BronzeIndia, 17th centuryDimensions: Height 17cmWeight: 1686 gramsShiva is the Destroyer in Hinduism and part of the Trimurti with Vishnu and Brahma. The five-headed depiction is known as "Sadashiva" or "Panchamuhkti", with the fifth head placed on top of the four others. The five heads represent the different forms of Shiva, which are all necessary for creation. His wife is Parvati, here depicted as his consort sitting on his left leg holding a lotus flower and dressed in a long striped dhoti. He is seated in lotus position on a high lotus throne and has ten arms spanning out to the sides. The hands are holding his attributes like a battle axe, a knife, the dharma wheel, a trident, a snake and others. He is wearing a chest plate and short dhoti.