A unique sculptural art from Swamimalai, a panchayat town in Tamil Nadu depicts Shiva’s distinctive aniconic form in exuberant vibes with the bright and sharp faces emitting rays of inner glow and sanitization.

Mukhalingam literally means, ‘Linga with a Face’, made out of stone or bronze, as shown here, it is modelled with human hands (manusha-linga) representing Shiva’s cosmic faces; generally in one, four or five faced, but the one we provide here is one of the rare artefacts of a six faced Mukhalingam. Their long South Indian style crowns shown with minute carvings justifying his superiority join together like a stylized flower to meet at a circular striped structure with a small conical top.

Mukhalingas are an armoured form of normal linga, popularly gold colored, having Shiva’s faces on the circumference marking his omnipresence for facilitating the individual souls to worship him in all his varied forms along with the soothing Shaivite tilak on forehead, crowns ensuing sculptor’s high-end imagination, clarity and a sense of creativity.