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

The emergence of goddess Durga marked the power of feminism; she was created by the cosmic powers of the trinity and other gods to defeat the Buffalo demon Mahishasura. Goddess Durga is revered as Durga Nashini, which translates as ‘the one who eliminates suffering’, as she is the Shakti or Mother goddess in Hinduism. She is sculpted here with a single piece of white marble in lalitasana postu

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

The tall, beauteous, and stately Lakshmi Ji blesses the devotee with plenty. The wife of none other than the great Vishnu, She presides over wealth which is the necessary means to His function of preserving creation through destruction. She has been given the resplendent finish of pale gold, Her saree draped in modern-day urban North Indian style. On Her head sits a skillfully carved crown, from u

Durga, identified as Adi Parashakti, is a principal and popular form of the Hindu Goddess. She is a goddess of war, the warrior form of Parvati, whose mythology centres around combating evils and demonic forces that threaten peace, prosperity, and Dharma, the power of good over evil. Devi Durga is also a fierce form of the protective mother Goddess, who unleashes her divine wrath against the wicke

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

Lord Hanuman is revered as a fine warrior and a great bhakta (devotee). As part of the vanara-sena that fought Lanka on Rama’s side, His valour and His love of Rama (and everything dear to Rama) are much talked about to this day. The fact that Hanuman is a superior yogi, possessed of the ashtasiddhis and the navanidhis, is oft overlooked. The murti that you see on this page is a solid-cast work

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

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

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

This statue is that of a Samurai, the warrior class and self-sacrificing knights of Japan. In Japanese history the Samurai have played a variety of roles-commanders in the battlefield, assassins in the night, keepers of peace and that of aristocratic administrators. Here the Samurai is shown kneeling on his knees. This posture is known as Sonkyo-zo in Japanese. Both of his hands rest on his thighs

The majestic Lord Ganesha is seated on an upturned-lotus throne. This chaturbhujadhari (the one possessed of four arms) figure seated in lalitasana is a widely loved and worshipped roopa (form) of the deity. What makes this a unique work of art is the medium in which it is fashioned and the finesse with which it has been executed. It is a panchaloha sculpture handpicked from the finest studios of

In the Shaiva shrines of South India, the wife of Mahadeva Shiva- Parvati, resides as Shivakamasundari – the beautiful woman who is the sole focus of Shiva’s passionate love. Resonating with her descriptions in the Hindu textual traditions, Devi Parvati in her sculptures appears as a divine amalgamation of yoga (spiritual attainment) and Bhoga (material fulfilments). Maa Parvati’s standing i

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

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 Durga is a feminine epitome of strength and a divine potency responsible for keeping this material world in order and decorum; she is an embodiment of ferocity as well as compassion who holds equal parts as a destroyer and creator both. This brass statue is painted in enchanting brown and golden color combination with the divinity perched in lalitasana on a ferocious lion (Durga’s vahan

The five (‘pancha’) faces (‘mukha’) of Panchamukha Hanuman stand for the five means of worship that the great yogi extended to Lord Rama: naman, smaran, keerthanam, yacham, and arpanam. The faces are (from left to right) Lakshmi Varaha, Mahaveera Garuda, Anjaneya, Karala Ugraveera Narasimha, and Hayagriva. The Panchamukha on this page is possessed of eight arms (the ashtabhujadhari). The m

India’s rich spirituality begins with Lord Ganesha; softens the karma and guides dharma. Ganesha reigns over our beginnings, our changes, earthly decisions and problems. This wonderful Hindu deity is the one closest to the material plane of consciousness, most easily contacted and most able to assist us in our day-to-day life and concerns. The superfine carvings of this brass sculpture form a re

This elaborate brass sculpture is a variation of the Goddess Kali iconography, and hers is a distinct iconography. Her stance is far from the unassuming body language of Indian devices; she is clad in very little by way of clothing and shringar; and there is ferocity about her composure, which matches the weapons she wields in her numerous hands. This one is alone Goddess Kali's composition,

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

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 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 neck a

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

A one-of-a-kind bitone Buddha composition. The predominant color is black, which has the unmistakable sheen of marble. The medium captures the otherworldly glamour of the erstwhile Shakyamuni. The complementary color, white, is to be found in the dotted raiment clothing of the seated figure, which makes for a surreal visual experience. Legs gathered in the perfect padmasana - heels together direct

A seated Green Tara murti of substantial proportions. Queen of the Buddhist heavens, the epitome of karuna (compassion), metta (natural kindness), and shunyata (nothingness), She is a bodhisattva in the Mahayana tradition and a buddha in Vajrayana. On a petal-embossed throne, She sits, with the right foot cradled by a minuscule bloom in the foreground.n This is a signature aspect of the iconograph