- Title
- The Androgynous Form of Shiva and Parvati (Ardhanarishvara)
- Date Made
- 11th century
- Medium
- Black schist
- Dimensions
- 24 3/4 x 11 1/2 x 3 3/4 in. (62.86 x 29.21 x 9.52 cm)
- Accession Number
- M.87.107
- Collecting Area
- South and Southeast Asian Art
- Curatorial Notes
This image depicts the combined forms of Shiva and Parvati, known as Ardhanarishvara ("the lord who is half woman"). According to one myth, the Hindu god of creation Brahma neglected to create women. Shiva corrected this oversight by turning the left side of his body into a woman. The two halves eventually separated and engendered all of humankind. The androgyne is a symbol of perfect union and emphasizes the nonduality of the divine principle.
Ardhanarishvara is always represented as the right half of Shiva joined with the left half of Parvati. Accordingly, the two sides of the sculpture are represented with different physical features, types of garments, and iconographic attributes. On the right, Shiva has a third eye of wisdom (jñana netra) and holds a trident (trishula). On the left, Parvati has a breast and holds a lotus in her dangling arm. Each site has an attendant figure corresponding to its gender, and a smaller attendant of the opposite gender. Donor figures in adoration flanked the deity. The back is roughly finished with only the main figure being delineated.
