Mukha lingam with face in post-Gupta style, northern India
Description
The lingam, or phallus, is the oldest representation of Shiva, with the male genitals symbolizing fertility and virility. Lingams are often placed on a shallow basin that represents a source of life in the form of the female genitals, or yoni. Lingams are honoured with flowers and fruit, and milk and honey are poured over them.
This exhibit, which comes from a temple and also shows the world’s axis, has a rounded top featuring Shiva’s face (mukha). Here, combining the face and the genitals is thought to bring together the spiritual and the physical.
