Hari-Hara is the four-armed aspect that is made up of the combined bodies of Vishnu and Shiva. The right half of the form depicts a blue-hued Vishnu, while the left half shows a pale Shiva. Hinduism holds that the left half of the body is associated with Taamsika Guna (occult, destructive qualities), and the right side of the body is associated with all things auspicious related to Vishnu, who represents Satvika (pure, virtuous qualities).
Hari, or Sri Vishnu, is dressed in regal garb, including a crown encrusted with jewels, stone necklaces, armbands, bracelets, and rings. Shiva, also known as Hara, has the Tripunda (Shaivite mark) and the third eye on his forehead. He also wears jewelry, a black serpent, and a dhoti with a Baagha-Charma (tiger hide) around his waist.
His hair is styled in a Jata, fastened with a pearl string, and adorned with a crescent moon. A beautiful Pitambara (pita-yellow, ambara-cloth) is used to drape Vishnu. Sandalwood paste creates auspicious marks all over Hari-Hara's celestial body. As Hari-Hara, Vishnu, and Shiva share a garland that is notably made of severed skulls of dead beings on Shiva's side and fragrant flowers on Vishnu's.
While Vishnu (Hari) is holding a Shankha (conch) and a Chakra (discus), Shiva (Hara) is holding a Trishul (trident) and a Kapala (skull cup). It's noteworthy to observe how Hari holds the conch in an unusual way that mimics Shiva's hand gesture when carrying the Kapala. This watercolor Hari-Hara artwork, with the combined energies of Shiva and Vishnu, is not only a revered representation of the fundamental idea of human life—that life and death are intertwined, but Vishnu and Shiva are inseparable.
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