Ardhanarishvara Statue in Red Stone

Provenance

According to sacred texts, Parvati, Siva's eternal consort, devoted to Siva, longed to experience complete unity with her consort. Despite their deep bond, she felt they remained distinct. To bridge this separation, Parvati undertook intense penance and meditation, earnestly praying to become inseparable from Siva. Touched by her devotion and sincerity, Siva granted her wish, merging with her to form Ardhanarisvara. This divine form symbolizes not only the union of two deities but also the cosmic truth that creation relies on the harmonious balance of both masculine and feminine energies.

The red stone amplifies that symbolism: a material long associated with energy, vitality and transformation. Look closely and you see the deliberate split of masculine and feminine, a refusal to separate what is meant to coexist. This isn't a passive symbol but a confrontation. A sculpture that asks you to hold paradox without flinching. Whether read as devotion, power or simply as an unyielding statement of duality, it's a figure that refuses simplification.