LACMA

ShopMembershipMyLACMATickets
LACMA
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
5905 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@lacma.org
(323) 857-6000
Sign up to receive emails
Subscribe
© Museum Associates 2025

Museum Hours

Monday

11 am–6 pm

Tuesday

11 am–6 pm

Wednesday

Closed

Thursday

11 am–6 pm

Friday

11 am–8 pm

Saturday

10 am–7 pm

Sunday

10 am–7 pm

 

  • About LACMA
  • Jobs
  • Building LACMA
  • Host An Event
  • Unframed
  • Press
  • FAQs
  • Log in to MyLACMA
  • Privacy Policy
© Museum Associates 2025
Collections

Unknown
Shiva as the Cosmic Pillarearly 12th century

Not on view
Gray stone cylindrical sculpture with a four-armed standing figure carved in relief within an oval beaded niche, crowned with a tall tiered headdress, with a coiled serpent at the base
Gray granite stele with a four-armed standing deity in high relief within an oval aureole, adorned with elaborate crown, necklaces, and ornamental belt; attributes held in raised hands; small figure at upper right and a recumbent animal below.
Stone relief sculpture of a four-armed standing deity set within an oval niche, wearing an elaborate crown, beaded jewelry, and draped lower garment, with fine carved detail throughout.
Stone relief sculpture of a four-armed deity set within an arched niche, wearing an elaborate crown, beaded necklaces, and jewelry, with attributes held in each hand; fine carved surface detail throughout.
Stone relief carving in buff-colored limestone, depicting a four-legged animal, likely a horse or bovine, in profile with low, rounded forms emerging from the rough-textured surface.
Artist or Maker
Unknown
Title
Shiva as the Cosmic Pillar
Place Made
India, Tamil Nadu
Date Made
early 12th century
Medium
Granulite with traces of paint
Dimensions
48 1/4 x 21 x 13 in. (122.55 x 53.34 x 33.02 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Christian Humann
Accession Number
M.74.138.4
Classification
Sculpture
Collecting Area
South and Southeast Asian Art
Curatorial Notes

This sculpture represents the Shaiva devotee’s assertion of the superiority of Shiva over his rival Hindu gods Brahma and Vishnu. According to the myth, Brahma and Vishnu were arguing boastfully over who was the more powerful, when suddenly they came upon a colossal column of flame arising from the cosmic ocean. Brahma took the form of his mount, a white gander (depicted on the upper right), and flew upward to find the flame's summit. Vishnu sought the fire's origin by diving into the ocean in his boar incarnation (depicted on the base). When neither god could find an end to the column, which was actually a linga (Shiva’s aniconic symbol), Shiva triumphantly emerged from its side and proclaimed his supremacy. Shown standing within an elliptical cavity ringed with flames, Shiva is crowned with an ascetic’s piled hair adorned with his emblem of the crescent moon. His upper right hand carries a battle axe. Now-broken, his lower right hand was once held in the ‘fear-not’ gesture (abhaya mudra). His upper left hand holds his deer attribute, while his lower left hand rests on his hip.

Southern Indian representations of this sculpture, termed a lingodbhava-murti (image that arises from the linga), were placed in niches around the bases of temples to establish the proper iconographic programs and orient the ritual worship of the faithful.

Selected Bibliography
  • Markel, Stephen. "Hindu Cosmology and Mythology." Orientations 55, no.6 (2024): 39-47.