The central panel of this intricately carved album cover depicts the Hindu god Shiva in his major iconic form of Tripurantaka, the Destroyer of the Three Cities of the Demons. Shiva shoots an arrow at three demonic warriors in circular fortifications in the upper right corner. His bow is a tree and his bowstring is a serpent. Shiva stands in a celestial chariot with the sun and moon as its wheels. The chariot is drawn by four horses representing the four Vedas, the four sacred books of proto-Hindu mythology. His charioteer is Brahma, the four-headed priestly Hindu god of creation. Shiva’s bull mount is in the lower left corner. Beneath the main scene are three architectural registers representing the golden city of the demons. It was located under the ocean, which is symbolized by the tiny head, tail, and feet of a tortoise at its base. The avatars of Vishnu and heroes of the ancient Indian epics, the Ramayana and Mahabharata, are also portrayed. This album cover epitomizes the sophisticated sandalwood carving produced by the renowned families of artists working in the Mysore region of present-day Karnataka. According to the inscription on the inside cover, it was made by N. Sivappa in Sagar. Numerous hereditary families of carvers and painters reputed to have originally hailed from Goa had settled in Sagar and other nearby locales. By 1800 they were producing a wide range of sandalwood furniture and personal accoutrements for both domestic and foreign clientele.