Ardhanarishvara (Hindu Deity: Shiva-Shakti combined) (bronze)

Ardhanarishvara (Hindu Deity: Shiva-Shakti combined) (bronze)

Hinduism

Ardhanarishvara, or the “Lord Who is Half Women” in Sanskrit, is an androgynous statue of the Hindu deity composite of Shiva and his spouse Parvati (a half male/half female deity). The male half of the figure (Shiva) is adorned with traditional male iconography, represented by hair-dress of matted locks, half of the third eye visible on the forehead, and a serpent. The female half of the statue (Parvati) is adorned with traditional female iconography, represented by half of a tilak (a round dot) on the forehead, well-developed breast, and foot tinted red with henna. The earliest mention of Ardhanarishvara is found in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, and it signifies that both male and female values are inseparable. Additionally, Ardhanarishvara signifies a “totality that lies beyond duality,” it coveys that both male and female characteristics represent divinity and that Ardhanarishvara imagery associates him with asceticism and spirituality.

Check out the High Library and Sacred Texts for more information 

Sources: 

Dehejia, Harsha V. (1997). Pārvatīdarpaṇa: an exposition of Kāśmir Śaivism through the images of Śiva and Parvati. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. ISBN 81-208-1484-3. 

Goldberg, Ellen (2002). The Lord who is half woman: Ardhanārīśvara in Indian and feminist perspective. SUNY Press. ISBN 0-7914-5325-1. 

ardhanArIshvarar 

Elizabethtown College (Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, USA)

Dr. William V. Puffenberger

Elizabethtown College retains all intellectual property rights to this image including, but not limited to, digital rights and any derivative works. For permission for reproduction, please contact the College’s Program Coordinator for Humanities.

Bronze Statue with Half Male and Half Female features

Puffenberger #17

India