Linga Altar with Four Faces of Shiva

Linga Altar with Four Faces of Shiva

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Shiva linga are variously represented as an unadorned pillar or with one, four, or five heads of Shiva. This linga altar has a four-faced form (chaturmukha). It is banded, likely with munja grass holy to Shiva, alluding to the taming of Shiva’s phallic energies through his supreme asceticism achieved by yogic practices (tapas). The Newari inscription states that King Bhaskaradeva gave the altar in the year Samvat 166.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Linga Altar with Four Faces of ShivaLinga Altar with Four Faces of ShivaLinga Altar with Four Faces of ShivaLinga Altar with Four Faces of ShivaLinga Altar with Four Faces of Shiva

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.