Marriage of Shiva and Parvati thumbnail 1
On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Marriage of Shiva and Parvati

Relief
Dated by inscription 1766 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Relief depicting the marriage of Siva and Parvati witnessed by Visnu and Laksmi (Kalyanasundara, ‘The Wedding of the Charming One’). Visnu officiates, pouring a lustration blessing (abhiseka) over the couples open hands from a gold pot. Siva displays two attributes, a deer (mriga) (deer) and an axe (parasu). He is attended by one of his dwarfish attendants, a gana. In acknowledgement of the occasion, Siva holds a spray of flowers in his lower hand. All in attendance are richly bejewelled and wear high hair-crowns (jatamakutas).

This subject is popular in south India, especially in Madurai where it is assumes a local character, Siva marrying Minaksi, the princess of the Pandyan royal household, thus effecting a union of local traditions with Sanskritic culture. This Divine Marriage is re-enacted there and at other temples each year as part of the annual Panguni Uttiram temple festival, performed with processional icons of the couple. The priests enact the rituals of marriage to the delight of a large audience, mostly female devotees.

A number of centres in south India were renowned for ivory carving in the Nayak period, most especially workshops associated with the Vaisnava temple at Srirangam, and the Minaksi-Sundaresvara temple at Madurai. This relief represents an end panel to a casket, possibly serving as a jewellery box, engraved with the date ‘Samvat 1823 (1766 CE). Although this date cannot be accepted definitively (it could have been add later by a subsequent owner), it broadly fits with our understanding of mid-18th century Nayak decorative arts.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleMarriage of Shiva and Parvati (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Carved ivory, with traces of tamarind juice
Brief description
Marriage of Shiva and Parvati, ivory, Madurai, south India, 1766
Physical description
A relief depicting the marriage of Shiva and Parvati ('The Wedding of the Charming One'). This relief may well be associated with the city of Madurai whose Great Temple celebrates this marriage. The ceremony (Kalyanasundaramurti) is witnessed by Vishnu and Lakshmi. They stand at the left, Vishnu holding together with the normal attributes, a golden pot, from which he pours at the moment of uniting the couple. Shiva and Parvati, wearing jatamakutas (high crowns) and royal ornaments, offer their hands with palms open. Shiva bears his attributes of a mriga (deer) and parashu (battle-axe) and in his addition holds a flower or spray of flowers in his lower left hand.
Dimensions
  • Height: 16.5cm
  • Width: 11cm
Style
Production
Madurai, Tamilnadu, south India
Subjects depicted
Summary
Relief depicting the marriage of Siva and Parvati witnessed by Visnu and Laksmi (Kalyanasundara, ‘The Wedding of the Charming One’). Visnu officiates, pouring a lustration blessing (abhiseka) over the couples open hands from a gold pot. Siva displays two attributes, a deer (mriga) (deer) and an axe (parasu). He is attended by one of his dwarfish attendants, a gana. In acknowledgement of the occasion, Siva holds a spray of flowers in his lower hand. All in attendance are richly bejewelled and wear high hair-crowns (jatamakutas).

This subject is popular in south India, especially in Madurai where it is assumes a local character, Siva marrying Minaksi, the princess of the Pandyan royal household, thus effecting a union of local traditions with Sanskritic culture. This Divine Marriage is re-enacted there and at other temples each year as part of the annual Panguni Uttiram temple festival, performed with processional icons of the couple. The priests enact the rituals of marriage to the delight of a large audience, mostly female devotees.

A number of centres in south India were renowned for ivory carving in the Nayak period, most especially workshops associated with the Vaisnava temple at Srirangam, and the Minaksi-Sundaresvara temple at Madurai. This relief represents an end panel to a casket, possibly serving as a jewellery box, engraved with the date ‘Samvat 1823 (1766 CE). Although this date cannot be accepted definitively (it could have been add later by a subsequent owner), it broadly fits with our understanding of mid-18th century Nayak decorative arts.
Bibliographic references
  • Swallow, Deborah and John Guy eds. Arts of India: 1550-1900. text by Rosemary Crill, John Guy, Veronica Murphy, Susan Stronge and Deborah Swallow. London : V&A Publications, 1990. 240 p., ill. ISBN 1851770224, p.42, no.27. Guy, John: 'Indian Temple Sculpture', London V & A Publication, 2007, p.112. pl.122. ISBN 971851775095
  • In the image of man : the Indian perception of the universe through 2000 years of painting and sculpture : [exhibition / organized by Catherine Lampert assisted by Rosalie Cass]. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson :in association with the Arts Council of Great Britain, 1982 Number: 0297780719, 0297781243 (pbk.) p. 217, cat no. 443
  • The art of India and Pakistan, a commemorative catalogue of the exhibition held at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1947-8. Edited by Sir Leigh Ashton. London: Faber and Faber, [1950] 82, cat. no. 356, pl. no. 74
  • Haworth-Booth, Mark; Indian Sculpture: A Travelling Exhibition, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, 1971 No. 68
  • L'escultura en el temples indis : l'art de la devoció : exposició organitzada per la Fundació "La Caixa" i el Victoria & Albert Museum, Londres. [Barcelona: Obra social, Fundació "la Caixa", c2007 Number: 9788476649466 p.212, Cat.173
  • The Jewels of India: Marg, 1995 Number: ISBN 81-85026-30-0 p. 71, cat. no. 9,
Collection
Accession number
IM.70-1930

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Record createdDecember 15, 1999
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