Gajasamhara

Glossary

A form of Shiva as a samharamurti (destructive aspect), which shows him vanquishing the elephant-demon Gajasura. In the iconographic depiction, Shiva is shown holding the skin of the elephant-demon like a halo around him, with one of his feet placed on the head of the elephant and the other bent and raised in suggestion of movement or dance. Depending on the number of hands given to the form, he may hold several objects, including the trident, dagger, noose, and drum, with at least one hand depicted in vismaya mudra (a gesture of wonder).

FILED UNDER

Pre-Modern Art

Gajasamhara%newline%A form of Shiva as a samharamurti (destructive aspect), which shows him vanquishing the elephant-demon Gajasura. In the iconographic depiction, Shiva is shown holding the skin of the elephant-demon like a halo around him, with one of his feet placed on the head of the elephant and the other bent and raised in suggestion of movement or dance. Depending on the number of hands given to the form, he may hold several objects, including the trident, dagger, noose, and drum, with at least one hand depicted in vismaya mudra (a gesture of wonder).

Chicago	MAP Academy Encyclopedia of Art. “Gajasamhara”. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://mapacademy.io/glossary/gajasamhara/
MLA	“Gajasamhara.” MAP Academy Encyclopedia of Art. https://mapacademy.io/glossary/gajasamhara/. Accessed 27, April, 2024.
Harvard	MAP Academy Encyclopedia of Art. (2022) Gajasamhara. [Online]. Available at: https://mapacademy.io/glossary/gajasamhara/. (Accessed: 27, April, 2024)