Somaskanda (Holy Family)

Shiva and his wife Uma sit next to each other on double lotus pedestals, between them a residual remnant of their small child, Skanda, now missing from the magnificent bronze. The standard format—known as Somaskanda—arose as early as the 6th century in temples from Tamil Nadu, and remains Shiva’s main manifest form today. In south Indian temples, bronze images play a huge role in devotional practice, where they are treated as living embodiments of the gods. The holes in the base indicate that this particular bronze would have been carried in processions outside the temple grounds. Priests dressed the gods in fine clothing, adorned them with flowers, and assembled an entourage of musicians and dancers to accompany them on a procession to bless the devotees who congregated along city streets.