Marriage of Shiva and Parvati (Kalayan Sundaram)

The Lord of dharma and existence weds the daughter of the mountains. Lord Shiva places His hand in that of Devi Parvati, a symbol of their impending union. His Pashupatinath roopa (form) towers over Her smaller, feminine frame. He gazes straight ahead, wisdom and determination writ on His brow. Devi Parvati shies away ever so gracefully, looking down at the hand of Her Lord in Hers with bliss and equanimity pouring forth from Her whole being.

The contrast of His chaturbhujadhari (four-armed) roopa to Her dvibhujadhari (two-armed) roopa. Note the image of pashu (animal) in His left posterior hand, a testament of His being lord (‘nath’) and master (‘pati’) over all of jeeva (Sanskrt for being, synonymous with ‘pashu’). Each of them has one hand seemingly engaged to holding a lotus bloom, Her left and His anterior left. Other than His signature loincloth and the gracious dhoti clad over the length of Her legs, there is not much difference between the adornments of the ruling couple of paraloka.

The wide pedestal is the most striking aspect of this twin composition. Fashioned after the traditional bronze pedestal, it features multiple tiers and engravings of lotus pedestals. While single-deity pedestals tend to have a circular base, this one is quadrilateral for practical purposes. As is the norm with these Southern bronzes, the towering crowns sitting on the heads of the respective deities complement the high pedestals they are poised on.