Shiva statue Super Large 240cm

Description

Beautiful for indoors and outdoors, this large Shiva eye-catcher, 85cm deep, 123cm wide, made of high quality cast stone, color black.
Height size: 240cm

• Opp size: 123x85cm
• High quality cast stone
• Handmade
• Fast delivery
• Very much of this series also on display in our store
• Shiva is one of the most important gods of Hinduism. He is often depicted as an ascetic. He dresses in a tiger skin or an elephant skin, both of which are references to two demons he once destroyed. His body is grayish or white in color because he smears himself with the ashes from the corpse burning sites. His hair is worn in long braided locks like many ascetics in India wear. He has three eyes, the third adorning his forehead. From this third eye he can send forth fire and with it he destroys the universe as creation comes to an end. Shiva unites many opposites in his stature and in the attributes he carries with him. This is because, Hindus explain, he is a god who encompasses the entire universe, from high to low, from pure to impure. For example, in one ear he wears an earring worn exclusively by low-caste village women while in his other ear hangs an earring in the shape of a mythical crocodile such as only Brahmins wear. In one of his hands he carries a drum, damaroe, which resembles an hourglass. With this drum, he indicates the rhythm of creation. One of his other hands carries a blazing fire with which he destroys the world. On his head he wears flowers including the highly poisonous datura, a flower from which hallucinogenic substances can be distilled. Around his neck he wears poisonous snakes, symbols of death. On his head he also wears a crescent moon, a death symbol. His riding animal is the bull Nandi. Nandi is almost always located in front of the entrance to a Shiva temple. Shiva is traditionally the god of ascetics. Many of his followers are saddhus (holy men), who travel alone or in groups throughout India, have their bodies smeared with ash, often do penance in bizarre ways and can be recognized by the three horizontal stripes they have painted on their foreheads. Their attribute is the trident. The women of Shiva are known by many forms and names. Parvati is the most famous spouse of Shiva, who has become the symbol of the docile submissive woman. She had to stand idly by as Shiva committed adultery with fair ladies on occasion, but always he came back to her. Parvati is the peaceful form of the concept of shakti (feminine energy). However, she can also manifest in other ferocious forms: Durga, Chamunda or Kali. Durga is mostly worshiped as a goddess in her own right, having nothing more to do with Shiva. She was specially created, with weapons of her own to save the gods from a terrible disaster. As Kali (“the black one”), Parvati appears in her most terrible form. She is black, her tongue hanging out of her bloody mouth, sheathed in severed human heads and skulls, and wanders across hideous killing fields. It is supposed to provide help where no god has more power. It is also notable that the very lowest castes are allowed to worship her, which makes her following so large. She alone receives blood sacrifices; during her festival, numerous black male animals ranging from cats to buffaloes are sacrificed to her.

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