Posted on: 26 September 2012

Painting depicting the god Śiva riding on a green parrot, with a dog running alongside. Here Śiva is shown as a wild ascetic, or yogi, with matted and colied-up hair decorated with the crescent moon, fangs, a skull-cup and animal skins around his waist. Painted on paper.

Punjab, 1820
Pahari School

Curator's comments
Blurton, R:
The prettiness of the flowering creepers in the trees, typical of Kangra painting, is wonderfully offset by the strange imagery.
This painting is part of a series, which depicts Shiva in unconventional situations.

Blurton 1992:
While his parrot mount is unusual, there is no doubt as to the identity of the deity. The ascetic character of the god is emphasised by the dog which, being the most inauspicious animal, is usually associated with the wandering mendicant Bhairava.

© Trustees of the British Museum


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see the skull in the hand? this is kapaleshwar. or kapalbhairav. once shiva to teach brahma a lesson (to remove vanity) cut off one of brahma's original 5 heads. but the sin of "killing" a brahmin stuck to shiva, in the form of the skull. it simply wouldn't leave his hand. so he wandered, holding the skull, evenutally arriving in banaras, where miraculously, the skull fell down.

deepa krishnan madam: thank u fr revealing d fact behind d kapala..wich puranam it is frm ?

I have never seen a icon of Shiv-ji on a parrot. What is the significance of the parrot?

only yogis can expeariance, ...very nice:)

Parrorts in Indian mythology stand for passion / love / fertility ... you find a parrot perched on some Goddess’ shoulder at times .. Shiva is depicted as riding a Parrot perhaps to signify that he is an ascetic with “kama” under his control.

Similarly, we find 'Shuka Bhashini' images in some temples, in particular Hoysala temples. It indicates a lady conveying love message to a parrot for conveying the same to her lover. Parrot is thus symbolised as conveyer of 'Kama'. Here Rudra is riding on a parrot, which symbolises his subjugation of 'Kama; (desire) and hence he is shown as an ascetic.

..Very Nice Picture

Wonderful, thank you Gauri Satya-ji and Roopa Satish-ji

Very Nice.

Are the two trees in the background depict some Kamuk or Rati mudra. Why Lord Ganesha rides a poor rat and Devi Laksmi rides an stupid Owl (ullu). There are many strange alliance of deities and animals as far there mode of transport and seats are concerned.

@roopa.....u have very good understanding...

its Shiva's form as Akash Bhairav