ArdhanarishvaraArticle Free Pass Ardhanarishvara, ( Sanskrit:
“Lord Who Is Half Woman”) composite male-female figure of the
Hindu god Shiva, together with his consort Parvati. As seen in
many Indian and Southeast Asian sculptures, the right (male)
half of the figure is adorned with the traditional ornaments of
Shiva. Half of the hair is piled in a hairdress of matted locks;
half of a third eye is visible on the forehead; a tiger skin
covers the loins; and serpents are used as ornaments. The left
(female) half shows hair well combed and knotted, half of a
tilaka (a round dot) on the forehead, the eye outlined in black,
a well-developed breast, a silk garment caught with girdles, an
anklet, and the foot tinted red with henna. The symbolic intent
of the figure according to most authorities is to signify that
the male and female principles are inseparable. A popular
explanation, as given in a collection of legends known as the
Shiva-Purana, is that the god Brahma created male beings and
instructed them in turn to