Chola Bronze,11th Century AD
Although the stance of this sculpture is more like that of Lord Krishna, but notice that the turban is made up of coiled snakes. A dead give away, it is Lord Shiva.
The Chola sculptor does not present Lord Shiva as a grown up man, but as a young lad. With his right arm resting on his Bull, the Nandi, he holds his left arm near his thigh, signifying that he is a devotee of Lord Vishnu. This sculpture is of a calm, handsome, young God who looks down at humanity. He is the deliverer. He is the saviour. Yet He is detached. He is the Mahayogi, Mahadev.
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