Buddhism and Hinduism were both practiced in Nepal, and the same artists made sculptures for both religions. This striking 10th-century stone sculpture provides a comparatively more complicated image of Shiva and his family relaxing in their heavenly home on Mount Kailasa. The rocky ledges depicted above and below the primary images symbolize the mountain abode. Parvati leans lovingly against Shiva's left leg in the center of the composition; her smaller size is typical of Uma-Maheshvara iconography. Thefour-armed Shiva holds a trident with one of his left hands and with a right hand lifts a lock of his hair, which is being offered to the goddess Ganga flying above his right shoulder. This is a reference to the tale in which Shiva allows the mighty river Ganga to flow from the heavens onto the earth through his hair to soften the cascade's destructive potential.
The divine couple is attended by several family members. The young boy seated on Shiva's bull is their son Karttikeya. Ganesha, their elephant-headed son, is depicted at the bottom of the relief dancing with the ganas, a host of benevolent dwarfs associated with Shiva and his family. A cow-headed gana is also shown offering food to Karttikeya. The two figures at the relief's top corners represent Shiva's attendants, known as pratiharas, who are depicted in his likeness and as personifications of his powers. Parvati is attended by a four-armed goddess named Vijaya and by another figure who supports her right foot.
Striking family tableaux such as this one were very popular in Nepal, and the earliest stone examples date from the 6th century. The iconography of this and related sculptures has been identified as a scene of the birth of Karttikeya, when in delight Shiva andParvati commanded their heavenly hosts to sing and dance in celebration of their new son.
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Buddhism and Hinduism were both practiced in Nepal, and the same artists made sculptures for both religions. This striking 10th-century stone sculpture provides a comparatively more complicated image of Shiva and his family relaxing in their heavenly home on Mount Kailasa. The rocky ledges depicted above and below the primary images symbolize the mountain abode. Parvati leans lovingly against Shiva's left leg in the center of the composition; her smaller size is typical of Uma-Maheshvara iconography. Thefour-armed Shiva holds a trident with one of his left hands and with a right hand lifts a lock of his hair, which is being offered to the goddess Ganga flying above his right shoulder. This is a reference to the tale in which Shiva allows the mighty river Ganga to flow from the heavens onto the earth through his hair to soften the cascade's destructive potential.<P>The divine couple is attended by several family members. The young boy seated on Shiva's bull is their son Karttikeya. Ganesha, their elephant-headed son, is depicted at the bottom of the relief dancing with the <I>ganas</I>, a host of benevolent dwarfs associated with Shiva and his family. A cow-headed <I>gana</I> is also shown offering food to Karttikeya. The two figures at the relief's top corners represent Shiva's attendants, known as <I>pratiharas</I>, who are depicted in his likeness and as personifications of his powers. Parvati is attended by a four-armed goddess named Vijaya and by another figure who supports her right foot.</P><P>Striking family tableaux such as this one were very popular in Nepal, and the earliest stone examples date from the 6th century. The iconography of this and related sculptures has been identified as a scene of the birth of Karttikeya, when in delight Shiva andParvati commanded their heavenly hosts to sing and dance in celebration of their new son.</P>
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