Shiva as Teacher, Dakshinamurti (“Shiva who faces South”)

Title: ShivaClose TooltipShiva[SHI-vuh]one of the most important and widely revered Hindu deities. as Teacher, DakshinamurtiClose TooltipDakshinamurti[DAK-shee-na-MOOR-tee]a manifestation (or form) of the god Shiva as a guru, or teacher. (“Shiva who faces South”)

Type: Sculpture

Associated Religious Tradition: Hinduism

Origins

• Geography: India, Tamil Nadu state
• Date: 12th century
• Period: Chola dynastyClose TooltipChola dynasty[CHO-luh]the family that dominated the region of Tamil-speaking southern India and built an empire that lasted from the ninth to the thirteenth century CE through networks of regional rulers., 850–1280 CE

Physical Properties

• Material: Granite
• Dimensions: H × W × D: 57.2 × 37.1 × 19 cm (22 1/2 × 14 5/8 × 7 1/2 in)

Crediting Information

• Collection: Arthur M. Sackler Collection
• Credit Line: Gift of Arthur M. Sackler
• Accession Number: S1987.903

ShivaClose TooltipShiva[SHI-vuh]one of the most important and widely revered Hindu deities. is one of the most revered deities in Hindu traditions. His devotees are called Shaivas and are devoted not only to the god but to members of his family, such as his wife, ParvatiClose TooltipParvati[PAR-vuh-tee]a Hindu goddess; wife of Shiva and mother of Ganesha./Uma, and his sons Murugan/Skanda and Ganesha—Hindu deities have many different names and many different forms. In this stone sculpture, Shiva is represented as a guruClose Tooltipguru[goo-roo]literally, “heavy”; in Hindu traditions, a personal spiritual teacher or guide., or teacher, called DakshinamurtiClose TooltipDakshinamurti[DAK-shee-na-MOOR-tee]a manifestation (or form) of the god Shiva as a guru, or teacher.. This form (or manifestation, as it is sometimes called) of Shiva is especially revered in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

According to some traditions, Shiva as Dakshinamurti imparted knowledge of foundational Hindu texts to the rishis (sages), who are typically shown seated at his feet. In another narrative, at the time of creation, Shiva faced south, or “dakshina,” while two other powerful Hindu gods, Brahma and VishnuClose TooltipVishnu[VISH-noo]one of the principal deities of the Hindu traditions. He is the object of devotion for the Vaishnavas and the preserver of the universe. He has taken physical form as human avatars, such as Rama and Krishna., faced north; Shiva then placed his hands on Brahma and Vishnu’s heads to convey intelligence and grace. In a third story about Dakshinamurti, Vishnu humbly approaches Shiva as a student and devotee.

An artist skilled in stone masonry made this sculpture during the Chola period. In the mid-ninth century, the Chola family came to dominate Tamil-speaking southern India, building an empire that would last more than four hundred years through networks of regional rulers. Based in the fertile Kaveri River delta in the present-day Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the Chola dynasty—at its height in the eleventh century—ruled much of southern India and the islands of Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Diplomatic missions reached Myanmar (Burma), Malaysia, and China.

Ancient Indian texts beautifully praise ShivaClose TooltipShiva[SHI-vuh]one of the most important and widely revered Hindu deities. as the great teacher, DakshinamurtiClose TooltipDakshinamurti[DAK-shee-na-MOOR-tee]a manifestation (or form) of the god Shiva as a guru, or teacher.:

What a curious picture!

Beneath the banyan tree sit the old

disciples and their

young guruClose Tooltipguru[goo-roo]literally, “heavy”; in Hindu traditions, a personal spiritual teacher or guide.!

Seated on a rock in an ashram (hermitage) setting, beneath a banyan tree, Shiva Dakshinamurti crosses one leg over the other. His pendant foot presses down on the demon of ignorance, who offers his body as support for the god’s powerful knowledge. In his four hands, Shiva holds powerful objects and makes meaningful gestures. His two upper hands hold a string of prayer beads (mala)—to aid in the recitation of mantras—and a stylized flame of wisdom. He presses two fingers together in a teaching gesture with his right hand and holds a sheaf of palm leaf pages in his left. Because the manuscriptClose Tooltipmanuscript[man-yoo-skript]a handwritten text. has no wooden cover, it drapes across his upturned hand. To signal the guru’s own asceticism, he has thickly dreadlocked hair and subtle fangs protruding from his lips. A skull centers his ornate crown.

Sculptures of Dakshinamurti first appeared in the eighth century. They were inserted into niches facing south on the exterior walls of temples. Temple sculptors surrounded Dakshinamurti’s niche with reliefClose Tooltipreliefa sculpture with a slight projection from a flat surface. carvings of ascetic sages to his left and right and with a tree canopy above him.

DakshinamurtiClose TooltipDakshinamurti[DAK-shee-na-MOOR-tee]a manifestation (or form) of the god Shiva as a guru, or teacher. remains one of the most popular and prominent forms of ShivaClose TooltipShiva[SHI-vuh]one of the most important and widely revered Hindu deities. in Tamil Nadu, southern India. Often, if a temple falls into disrepair, the image of Dakshinamurti is replaced with a new one, and the old, damaged sculpture is kept on the premises but not in the original niche. Updating a shrine to Dakshinamurti is a meaningful way for contemporary devotees to support the life of a temple across many generations.

1. What is the expression on Shiva’s face? What types of garments and jewelry is he wearing?
2. How do his posture and gesture convey meaning?
3. Does this form of ShivaClose TooltipShiva[SHI-vuh]one of the most important and widely revered Hindu deities. remind you of another deity from a non-Hindu tradition?
4. What does the material (stone) reveal about the sculpture’s original context?

1. Who is ShivaClose TooltipShiva[SHI-vuh]one of the most important and widely revered Hindu deities.? Why is he important to Hindus?\
2. How does the representation of Shiva as DakshinamurtiClose TooltipDakshinamurti[DAK-shee-na-MOOR-tee]a manifestation (or form) of the god Shiva as a guru, or teacher. in this stone sculpture reflect the reverence for knowledge and the role of the guruClose Tooltipguru[goo-roo]literally, “heavy”; in Hindu traditions, a personal spiritual teacher or guide. in Hindu traditions?
3. What historical and cultural significance can be inferred from the creation of this sculpture during the Chola period in southern India?
4. What does the practice of replacing a Dakshinamurti reveal about the relationship between tradition, preservation, and community involvement in maintaining religious sites?

Asian Art Museum. “Beliefs Made Visible: Hindu Art in South Asia.” Smarthistory. https://smarthistory.org/beliefs-made-visible-hindu-art-in-south-asia-2-2/

Dehejia, Vidya. Indian Art. London: Phaidon Press, 1997.

Harle, J. C. The Art and Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1994.

Menon, Arathi. “Rajarajesvara Temple, Tanjavur.” Smarthistory. https://smarthistory.org/temple-tanjavur/

Yogashram, Vanamali Gita. ShivaClose TooltipShiva[SHI-vuh]one of the most important and widely revered Hindu deities.: Stories and Teachings from the Shiva Mahapurana. Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions, 2013.