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Shiva Statues

Muneeswarar - The Incarnation of Lord Shiva

Large Size Ardhanarishvara (Shiva-Shakti)

Ardhanarishvara - The Half Male and Half Female Form of Shiva with Floral Aureole

Ardhanarishvara with Flowing Lock of Hair

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Statues of Lord Shiva

Lord Shiva is known for His quick generosity, which has earned Him the epithet of ‘Ashutosh’ or the ‘One who is easily pleased’. He is said to be extremely swift in handing out boons to devotees who worship Him. No wonder then that there is a marked affection for this fascinating, unconventional and benevolent deity, amongst a huge part of the human populace. This is also the reason that creating statues of Lord Shiva has been extremely popular with Indian sculptors since time immemorial.

The Indian tradition visualizes Lord Shiva in numerous forms, each loaded with spiritual symbolism. The foremost of all statues of Shiva is the Linga or Lingam. The Linga signifies the cosmic extent of Shiva and its dome represents the infinite sky (shaped like and inverted bowl) above. The word Linga means a ‘sign’, though here it has a higher connotation, suggesting that Lord Shiva is beyond any sign, i.e. He cannot be represented by any forms and is hence ‘Nirakara’ – the Highest Formless Reality. This is also what is signified by His Ardhanarishvara statues, namely Shiva is beyond gender.

Of course for His loving devotees, Shiva reveals Himself as an ideal householder, for example in the sculptures showing Him with wife Parvati and one or both of His sons Ganesha and Karttikeya. The most popular sculptural representation of Lord Shiva (after the Linga), is of course His form as Nataraja, literally meaning the King of Dancers. This is a highly complicated composition with each part of the statue pregnant with profound symbolism. The statues of Nataraja for sale here encompass within themselves the complete cycle of life – creation, preservation and destruction.

Other popular sculptures of Lord Shiva show Him in meditation; blessing His devotees; as an ascetic wanderer; as the wrathful Bhairava and in his cosmic form as the five-headed Sadashiva. Here you can buy statues of Lord Shiva in brass, bronze, crystal and other gems, marble and wood.

Related Links

The Iconographic Genesis of Shiva

"Shiva, the Mahadeva, represents...dissolution or destruction of the cosmos...(among) the functional aspects of God, namely, the creation, preservation and dissolution (of the cosmos)... Brahma and Vishnu have their roots in the Vedas, and not before. Shiva has a pre-Vedic origin, as his worship cult seems to have been in vogue amongst the Indus dwellers, even around 3000 B.C... excavated material includes a number of terracotta seals representing a yogi icon and the phallus type baked clay objects...suggestive of some kind of phallus-worship cult of the non-Aryan settlers of the Indus cities... Shiva's divine perception as well as iconic visualization developed into two directions, one growing out of his serene sublime benevolent Saumyarupa and the other out of his awe-striking Raudra-rupa... The violent jungle god of Vedas and the grim looking horn wearing Yogi of Indus emerges upon the altar of the believing ones, on painter's canvas, in metal casters' mould and in the strokes of hammer and chisel, as the harmless Bholanath, the innocence Lord and the good incarnate, as the supreme auspice, the most formidable of divine powers, the paramount lover and the holiest model of the Vedic family cult..."

Parvati's Quest: Understanding the Essence of Shiva

"Shiva is an embodiment of the three principal themes of Indian philosophy....The marriage of Shiva and Parvati was preceded by a long interval of courtship. It was no ordinary engagement however....Shiva was tempted enough to touch her, and Parvati, tantalizing him, withdrew....She would exist only as an intense flame burning for Shiva....Tapasya means to gradually start bringing restraint into our lives....She was no different from the way trees live in this world....Though he possesses nothing, he is the source of all possessions....Inevitable union between male and female"

The Dance of Shiva

"God of eroticism, Shiva is... the master of Yoga, which is described as the method used to sublimate virile power and transform it into mental and intellectual power. He is therefore the 'great Yogi.'... 'I have never renounced any vice: it is they who have left me' summarizes the message of Shiva."

The Shiva Linga - Images of Cosmic Manhood in Art and Mythology

"Shiva is worshipped in the form of the male organ of procreation, often alone, and frequently conjoined with the corresponding female organ, which is sculpted as a receptacle to receive Shiva's seed... The distinctive sign by which one can recognize the nature of something is called lingam... The linga is... a great equalizer... worshippers, regardless of sex, caste, or creed... (pour) generous libations on the linga, while simultaneously caressing it intimately... Shiva's liberated phallus represents this illuminating power rising heavenward beyond the material world. Thus is the linga likened to a pillar of light, guiding us to true knowledge..."

The Forms of Shiva in Visual Arts

"Shiva's...is the imagery and iconography that evolved over a period of five millennia - perhaps the longest period for an image, or worship tradition, to have evolved and sustained through... Shiva's imagery reveals wondrous unity and unique growth perspective... there is absolute unanimity in regard to the fact that he had iconic presence much before the Vedas came into being... Shiva has been conceived in visual arts as timeless youth, though sometimes with moustaches defining an advanced age and sometimes without them close to juvenescence..."

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