c. 1800-1825

Shiva Describes the Benefits of Pilgrimage to Holy Kedarnath

The god Shiva and his wife, Parvati, sit on a tiger skin beneath a great flowering tree. Shiva’s bull, Nandi, rests nearby. The divine couple’s many-headed son Karttikeya, the god of war, kneels before them, accompanied by his vehicle, the peacock. Two of Karttikeya’s hands are folded in quiet reverence toward his parents. Shiva is dressed as a prince with courtly jewelry and an elaborate peaked crown with pearl fringe matching that on the royal umbrella above him. The live snake at his waist, the faint forms of a third eye and crescent moon at his brow, and the long, thin staff of the trident he holds tucked under one arm are the only traces of his divine identity.