SOLD Large Bronze Statue of Shiva as an Ascetic Beggar with Dog, Bhikshatana 60"

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This hand made, bronze sculptures are one-of-a-kind statues, hand cast by the artists of south India.

Special Features:   Shiva is handsome and striking.  He embodies the wandering ascetic Bhikshatana in this statue.  His headdress has a skull, a cobra and the river goddess Ganga.  His face is beautiful with Shiva's third eye on His brow.  He wears a woman's and man's earrings which is an attribute from Shiva synthesis with His wife, Parvati as Ardhanari.  His hair is long and matted with curls on the ends and a crescent moon on the left side.  He has four hands which hold a dhamru or drum, a trident, a skull bowl and a leaf.  Shiva's arms have beautifully carved designs on all of his biceps with intricate bracelets on his wrists.  A long cobra acts almost like a belt as it rests on his hips.  His long naked form is smooth a untainted.  He wears wooden clogs on his feet.  To Shiva's right is a dog up on his heels looking to lick Shiva hand.  The dog was cast seperatly from the rest of the piece and can be removed.  The base is uniquely shaped with two small cobras on the front.

"On the Tiruvadiral festival day, Shiva comes forth from the main shrine in the guise of a beggar.  the iconographic form of this bronze is known as Bhikshatana or Enchanting Mendicant, and it refers to a well-known narrative of Shiva's manifestation in the Pine Forest hermitage.  In order to convert a group of Vedic forest-dwellers to a more efficacious form of worship, the story goes, Shiva once took on the appearance of a naked, ash-smeared beggar and showed up unexpectedly in their ashram.  Despite his unprepossessing appearance, the mendicant proved irresistible to the wives of the Pine Forest sages.  The women sang, danced and clung to him in erotic abandon.  Failing to recognize the disguised deity, and enraged by this invasion of their austere lives, the sages tried to attack the beggar, but all their curses and sacrificial weapons were useless against the god.  Finally, in a verbal confrontation, Shiva tore off and threw down his penis (linga) before the astonished hermits and disappeared.  In the end, the sages became successful practitioners of the new rites of worshipping the Shiva-linga."
Excerpt taken from "The Sensuous and the Sacred Chola Bronzes From South India". 

Care:  The piece can be used both indoors and outdoors.  Dust the piece regularly.  If you would like the piece to shine use a cotton cloth with some coconut oil or other natural oil to wipe down the statue.

Shipping is calculated from Greenwich, Connecticut after the purchase.  This piece is too heavy to ship via UPS ground and will be shipped using a “white glove” service like ABF Shipping or UPS Freight.  Time is needed to pack the piece in a crate.  Each piece is usually shipped within 3 working days.  If you place your order online shipping will show in the order as $0. Shipping will be calculated based on the weight of the sculpture and the distance from Greenwich, CT to determine the shipping price. Shipping will then be added to the total after the order is placed.  Please call 203-629-0902 or email us info@lotussculpture.com for a shipping quote.

Click here to learn more about Lord Shiva.   Please email us  info@lotussculpture.com or call us, toll free, with any questions or comments 1(866) LOTUS-12.