Shiva in the mountains mourning Parvati

This delicately and intricately detailed painting shows Shiva riding on his mount Nandi in a mountainous landscape setting. The artist Shikha Jha here conflates different attributes and stories associated with Shiva to create a single powerful image of the deity.

Shiva is shown with the attributes usually associated with him: an ascetic’s animal-skin robe, a trident and drum, and a crescent moon in his matted hair. The skull attached to his hand recalls his form as Bhairava; the river flowing through his hair refers to Shiva’s role in the descent of the Ganges River from the heavens to the earth. The landscape is that of his celestial abode of Mount Kailasha. The columnar form of rocks in the background call to mind linga sculptures in a Shiva temple, while the ovoid shape of those in the foreground resemble linga found in the natural environment.