When the ocean, Ksheersagar was churned, the items that came out arose rivalry, curiosity, and awe in the hearts of the gods and the demons on either side of the body of Vasuki, the snake which acted as the rope. Jewels, wish-fulfilling trees, Lakshmi, animals with extraordinary powers, the gifts of the ocean were finite and the wants of the takers were insatiable. In this list was the lethal poison, Halahala. When the poison emerged, everyone quivered with the imagination of their condition if they came in contact with it. No one was willing to even hold the pot that contained Halahala. Knowing the irreversible damage that the poison could cause to the universe, Lord Shiva came to the rescue of the gods and demons, drank the poison, which was restricted in his throat by Parvati, earning him the name- Nilakantha.
In this brass image, Shiva stands in the middle of the ocean’s roaring waves, with the conch containing Halahala. Behind his locks of hair is a fire-shaped halo, in his jata, one can see a tiny figure, the anthropomorphic form of the river goddess Ganga. Near Shiva is placed his trident, on which his damru and kamandal (water pot) are tied. The artist has succeeded in freezing a popular mythological legend in this brass statue by combining several elements in one image.
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