There is a multitude of symbolism when it comes to the image of the serpent in Hinduism. From Sheshanaga to Kaliya to the concept of the kundalini and the iconography of Maharshi Patanjali, the unassuming, limbless reptile bears many meanings.
In the Lord Ganesha murti that you see on this page, the artisan has tried to capture the multifaceted significance of the serpent by featuring it in the iconography of the beloved son of Shiva.
It is no wonder because in this composition the snake, without which Lord Shiva’s iconography is hardly ever complete, is indicative of Ganesha’s parentage.
The widely adored baala-deva (child-deity), with His plump arms and the pot-shaped belly, dances like a child on the head of the five-hooded snake. With the sashes from His girdle flying about Him, He is at once reminiscent of Nataraja and Krishna. Yet, the snake beneath His feet is also the Lord Sheshanaga.
The sixth ‘hood’ of Kaaliya is the torso of the divine Seshanaga, the serpent within whose coils rests the great Lord Vishnu Himself. Crowned and adorned in keeping with the Hindu deva iconography, He joins His hands in the namaskaram mudra, in striking resemblance to the form and stance of Maharshi Patanjali.
This murti bears the hallmarks of traditional South Indian art and iconography. The style of adornments on the Lord’s body. The upturned lotus pedestal on a layered, multi-hedral plinth. The spikes on either side of it with which the work may be moved about.
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