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

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

Salutations to Lord Ganesha -son of Uma-Mahadev, who has an elephant-head, being attended by the band of his followers (GANANATHA), dines his favourite wood-apple and rose–apple fruits, who is the cause of the destruction of all sorrows, Whose feet are like lotus. One should observe Ganesha with full devotion, feel his qualities and waves such as immensity, pride and fearlessness, immense streng

Salutations to Lord Ganesha -son of Uma-Mahadev, who has an elephant-head, being attended by the band of his followers (GANANATHA), dines his favourite wood-apple and rose–apple fruits, who is the cause of the destruction of all sorrows, Whose feet are like lotus. One should observe Ganesha with full devotion, feel his qualities and waves such as immensity, pride and fearlessness, immense streng

Feather Statue ~

The art-loving Hoysala dynasty of Karnataka was responsible for building a number of temples between the 10th the 14th centuries. They lent their name to a timeless standard of architecture, iconography, and aesthetics, a fine example of which could be seen on this page. It is a murti of Lord Vishnu with His wives, Bhudevi and Shridevi. The tall, slender form. The proportions between limb and crow

The story of young Krishna was first told more than 2000 years ago. Originally recited by bards from memory, it was later composed in the Sanskrit poem, the Harivamsa. The sun-like baby Krishna, Vishnu come to earth, was the delight of Vraja. Born of this earth, reared in the soil of Vraja, yielding to the temptations of this world, indulgent, inimitable, lovable in his pranks, ever guilty, yet re

Huge statue waterfall

The archaic period of art began to show interest in marble. Limestone sculpture is the art of creating, convincing realistic figure which produces natural and expressive movement. Such is the Saraswati sculpture. She is a marvel of knowledge, music, art, speech, and learning. The goddess is depicted as a beautiful woman clothed in pure white. She is garlanded in a golden throne which represents th

Amalgamated in beautiful smoky grey and gold colors, Nataraja, while dancing in ecstasy rules over his conscious fearful yet caring nature. This rare Nataraja posture triumphs joyfully on the demon dwarf Apasmara, who embodies ignorances of the world and here sits with his implements in his hands on a three-layered heightened pedestal carved in mesmerizing highlighted lotus petals. Nataraja Bra

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

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

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

Durga-Mahishasurmardini, the Hindu mother goddess who battles the demonic forces and rescues her children is a popular deity not just in India, but in the rest of South Asia as well. Mingling with the local legends and beliefs, Maa Durga took new, magnificent forms, all the while remaining the protector mother. One such form of the great-goddess is known as Bathari Durga or Chandi in the island na

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

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

With his legendary flute in hand, the Supreme Lord Krishna stands cast in bronze, his graceful pose with his legs crossed acting as a hallmark to the elaborate carvings of the Hoysala architecture. In the form of Venugopal, Lord Krishna becomes the protector of cows and the owner of the flute Venu. His face is at utter peace and serenity as he plays his flute, harmonious notes pleasing to the ears

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

Of all the qualities that make Lord Krishna who He is, it is His prowess with the flute that captures the hearts of devotees. Spread across not only the subcontinent but also the world, devotees never tire of His music. He sits in one of Vrindavan's many glades and pulls out His flute, the sound of which reaches the inhabitants within the city. The music that is emanating from His flu

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

In Hinduism, Religion Rasaleela is an interesting phenomenon. It refers to the ihalokiya (earthly) conduct - ‘leela’ - of the Vishnu-avatara Krishna. The word ‘rasa’ translates to aesthetics. As such, ‘rasaleela’ refers to the aesthetic depiction of Krishnaleela. The painting that you see on this page is of the image that first occurs to the mind when a devotee hears the word rasaleela

The tale of Pancamukha Hanuman from Ramayana tells of the monkey god’s battle with the King of Patala, Ahiravana, and his five celestial lamps. Hidden within the flames of these lamps, diverging away in five different directions, lay the soul of the daitya king. To kill Ahiravana the flames all needed to be extinguished at the same time. Lord Hanuman spouted five faces, each with a distinct pers

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Lord Krishna is as handsome as Lord Gopala, His Baala-Roopa (infant form), is adorable. Since His arrival in Vrindavan from Mathura, He had won the hearts of the local mothers and maidens alike. The murti that you see on this page captures Him in the signature tribhanga stance and, as such, is a visual narrative that explains the amorous aspect of His leela (divine conduct). Muralidhara Krishna

This exceptionally ornate brass statue is an example of highly balanced anatomy with delightfully distributed right and left – a strange symmetry with the center unable to contain its line and mincing to the figure’s overall rhythm: the navel and abdomen tilting to the left, and the little inflated right breast, to further right, represents Lord Ganesha in a posture as if commanding and assuri