The Shiva family is seated on a hill’s outcrop shaped like a couch around the Mount Kailash, Shiva’s permanent abode, which a cottage-like structured – thatched and raised, hill-part unambiguously suggests. Lord Shiva and Parvati are seated in the centre while their two sons, Karttikeya and Ganesha, flank on sides. On Parvati’s left is the six-faced Karttikeya carrying a bow and arrow, and on Shiva’s right, the elephant-faced four-armed Ganesha carrying a battle-axe, noose and a tray full of laddus, his chosen food, and the fourth, held in ‘abhaya’. Karttikeya’s mount peacock has been painted perching just below where Karttikeya is seated, while the tiny mouse of Ganesha has been represented as leaping and jumping around its master’s feet. Figures of both, Karttikeya and Ganesha, have been lavishly bejewelled with gold ornaments studded with precious stones – pearls, rubies, emeralds, sapphires among others. Karttikeya is wearing a crown composed of six apexes, each to cover one of his six faces. The crown of Ganesha is not so complicated. It comprises just one tower. Ganesha is putting on a yellow ‘antariya’ exactly like his father, while Karttikeya’s is reddish maroon having resemblance with his mother’s sari which except its border rendered in gold-zari has an identical dye.
The four-armed blue-bodied Shiva – Mangala-murti, the Blissful One, is seated with Parvati on his left. Strangely, save an armlet he does not have any gold on his person yet with an exceptional glow on his face he dominates the canvas. The artist has clad him in Vishnu-like ‘pitambara’ and a garland of Parijata flowers but not without his usual tiger-skin which he has wrapped around his waist like his loincloth over the ‘pitambara’, laces of rudraksha-beads which adorn his neck, breast and wrists, and snakes that hold his matted hair, lay across from his left shoulder to the right side of the waist alternating ‘yajnopavit’ and adorn his shoulders and neck. With one of his hands he is holding Parvati, and with the other, Ganesha. In other two hands he is carrying his trident with damaru – double drum, attached to it, and an axe. Tri-netra, tripunda and crescent are other attributes that the artist has used for defining Shiva’s form.
A kind of blissfulness defines Parvati’s face. Her contentment, perhaps for being with Shiva and her sons, is absolute, and the same reveals in her sitting posture, the right leg placed on her left defined in iconographic tradition as ‘lalitasana’ – a posture of complete ease. With an oval face, large eyes with arched eye-brows, sharp features and a well defined neck Parvati’s figure reveals unique beauty of form. She has been represented as wearing a deep red silk sari with gold border and light pink blouse and rich gold jewellery inlaid with precious stones, diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and pearls among others. Besides the jewellery for neck, breast, arms, wrists and feet she is putting on also a towering majestic crown and splendid girdle.
This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr. Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of literature and is the author of numerous books on Indian art and culture. Dr. Daljeet is the curator of the Miniature Painting Gallery, National Museum, New Delhi. They have both collaborated together on a number of books.
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Manage Wishlist