Shiva & Uma - Washington, DC
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member Metro2
N 38° 53.276 W 077° 01.575
18S E 324259 N 4306291
Located in the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.
Waymark Code: WMRYG3
Location: District of Columbia, United States
Date Posted: 08/22/2016
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member saopaulo1
Views: 0

This 14-th century bronze sculpture is from southern India. It depicts the Hindu god Shiva and his wife Uma (who is also known as Parvati)

Wikipedia (visit link) adds:

"Shiva ... meaning "The Auspicious" is one of the three major deities of Hinduism. He is the chief within Shaivism, one of the three most influential denominations in contemporary Hinduism. He is one of the five primary forms of God in the Smarta Tradition, and "the Destroyer".

At the highest level, Shiva is regarded as formless, limitless, transcendent, and unchanging as well. Shiva also has many benevolent and fearsome depictions. In benevolent aspects, he is depicted as an omniscient Yogi who lives an ascetic life on Mount Kailash, as well as a householder with wife Parvati and his two children, Ganesha and Kartikeya, and in fierce aspects, he is often depicted slaying demons. Shiva is also regarded as the patron god of yoga, meditation, and arts.

The main iconographical attributes of Shiva are the third eye on his forehead, the snake Vasuki around his neck, the adorning crescent moon, the holy river Ganga flowing from his matted hair, the trishula as his weapon and the damaru as his musical instrument. Shiva is usually worshiped in the aniconic form of Lingam.

The worship of Shiva is a pan-Hindu tradition, practiced widely across all of India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and parts of Pakistan."

and for Uma (visit link) -
"Parvati ... is the Hindu goddess of fertility, love and devotion; as well as of divine strength and power. She is the gentle and nurturing aspect of the Hindu goddess Shakti and one of the central deities of the Goddess-oriented Shakta sect. She is the mother goddess in Hinduism, and has many attributes and aspects. Each of her aspects is expressed with a different name, giving her over 100 names in regional Hindu stories of India. Along with Lakshmi (goddess of wealth and prosperity) and Saraswati (goddess of knowledge and learning), she forms the trinity of Hindu goddesses (Tridevi).

Parvati is the wife of the Hindu god Shiva - the protector and regenerator of universe and all life. She is the daughter of the mountain king Himavan and mother Mena. Parvati is the mother of Hindu deities Ganesha and Kartikeya. Some communities also believe her to be the sister of the god Vishnu and the river-goddess Ganga.

With Shiva, Parvati is a central deity in the Shaiva sect. In Hindu belief, she is the recreative energy and power of Shiva, and she is the cause of a bond that connects all beings and a means of their spiritual release. In Hindu temples dedicated to her and Shiva, she is symbolically represented as the argha or yoni. She is found extensively in ancient Indian literature, and her statues and iconography grace Hindu temples all over South Asia and Southeast Asia."
Time Period: Ancient

Approximate Date of Epic Period: 2000 BC

Epic Type: Religous

Exhibit Type: Figure, Statue, 3D Art

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Metro2 visited Shiva & Uma - Washington, DC 08/26/2014 Metro2 visited it