High Relief In Red Sandstone, India, 7th/8th Century

Beautiful depiction of Shiva from this popular story from the Shiva Purana. Mother Parvati once wanted to take a bath and created a boy from the soil of her own body, asking him to stand guard outside while she bathed. Meanwhile, Lord Shiva returned home and found a stranger at his door, preventing him from entering. In anger, Shiva cut off the boy's head, which plunged Parvati into deep grief. In order to console her, Shiva sent his troops to search for the head of anyone who slept with their head pointing north. They found an elephant sleeping like this and brought back its head which was attached to the child's body and thus Ganesha was born. A few gaps that do not detract from the evocative power of the scene. We notice the hair of loops following the Gupta, the bhamanic cord.