In this dramatic depiction of Shiva in his mountain abode at Mount Kailash, mountains with rolling clouds frame the god and his two ascetic disciples. Shiva holds a flask filled with amrta, the ambrosia from the churning of the ocean, representing the origins of life. The dramatically projecting rocks, suggestive of grottos, frame the trio.
Details
- Title : Shiva in Himalayan Abode with Ascetics
- Year : 9th–10th century
- Classification : Sculpture
- Medium : Stone
- Dimension : H. 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm); W. 13 1/8 in. (33.3 cm); D. 3 in. (7.6 cm); Wt. 34 lbs (15.4 kg)
- Country/ Geo-location : Kathmandu Valley
- Culture : Nepal (Kathmandu Valley)
- Period : Licchavi dynasty
- Collection : The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Credit Line : Gift of Evelyn Kossak, The Kronos Collections, 1995
- Acquisition Method : 1995.570.5
- Status : On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 252