Shiva Dakshinamurti
Figure
late 12th century (made)
late 12th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Dakshinamurti, the "Lord who faces South", represents Shiva as the supreme teacher of yoga, music, jnana (divine knowledge) and all the arts and sciences. Each of these four aspects is distinguished iconographically. This image, with a rosary and flame in the upper hands, is Vyakhyanamurti, Shiva as the expounder of the shastras. Four-armed Shiva is depicted with the uncut hair of an ascetic, seated in the virasana (heroic) posture, the lower right hand raised in the gesture of teaching in silence (chinmudra). The rocky landscape upon which he sits is an allusion to his Himalayan retreat where he instructs through mind-speech the secrets of the shastras to the holy men (rishis). With his right foot he suppresses the dwarf-like figure of Apasmarapurusha, the demon embodying ignorance and forgetfulness. The wild animals of the mountain, carved in low relief, gather around him to hear his profound message.
In the medieval period images of Dakshinamurti came to occupy a position on the south wall of the central shrine of a Hindu temple, displacing Ganesha in the south Indian temple schema in the early Chola period. By being positioned south-facing, Dakshinamurti was able to look down from his temple as if still seated in his beloved Mt Kailasha in the Himalayas. This sculpture would have originally occupied a niche on the south elevation of a late Chola temple.
In the medieval period images of Dakshinamurti came to occupy a position on the south wall of the central shrine of a Hindu temple, displacing Ganesha in the south Indian temple schema in the early Chola period. By being positioned south-facing, Dakshinamurti was able to look down from his temple as if still seated in his beloved Mt Kailasha in the Himalayas. This sculpture would have originally occupied a niche on the south elevation of a late Chola temple.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Shiva Dakshinamurti (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Granite |
| Brief description | Shiva Dakshinamurti, granite, Thanjavur, south India, late 12th century |
| Physical description | A four-armed Shiva with the long uncut tresses of an ascetic, sitting on a rock in the mountain wilderness where he is said to have preached to hermits of the forest. Adjacent to him on his left are three cavernous haunts of wild animals, rising one above each other. His eyes are focused on the tip of his nose, suggesting rapt meditation or spiritual ecstasy, while his right foot rests on the head of the demonic dwarf Apasmara, signifying his power over the forces of darkness and ignorance; his left leg is crossed over his right. The front right hand is poised with forefinger outstretched; the rear right holds a rosary; the rear left holds a flame; the front left is suspended over the left knee with palm facing inwards. |
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| Gallery label |
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| Historical context | Shiva as the great teacher, depicted with the uncut hair of an ascetic, seated in the virasana (heroic) posture, the lower right hand raised in the gesture of teaching in silence (cinmudra). The rocky landscape upon which he sits is an allusion to his Himalayan retreat where he teaches in silence the holy men (rishis) the secrets of the shastras. With his right foot he suppresses the dwarf-like figure of Apasmarapurusha, the demon of ignorance and forgetfulness. The animals of the mountain, carved in low relief, gather around him. Dakshinamurti, the "Lord who faces South", represents Shiva as the supreme teacher of Yoga, music, jnana (knowledge) and all the arts and sciences. Each of these four aspects is distinguished iconographically. This image, with a rosary and flame in the upper hands, is Vyakhyanamurti, Shiva as the expounder of the shastras. Images of Dakshinamurti should occupy a position on the South wall of the central shrine of a Hindu temple. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Dakshinamurti, the "Lord who faces South", represents Shiva as the supreme teacher of yoga, music, jnana (divine knowledge) and all the arts and sciences. Each of these four aspects is distinguished iconographically. This image, with a rosary and flame in the upper hands, is Vyakhyanamurti, Shiva as the expounder of the shastras. Four-armed Shiva is depicted with the uncut hair of an ascetic, seated in the virasana (heroic) posture, the lower right hand raised in the gesture of teaching in silence (chinmudra). The rocky landscape upon which he sits is an allusion to his Himalayan retreat where he instructs through mind-speech the secrets of the shastras to the holy men (rishis). With his right foot he suppresses the dwarf-like figure of Apasmarapurusha, the demon embodying ignorance and forgetfulness. The wild animals of the mountain, carved in low relief, gather around him to hear his profound message. In the medieval period images of Dakshinamurti came to occupy a position on the south wall of the central shrine of a Hindu temple, displacing Ganesha in the south Indian temple schema in the early Chola period. By being positioned south-facing, Dakshinamurti was able to look down from his temple as if still seated in his beloved Mt Kailasha in the Himalayas. This sculpture would have originally occupied a niche on the south elevation of a late Chola temple. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | IS.41-1966 |
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| Record created | February 13, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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