It is not just His childlike innocence that makes Ganesha one of the most popular deities of the Indian pantheon. The adorable form of a chubby little boy, His generosity with blessings and boons, and that unfailing love of laddoos - so much so that His iconography is incomplete without a bunch of the delectable Indian sweetmeat in the picture - endear Him to His devotees. The fateful Samudra-Mant

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

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

Huge statue waterfall

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

Godhead of Hindu trinity deities and the most popular incarnation of Lord Vishnu- Lord Krishna or Murlimanohar is the leader, hero, protector, teacher, and a friend of all. He is the ruler, not only of religion and philosophy, but also mysticism, literature, and all aspects of Indian folklore. Here he stands on a flourishing carved multilayered leveled-up inverted lotus in his run-of-the-mill cros

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

Medicine Buddha is an extraordinary and precious healing meditation practice found in Tibetan Buddhism. the Buddhists recite the mantra of Medicine Buddha to overcome mental, physical, and spiritual problems. Not only the mantra, but the people also recite the name of the Medicine Buddha popularly known as Bhaisayaguru. The patient is to recite the long Medicine Buddha mantra 108 times over a glas

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

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

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

The episode of the battle of the great goddess and the demon Raktabija as mentioned in the Vamana Purana describes the powerful expansions of the Adi-Shakti, which took the form of warring goddesses, each one of them originating from the other, assisting the Adi Devi Durga in slaying the demon. These goddesses came to be known as Sapta-Matrikas, “seven mothers”, and are associated with the mal

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

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

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

The vitarka mudra is of great importance in Buddhist iconography. The enlightened one sits in a stable padmasana and raises the right hand in the stance of dispensing vidya (awareness). This is called vitarka in Sanskrit; while ‘mudra’ refers to the stance of the hands in particular. As you could see in the murti on this page, the forefinger curves forward to touch the tips with the thumb, and

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

Lord Buddha is the embodiment of peace, compassion, and happiness. The variation in the iconography of Buddha statues reflects through various hand gestures and sitting postures. In this idol, Buddha’s right hand is in Vitarka Mudra representing him in the state when he is transmitting teachings to the disciples while his left hand holds a begging bowl for alms. Exotic India presents a brass sta

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

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

This youthful, valiant posture of Ganesha, the epitome of achievement and self-mastery, sits in Utkutakasana pose on a throne having a rectangular brick-like base with two white mice carved on it, facing opposite directions, holding a laddoo and a long back curved at the top, orange in color, bordered with thick gold color. The chaturbhuja Ganesha holds laddoos (his favorite sweet) and radish, as

Buddha is revered as an extraordinary man by the people in Tibet, who attained enlightenment and taught the four noble truths and the eight-fold paths of life to his disciples. This large size marble sculpture of Lord Buddha is carved in extreme finesse with each of his features realistically highlighted. He sits here in a lotus posture on a beautifully carved floral pedestal. Notice the superfine