Hand-painted Ardhanarishwar. This is a painting of Ardhanarishwar (Sanskrit: “Lord Who Is Half Woman”) composite male-female figure of the Hindu god Shiva together with his consort Parvati. The right (male) half of the figure is adorned with the traditional ornaments of Shiva. Half of the hair is piled in a hairdress of matted locks, half of a third eye is visible on the forehead, a tiger skin covers the loins, and serpents are used as ornaments. The symbolic intent of the figure is to signify that the male and female principles are inseparable.
