FEMALE NARRATOR:
This installation of an Indian bull facing two Cambodian Shivalingas, symbols of Shiva, recreates a typical Indian village shrine with a deity below a tree. At temples, too, Shiva’s bull, called Nandi, which means auspicious, is always outside the god’s shrine, facing his sanctum.
Once, a low-caste saint who was only allowed to view Shiva from outside the temple, complained to the bull:
ACTOR:
“Will you not move just a little bit to one side?
Your form blocks my view of the sanctum lord.”
FEMALE NARRATOR:
This bull is interesting for the diverse images and emblems on his body. In his ears sit Shiva’s sons and his wife Parvati. On the animal’s back appears the linga-symbol of his master. Shiva’s snakes twine around his horns… below, they rear up along his foreleg. Parvati is represented by a six-pointed star, along with small figures, some with animal heads, dancing and praying.
Next, look at the other side of the bull. (Pause) This flank displays a mystifying array of symbols – including a conch, a turtle and a fish, all aquatic emblems. The diversity of symbols as well as the difference in scale between the bull and the tiny figures on his body seems to emphasize the cosmic nature of this noble animal.
Shiva with Uma and Bull
10th-11th century
Asia: Vietnam
Not on View
Champa was an ancient kingdom located in what is now Vietnam. The Cham people practiced both Hinduism and Buddhism. This sculpture represents Shiva with his bull mount, Nandi, and his wife Uma—all of whom are important deities in the Hindu pantheon. An interesting feature is the bell-shaped canopy behind the figures. This likely represents a linga, a phallic emblem associated with Shiva that symbolizes his cosmic energy. An example of a freestanding linga is exhibited across the gallery from this sculpture.
Details
- Title: Shiva with Uma and Bull
- Date: 10th-11th century
- Medium: Sandstone
- Dimensions: 24-1/4 x 18 x 7 in. (61.6 x 45.7 x 17.8 cm)
- Credit Line: The Norton Simon Foundation
- Accession Number: F.1975.13.4.S
- Copyright: © The Norton Simon Foundation
Object Information
- Pal, Pratapaditya, Asian Art: Selections from the Norton Simon Museum, fig. 20 pp. 74-75
- Pal, Pratapaditya, Asian Art at the Norton Simon Museum, Volume 3: Art from Sri Lanka & Southeast Asia, 2004, no. 187 pp. 226, 238-239
- Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 1198 p. 382
- ed. Ellen M. Raven and Gerda Theuns-de Boer, Reading Siva, 2021, Figure 23 p. 43
- ed. Ellen M. Raven and Gerda Theuns-de Boer, Reading Siva, 2021, Figure 95 p. 492
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