A remarkably detailed lingam sculpture. The lingam of Shiva as it emerges from the yoni of Parvati is a symbol of potence and fecundity. This unusual object of Hindu worship has been given a special, particularly expressive imagery, in the sculpture that you see on this page. Fashioned from brass and poised upon concentric mounds of the same medium, it captures all 11” of Shiva’s glory.The mukhamandala (facial region) of Shiva is embossed upon the body of the lingam. There are four crowned heads, and a pair of hands down the bust for each head. The composure of the face is of deep contemplation; the mudra (stance) of the hands, of abhaya (fearlessness) and aashirvada (blessing).Immediately below the embossed faces, right at the interjection of the yoni-plane and the thick, elongated structure of the lingam, is the slender body of a snake wound around the latter’s girth. The snake is indispensable to the iconography of Shiva. Such a lingam would make for a substantial addition to your temple or poojana-kaksha.
