Bhairava: Shiva as Lord of the Cremation Grounds / Artist Unknown, India, Karnataka
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 2001/2.131
- Title
- Bhairava: Shiva as Lord of the Cremation Grounds
- Artist Nationality
- Indian
- Medium and Support
- stone
- Object Creation Date
- 12th century -13th century
- Object Creation Place
- Asia (continent)
- India (nation)
- Karnataka (state)
- Creation Place 1
- Asia (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- India (nation)
- Creation Place 3
- Karnataka (state)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Professor Walter M. and Nesta R. Spink in honor of Vishakha Desai and Robert Oxnam
- Dimensions
- 87 cm x 54.8 cm x 22.8 cm (34 1/4 in. x 21 9/16 in. x 9 in.)
- Century
- 12th - 13th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Sculpture
- Primary Object Type
- statue
- Secondary Object Classification
- Sculpture
- Secondary Object Type
- architectural element
- Physical Description
- Shiva as Bhairava stands against a plain pointed arch supported by pilasters with a kirtimukha or face of glory at the top. He stands in a trihanga pose, with his hip thrust to his right and wears platform sandals. He originally has four arms, the front two of which are broken away. His back two arms hold a decorated trident and a drum. He would have held a sword in one hand and a kapala, a cup made out of a scull and a hanging severed head in the other. He is naked, but wears much of jewelry including belts with pendant elements, anklets, armlets, bracelets, necklaces, a band just under his breasts and large circular earrings. He also wears a decorated sacred thread over his left shoulder. His has an elaborate coiffure in curls around the top of his head with a large topknot to one side. His face is badly damaged. Emaciated hungry ghosts attend him, the one to his right dancing with his hands raised above his head with a pot between his legs. The ghost who is on his left stands behind a dog, whose head has broken away. The ghost and the dog would have been playing with the absent severed head, adding to the ghoulish nature of the image.
- Subject Matter
- Bhairava, or “the Terrible,” is an epithet for Shiva in his fiercer manifestations. One of these is Lord of the Cremation Grounds, a setting indicated here by the small, emaciated demons at his feet. In his rear arms he holds a trident—his signature weapon—and a small drum. His two front hands have broken off, but as in other icons of this type, they would have originally carried a sword and a cup made from a human skull. This particular image adds a further element: it depicts the immediate aftermath of Shiva’s great sin of decapitating Brahma, another of the major Hindu gods. In his left hand he holds the ends of Brahma’s long hair, but Brahma’s head—which was carved completely in the round—has broken away. Below, a dog leaps up to lick the blood dripping from the severed head. Shiva was condemned to wander for twelve years as a naked ascetic in expiation for this horrible crime. Although the image has suffered from wear, the special character of the Hoysala period style comes through in the humor and naturalism of the skeletal figures, and the relaxed yet elegant pose of Shiva himself.
- Secondary Keywords
- associated concepts
- hindu
- named gods and goddesses
- people and culture
- religion
- religions
- religions and religious concepts
- subject matter
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 1258 x 1884
- File Size
- 315 KB
- Record
- 2001/2.131
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2001-sl-2.131/2001_2.131.jpg
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Related Links
Portfolios
- In public portfolios
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:2001-SL-2.131:2001_2.131.JPG
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- Full citation
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"Bhairava: Shiva as Lord of the Cremation Grounds; Artist Unknown, India, Karnataka." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2001-sl-2.131/2001_2.131.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 19, 2024.
