Indian Massive Carved Bust Of Shiva Trimurti - May 24, 2017 | Timeline Auctions Ltd. In United Kingdom
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Indian Massive Carved Bust of Shiva Trimurti

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Indian Massive Carved Bust of Shiva Trimurti
Indian Massive Carved Bust of Shiva Trimurti
Item Details
Description
10th-11th century AD or later. A pink sandstone head of Shiva as Trimurti, with three heads; the larger central head of Shiva, eyes closed in meditation, with masses of hair piled up into a dome shape with the locks of hair secured with rings and forming a geometric pattern to the top; lose locks of hair falling down the shoulders; two smaller heads to the side, both bearing the likeness of Shiva but representing Brahma and Vishnu, with benign features and eyes half closed in meditation. 110 kg, 62cm (24 1/2"). Property of a London gentleman; acquired 1990-2000. The Trimurti (meaning three forms of God), also known as the Hindu Trinity, is an iconographic representation of God in Hinduism, which depicts divinity as a three faced figure. These three faces represent God's roles of creation, preservation and destruction, which are associated with Brahma (the source or creator), Vishnu (the preserver or indwelling-life), and Shiva (the destroyer and transformer) respectively. These three personae are thought to represent different modalities of the one supreme divinity. According to scholarship, the origins of the Trimurti can be traced back to the the Rig Veda, dated to approximately 1500 BC, where the earliest expression of god in three aspects is found. By the time of the original composition of Hindu epics (500-100 BC), Shiva and Vishnu had gained a place at the top of the Hindu pantheon and Brahma had been relegated to a minor deity. At this time Shiva is often associated with Agni, the king of the gods, and often subsumes, and eventually takes over his position as the preeminent deity. The followers of Vishnu would also claim that their god was the supreme, and this would be reinforced through the avatars that appeared on Earth, such as Krishna. However, Vishnu and Shiva are considered equal parts of an androgynous entity referred to as Hari-Hara, a duad which eclipses the triad in importance. It was not until the arrival of the Puranas, sacred texts that were composed between the third and tenth centuries AD, that the Trimuti became a standard doctrine. The Padma-Purana, a Vaishnava text, explains the origin of the three modalities of the one supreme Vishnu: In order to form this world, the supreme spirit produced from his right side Brahma. In order to maintain the world, he created from his left side Vishnu. To destroy it he gave rise to Shiva from his middle. Some men worship Brahma, others Vishnu, and yet others Shiva. Since these three are one, the devout should draw no distinction between them. This is the first explicit statement of the three gods' essential oneness as constituents of the supreme principle. Iconographic representations of the Trimurti first appear around the latter half of the first millennium of the common era. For example, the famous image of the Trimurti statue found on Elephanta island (near Mumbai, India) was carved during the eighth to tenth century. This sculpture has been attributed the imperial Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta (in present day Karnataka), who ruled the southern and the central parts of India this time period, and used the image of the three Gods as their insignia. In this particular image, Shiva is depicted as manifesting all three aspects of the Godhead, as in our piece. It has been suggested that the emergence of the Trimurti was perhaps a deliberate attempt to reconcile the major Hindu deities of the time into one universal Godhead in order to minimize the spiritual competition among devotees, and to promote unity and harmony. From this perspective, the Trimurti, like the Hindu deity Harihara, reflects the deep impetus in Hindu thought towards inclusion and syncretism.
Condition
Very fine condition.
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Indian Massive Carved Bust of Shiva Trimurti

Estimate £2,000 - £3,000
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Starting Price £900
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