Bronze Seated Shiva Figure. 

Condition: Commensurate with age. 

Size: 3 1/4 x 2 1/2 x 5 1/4 in. 

#2307 . 

Shiva (Sanskrit for “The Auspicious One”), also known as Mahadeva or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hinduism. Shiva is known as The Destroyer within the Trimurti, the Hindu trinity which also includes Brahma and Vishnu. In the Shaivite tradition, Shiva is the Supreme Lord who creates, protects and transforms the universe. Shiva has many aspects, benevolent as well as fearsome. He is depicted as an omniscient Yogi who lives an ascetic life on Mount Kailash as well as a loving husband to Parvati and father to his two children, Ganesha and Kartikeya. In his fiercer aspects he is often depicted slaying demons. The iconographical attributes of Shiva are the serpent king Vasuki around his neck, the adorning crescent moon, the holy river Ganga flowing from his matted hair, the third eye on his forehead (which can turn anything in front of it to ashes when opened), the trishula or trident as his weapon, and the damaru (drum) that he plays. He is usually worshiped in the aniconic form of lingam, and is often seen sitting, contemplating the universe while wielding many objects. Shiva is a pan-Hindu deity, revered widely by practitioners in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Indonesia, and is also a prominent guru in Sikhism as well as the template for the wind god Vayu-Vata in Zoroastrianism. In Buddhism, Shiva takes a lesser position than most of the other gods, sometimes acting passively in comparison to his more war-minded companions, and is often merged with various early Buddhist deities to form fusions like Daikokuten in Japan, Acala in China, and various devas in Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism, respectively. He remains one of the most popularly depicted Vedic gods even in contemporary culture, appearing in films, songs, and art throughout Southeast Asia and the rest of the world.

Commensurate with age.