Existing comment:
Nandi, the God Shiva's Bull
c. 1200-1250
Nandi (which means rejoicing) is the name of the god Shiva's sacred bull, and is both the vehicle of the god and his complementary image. In every sense, the virile bull "conveys" Shiva, the great ascetic whose power emerges as contained sexual energy. An image of Nandi sits in the hall or porch of temples dedicated to Shiva, facing into the sanctum as the primary devotee. This exquisite sculpture comes from a temple patronized by the Hoyshala dynasty, who ruled around the area of modern Mysore in the southern state of Karnataka during the twelfth to fourteenth centuries. |