Somaskanda

Somaskanda () is a medieval form of Hindu iconography, a representation of Shiva with his consort Uma (Parvati), and their son Skanda (Murugan), depicted as a child.

Description

This family depiction of Shiva originated during the 6th-8th centuries CE during the period of the Pallava in South India. The representation shows Shiva with four arms and Uma (Parvati), and between them the infant Skanda (Murugan) is shown as dancing with ecstasy. Over a period of time, a number of such depictions have been discovered from different regions that were once under the control of Pallavas. The representation is regarded to be a product of syncretism, combining the Puranic Shiva, and the folk deities of Korravai, identified with Parvati, and Murugan, identified with Skanda.

Iconography

In the Somaskanda representation, Shiva is seated in the ''sukhasana'' pose, with his left leg folded and depicted with four hands. His upper two hands perform the ''kartarimukha-hasta'', holding a ''Mazhu'' (மழு) (Axe) in the right, and a deer in the left. His lower right hand performs the ''pataka-hasta'' and his lower left hand performs the ''kapittha''. His consort, Parvati, is portrayed seated in a ''sukhasana'' pose, with her right leg folded and her left leg stretched. She is represented with two hands performing the ''kapittha''-''hasta''. Their son, Skanda, is portrayed in their midst, performing the ''araimandi'' pose, or standing in ''vaitastika-sthanaka'' with his knees slightly bent. Both of his hands perform the ''kartarimukha,'' holding ''shakti'' in his right hand and a ''vajra'' in his left hand.

See also

* Kalyanasundara
* Lakshmi Narayana
* Ravananugraha

Citations

General and cited references

* Dallapiccola, Anna L. (2002)
''Dictionary of Hindu Lord and Legend''
New York: Thames & Hudson. . {{OCLC, 51509850.

Forms of Parvati
Forms of Shiva
Hindu art
Hindu iconography
Kartikeya