala. It was to be a holy abode for Vishnu in the mortal realm. That town was named Guruvayur after its two celestial architects and the temple came to be called the Guruvayur Temple. Guruvayurappan is the Lord of Guruvayur or the Unni

On the pistil of an upturned lotus, pedestal stands the steady chaturbhujadhari (four-armed) Ganesha, poised on a quadrilateral plinth engraved with lotus petals. The vertical structures on either side of the same are designed to be wound around with a rope in order to maneuver the sculpture. This Ganesha composition is a panchaloha murti from Swamimalai. Panchaloha refers to a blend of five (‘p

Brahma, narrating the story about Sati’s marriage to Shiva in the Shiva Purana, notes that “On hearing these words of Lord Shiva adept in the divine sports I touched my head and in the same manner bowed to Shiva. When I thus touched my head I assumed the shape of his vehicle, the bull.” This instance of Brahma transforming into Nandi relates to one of the eighteen forms of Shiva mentioned in

Narasimha, literally man-lion, is one of the Dashavatara (ten incarnations) of the Hindu preserver god- Lord Vishnu, the tutelary deity of dynasties of mighty rulers, the Pancharatras (a Vaishnava Tantric sect), and commoners looking for His protection. The myth around the emergence of Narasimha is well-known across India. The demon-king Hiranyakashyapu performed great austerities and pleased Brah

In a touch of artistic poetry – the god of auspicious starts – is artistically shown reclining in rest in this ‘panchaloha’ bronze statue executed in the ‘madhuchista vidhana’ lost wax technique. Ganesha’s image is presented to us in his two-armed avatar, lying on his side, and supported by a long bolster under his hand and head. His left hand is placed over his left leg. Ganesha’s

Bhogashakti is the name given to a special roopa (form) of Devi Uma. The beauty of bhogashakti comes out in the presence of Her husband, the great Lord Shiva. It is said that bhogashakti is the form She assumes moments before She draws Him into the inner sanctum of their divine togetherness. The word ‘bhoga’ is Sanskrit for material fulfillment. ‘Shakti’ refers to the distinctive strength

According to the Siddhartha-Samhita, there are twenty-four avatars of Lord Vishnu. The Trimurti is a concept in Hinduism in which the cosmic functions of creation, maintenance, and destruction are personified by Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer or transformer. His four arms indicate his all-powerful and all-pervasive nature. The conch (Panchajanya) symbolizes that