Dimensions: Height 11,5 cm Wide 7,7 cm Depth 7 cm

Weight: 844 grams

A cast bronze group depicting Shiva with his consort Parvati, seated together on a circular double-lotus pedestal. Shiva is portrayed four-armed, holding the axe (paraśu) and other attributes, while his lower right hand is raised in abhaya-mudrā, the gesture of reassurance. Parvati sits gracefully at his side, turned slightly toward her husband, one arm raised in lively gesture. The two figures wear tall conical headdresses, necklaces, and armlets. At the base, a small recumbent bull (Nandi), Shiva’s mount, is modeled in relief, underscoring his divine association.

In Orissan Shaiva traditions, images of Shiva and Parvati symbolize the divine union of male and female energies—Shiva as consciousness (purusha) and Parvati as creative power (shakti). Such bronzes were integral to domestic and temple shrines, where they were worshipped as the divine couple embodying auspiciousness, fertility, and cosmic balance. Ritual bathing, anointing with sandalwood paste, and offerings of flowers would have animated this figure during daily and festival worship, integrating the godly presence into the rhythm of communal and household devotion.