In this expression of sectarian rivalry, Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction, sits enthroned in a pavilion. He has a single crowned head with his third eye of wisdom and red sectarian markings. He wears a long floral garland and profuse jewelry. He holds a rosary in his left hand. His right hand is held in the symbolic gesture of 'gift-giving’ (varada mudra). Shiva is being adored by Vishnu, the blue-skinned god of preservation; and Brahma, the four-headed god of creation, who holds an honorific parasol over Shiva and carries a manuscript of the Vedas and an ascetic’s water vessel. In a separate chamber in front of the deities, a group of female entertainers celebrates the auspicious occasion. A dancer performs accompanied by a drummer playing a mridangam drum and two women playing hand cymbals. Rising above the pavilion’s roofline are a second-story structure, flowering trees and cypresses, and a distant compound.
