Bedecked with skulls and bones, Shiva wanders in cremation grounds, dancing in the light of funeral pyres, warming himself with the embers, smearing his body with ash.
Here, in the cremation ground, above the charnel earth, Shiva has spread a leopard skin under the mighty tree, along the banks of a river. Almost naked, this three-eyed god has a serpent wreathed around his neck reflecting his absolute renunciation, his refusal to react or respond to any threat or temptation. A crescent moon crowns Shiva's head earning him the title of Chandrachuda. He strings the severed heads of the Brahma's of the previous aeons, on a long thread held by Ganesha, standing to his right. Parvati, richly dressed and seated next to Shiva, holds Kartikeya, who eagerly offers yet another head to be strung by his father. Shiva, him of the mature beauty, looks far away while Parvati in gratified wonderment raises her fingers to her lips. Shiva's mount, Nandi, the bull which is a symbol of restrained power, moves circumspectly towards the right behind the tree.
The cremation ground is lively with burning pyres, jackals, bones and skeletons. A pale sky gives a calm effect. The red tones of Ganesha's body and Parvati's dress enlivens the somber lyricism of the painting. Its courtly serenity is due to Shiva, lord over life and death.
This description by Renu Rana.
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