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View at the museum ↗Emblem of God Shiva with Four Faces (Chaturmukhalinga)
Unrecorded artist7th/8th century
- Attribution
- India Rajasthan
- Medium
- Sandstone
- Physical dimensions
- 71.7 × 40.6 × 44 cm (28 1/4 × 16 × 17 5/16 in.)
- Credit line
- James W. and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection. Gift of Marilynn Alsdorf
Museum metadata is available under CC0. Image availability and rights are separate; consult the source record.
Source rights statement: Public domain
View the museum record ↗From the museum
The most sacred aspect of Shiva, one of the principal gods of Hinduism, the linga is the main focus of worship in temples dedicated to him. Taking the form of the phallus, it symbolizes Shiva’s yogic control of the cosmic creative force. This chaturmukhalinga (Shiva linga with four faces) aligns with the cardinal directions and represents the four aspects of the god: creation, wrath, gentleness, and ascetic self-discipline. Worship of the linga dates back to the most ancient times in the Indian subcontinent.
Description: Art Institute of Chicago · CC BY 4.0