$175.00
This magnificent vintage brass sculpture of Ardhanarishwara - The Lord who is half woman in an exquisite copper and gold finish measuring 37 cm in height is handcrafted by the most skilled artisans from the South of India.
Also known as Ardhanaranari - "the half man-woman" and a composite form of the Hindu God Shiva and his consort Parvati also known as Devi , Shakti and Uma in tradition of great Chola bronzes of the South. Depicted as half male and half female this exquisite sculpture is split down the middle.
Ardhanarishwara represents the synthesis of masculine and feminine energies of the universe and illustrates how Shakti, the female principle of God, is inseparable from Shiva, the male principle of God. The union of these principles is exalted as the root and womb of all creation.
The feminine half representing Parvati prominently holds in one of her hands a large lotus, the emblem of Lakshmi, symbolising the ultimate fusion of all female elements in her as that of the male and female elements in her lord, the Ardhanarishvara.
Everyone born is either a male or a female, the Adipurusha Shiva, the Sadashiva, the ever present benevolent One, is the total, all that is masculine and all that is feminine. In Ardhanarishvara this unity is in one form.
Measures: Height 37 cm x Width 23 cm.
The statue stands on an oval pedestal measuring Length 14 cm x 10 cm wide
Weight: 5.100 kilograms