Dakshinamoorthy
Detail Photos
Shiva appears as Dakshinamurthy, seated in a relaxed pose atop a raised, ornamented pedestal beneath a spreading tree in whose branches two owls and a pair of snakes are visible. His complexion is pale, and he wears a tall crown with dark green detailing, along with heavy jewelry including a rudraksha mala across his chest. A large serpent is draped across his shoulder and coils toward his lap, its hood raised near his lower hand. He holds a slender object in one raised hand and rests another hand near the serpent, while a third arm extends outward toward the seated assembly. Below him, a white bull, Nandi, lies in attendance, richly caparisoned. To the right, a group of bearded sages and rishis, some pale skinned and some green skinned, sit and stand in rapt attention with hands folded in anjali mudra, one of them holding a stringed instrument (veena). The front edge of the pedestal is finished with a decorative scalloped valance.
