Sadashiva

Detail Photos

The five-headed form of Shiva called Sadashiva is depicted here. His three heads are visible on the front. His fourth head is on the top and fifth head (not visible in the panel is believed to be present at the back). He is golden skinned and wears a tiger-skinned cloth apart from a red and green striped cloth. He has a crown upon which rests the crescent moon and Ganga. He is depicted as sitting in the padmasana atop what appears to be a pedestal. He is wearing a green upper cloth. His third eye is faintly visible on the forehead. He has four hands: the upper left hand holds the Veda manuscript and his lower left hand hold a a begging bowl. His upper right hand holds a shankhu or conch and his lower right hand holds a trishul or trident. He wears bangles, necklaces, earrings, armlets and a crown. He is surrounded by a swarm of his devotees showing their admiration by holding their hands in anjali mudra. There are two white-skinned female devotees in his left and right. Above them are four unidentified figures: the farthest to the right is green-skinned , followed by a golden-skinned figure, followed by a white-skinned figure and at the far left a golden-skinned figure. They all have crowns on their heads. There are two sages — golden-skinned and white-skinned — with beards, moustaches and string of rudraksha malas standing with folded hands in anjali mudra. To the right are three figures — an unidentified golden-skinned individual, another golden-skinned individual with an ornate crown on the far left, and green-coloured Indra with two raised arms and characteristic eyes all over his body. He is holding a lightning bolt in one hand and an unidentified weapon on his upper right hand. He wears a red upper garment and ornate crown on his head.