Shiva as Gajashvaram

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This sculpture is called Gajasamharam or Shiva Battling the Elephant. Shiva seems to balance on the head of the elephant with his one leg as the other is lifted up as though he were skipping. His body is thrown back in ecstasy with his arms spread out in a fan of seeming joy. His fangs are exposed showing him to be terrifying. Shiva again displays his dualistic nature by being both joyous and terrifying at the same time. The surrounding ring around Shiva is the carcass of the dead elephant. The four feet of the elephant dispersed around the skin of the dead elephant. The dead skin of the elephant is a marked contrast from the Nataraja sculpture's cosmic arch. There is a small "O" that is formed by the elephants tail on top of the sculpture. In his left hand he holds a cobra, and a scalp. The base with all its detailed work is a 360 degree pleasure! The base is carved hollow. In the front of the sculpture there are two narsis, mythical lion like beasts used in south Indian sculpture. Carved into the the foundation of the sculpture in bas-relief between the two narsi are two yali. A yali is a mythical animal with the body of a lion, tail of a peacock and trunk of an elephant. On either side of the base are two carvings of Shiva's bull, Nandi. On the back of the base is one large face of a narsi. All the fine detail work fully covers the base from every angle. Carved of Sange-rathek stone, a black Marble made from the city of Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India and carved in Tamil Nadu. Sange-rathek is found in Jhansi, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. The stone is known for its wonderful deep black/blue color and the colored purple and yellow veins that flow through it. Looking into a piece of sange-rathek is like staring into deep space and seeing distant galaxies. It is a very unique and wonderful stone. Sculpture is very rare to find in this stone because there are seldom pieces of raw stone large enough to accommodate a full-sized sculpture. Sculpture weighs 69 pounds. Dimensions: 35"H x 19"W, Base 12"W x 10"D