This form of Shiva is known as dakshinamutri, or “south-facing image.” According to Shaiva theology, knowledge comes down like rays of sunshine to the south, which Shiva, as the supreme teacher, anticipates. In its original context, this sculpture would have been part of a wall shrine facing south. A more physically intact dakshinamutri is located in the sculpture garden.
Details
- Title: Shiva as the Supreme Teacher
- Date: c. 1100
- Medium: Granite
- Dimensions: 16 in.
- Credit Line: The Norton Simon Foundation
- Accession Number: F.1972.30.3.S
Object Information
- Pal, Pratapaditya, Asian Art at the Norton Simon Museum, Volume 1: Art from the Indian Subcontinent, 2003, no. 182a pp. 256-257
- Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 817 p. 341
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