Maheshamurti of Elephanta
Also called: Trimurti of Elephanta · Topic: Early Indian Art and Architecture: Stupas, Rock-cut Caves, Temples · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Maheshamurti is a huge carved bust of Shiva with three faces, nearly six metres high. It is in the main cave on Elephanta island near Mumbai and dates to c. 6th century CE. All three faces belong to Shiva and show his different natures. The centre face is calm and balanced, the left is fierce (Aghora, the destroyer), and the right is gentle and graceful (Vamadeva, linked with creation). It is one of the greatest works of Indian rock-cut sculpture.
Example
In the main cave at Elephanta (c. 6th century CE), the Maheshamurti is set deep in the back wall facing the entrance. Visitors see the three faces of Shiva rise out of the dark rock as a single image.
Don't confuse with
- Trimurti means the trio of three different gods: Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver and Shiva the destroyer. The Elephanta figure is often wrongly called the "Trimurti", but all three of its faces are Shiva alone.
Related concepts
- Rock-cut architecture
- Barabar caves
- Lomas Rishi cave
- Nagarjuni caves
- Rock-cut monasteries
- Chaitya and vihara
- Bhaja caves
- Karla caves
- Kanheri caves
- Nasik caves