Standing Ardhanarisvara, Chola dynasty (granite)

The Hindu god Śiva is represented here as Ardhanārīśvara, the Lord Whose Half is Woman, which is just one of the deity’s many extraordinary manifestations. In Hinduism, Śiva was born from the mouth of his father, the god Brahma. He emerged half male and half female, symbolizing the great unity of all things and the complementary aspects of gender and sexuality. The male side of the deity, his proper right side, raises the battle-ax and rests his forearm on the muzzle of the bull Nandin, Śiva’s attendant. The god’s masculine nature is reinforced by his broad shoulder, wide chest, and flexed knee. The figure’s left side, which bears a lotus flower, has a swelling single breast and full, thrusting hip that reveal her sensual femininity. In this androgynous guise, Ardhanārīśvara is a symbol of a universal being, the perfect, self-fulfilled whole.