Order To Make

This product is sold but our artists can recreate it on order. Please fill out the Order To Make form below and we shall contact you with price and other terms.

  • Since this is a handcrafted product and while your artwork would be created as close (or better) to this as possible, it could never be a true copy even if the same artist creates it.
  • You may specify product height in the Order To Make form and based on that artist will decide other dimensions in proportion to the height you have chosen.
  • The final product dimensions may vary slightly from specified.
  • If you have any special instructions about the artwork you want to order please mention those clearly in the Order To Make form.

Order To Make

Out of stock

Availability Sold Out

Quick Overview

Weight 3.5 kg
Length 3.5 in
Width 6.5 in
Height 11 in
Main Material Used Bronze
Art Technique Madhuchishtavidhana
Deity Shiva
Country Of Manufacture India

Special Comments

The statue was created using the Madhucchishtavidhana (Lost-Wax-Cast method).

Since the wax model of the statue is destroyed during the making process, every statue made with this method is unique. No copy of such a piece can ever be made.

The green patina on the statue is not natural. It was applied to the piece for aesthetic reasons. You may easily remove it with a commercially available brass cleaning agent.

The cleaned statue will, however, get a natural green patina over time due to oxidation.

Description

Gajasamhara Murti is one of the fierce forms of Hindu god Shiva, the Destroyer, shown slaying Gajasura (the elephant-demon).

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Description

Gajasamhara Murti is one of the fierce forms of Hindu god Shiva, the Destroyer, shown slaying Gajasura (the elephant-demon). This form of Shiva is also called Gajantaka (Slayer of the elephant) or Krittivasa (the one who wears skin as garment) or Matangari (the Enemy of the elephant).

These epithets of Shiva are mentioned in Shri Rudra Chamakam, a Vedic hymn for Rudra, an aspect of Shiva. Devotional hymns of Tevaram refer to Shiva as wearer of elephant hide. The Shiva Sahasranama includes as epithet Gajaha for Shiva that alludes to this incident.

The story of Gajasurasamhara is narrated in Kurma Purana when describing the Krittivaseshvara Linga of Varanasi. A few pious brahmins were worshipping Shivalinga when a Rakshasa (demon) terrorised them in the form of an elephant. An enraged Shiva emerged from the linga, slew the elephant and flayed its skin, wearing it as an garment on his upper body.

This incident has been a popular subject in Pallava and Chola art that depict Shiva dancing vigorously against a backdrop of flayed hide of Gajasura.

The main temple of Gajasurasamhara Shiva is at Valuvur (Vazhuvur) in Tamil Nadu. The main deity is an eight-armed bronze statue of Shiva in the form of Gajasurasamhara. Valuvur is also one of the eight temple-sites where the deity is Shiva in one of his heroic manifestations.

Gajasurasamhara form of hindu god Shiva is the theme of this small bronze statue.

It is an unusual form of Shiva, sculpted as per the iconographical treatise Amshumadbhedagama. Gajasamhara is shown dancing inside the skin of the slain elephant, which is arranged like a prabhamandala (aureole) around him.

He wears jatamakuta (matted hair crown) with a jatamandala (braided hair spreading from the head forming a circle around it).  Within the matted and radiating hair He bears a skull, crescent moon and a dhatura flower.

His face is fearsome with round, rolling eyes and protruding fangs.

Shiva seems to be wrapping himself with elephant’s skin, his right leg placed on the still connected elephant head while the left leg is bent and raised above the right thigh in utkutikasana posture. He is seen wearing a tiger skin around his loins.

He is depicted with eight arms, with two of which he holds the already torn apart skin of Gajasura.

In His six arms (anticlockwise from left) he holds a damaru (hourglass drum), khadga (sword), trishula (trident), kapala (top part of skull used as begging bowl), khetaka (shield) and bhujanga (snake).

The dwarfish figures on either side of Gajasamhara, with protruding bellies are two of Shiva’s gana (retinue). They are four armed.  Each is shown clanking cymbals with two hands and other two are raised in vismaya (wondering in awe) at Shiva’s form.

This bronze sculpture is an exceptionally fine example of Chola bronze sculpture art.

It is indeed rare to find a Gajasamhara bronze statue, created with Lost Wax Cast  method that accommodates this level of details in this small a size.

Customers Who Bought From Us

anonymous danonymous d
12:27 02 Nov 23
I am deeply impressed by the attention to detail in every piece. The team's passion for their craft truly shines through. Thank you for adding beauty to my space!
Sandeep MarwahSandeep Marwah
18:09 05 Jul 23
Krishan gave me excellent service throughout the process, sending regular updates untill deliveryWould highly recommend
Sanjeev DevaSanjeev Deva
02:27 01 Jul 23
Krishnan and Cottage9 industries were amazing! The were professional, timely and gave expert advice for my bespoke bronze idol order. Highly recommended.
David WendDavid Wend
03:05 14 Aug 22
I purchased a Japanese woodblock print from the excellent selection that Cottage9 has. The print was sent carefully packaged and the service that I received was first rate. They were always attentive to my questions and provided a high level of customer care. I will be returning for future purchases.
gayathri prabhakargayathri prabhakar
12:53 25 Jul 22
Simply the best experience I have ever had shopping online. The communication is top notch and their collection of art products and customer service is excellent. Thank you Krishan and Cottage9 for letting me have a wonderful customer experience. I can’t wait to order more products.
Sudhir PaiSudhir Pai
11:38 11 Jul 22
Would strongly recommend Cottage9 for art lovers. Kishan Gupta is a thorough professional who took very good care during the entire made-to-order process for a bronze idol. He knows his subject and can be entirely relied upon. Very happy to do more business with him and Cottage 9.
Bhavani SiegelBhavani Siegel
05:56 12 Apr 22
I have a great love of the unique devotional art from India: over many trips there, as well as from purchases from reputable online sites, I now enjoy a small collection of paintings & sculpture in my home. Since I had first seen them, though, lost-wax sculptures of gods & goddesses - with their graceful limbs holding symbolic articles, with a fresh vitality & lovely facial expressions - had particularly captured my heart. For many years I had searched, in India & online, for one image in particular: that of Sri Rama. Even in India this is not easy to find. One day I did an online search, not expecting much result. Yet at a site in India called Cottage9, I saw a beautiful brass lost-wax of Sri Rama with all the elements I wished for: a graceful yet strong demeanor, holding a separate bow in his hand; with a noble & kind expression. Alas, it had already been sold; lost-wax images are by definition one-of-a-kind. When I inquired, I was told that I could commission another murti of Sri Ram; while of course no lost-wax sculpture can be duplicated, I was assured it would be of the same high quality. This was taking a risk; there was no way to know what the finished sculpture would look like. The person with whom I was interacting, Mr. Gupta, sent me an article describing not only each step, with photos, of creating a lost-wax bronze sculpture (Mr. Gupta patiently answered all my questions about materials, concluding that bronze was generally considered the best metal in lost-wax sculpting), yet also describing the prayer and meditation that each artist undertakes before creating an image of the Divine. Mr. Gupta thoroughly answered several other questions; I even sent some photos of the Murtis which would also be on the altar. After these conversations I felt ready to commission the sculpture. Most imprortantly, I felt Mr. Gupta understood how meaningful this was for me, saying that he would personally watch over the production of the murti. All of the arrangements with Cottage9 were clearly explained and smoothly completed. And, while an investment - comparative to other sites at which I have purchased this intricately produced art, I felt the price was quite reasonable. The creation of the sculpture took between 2-3 months; when the murti arrived, it was packed extremely well in a sealed wooden crate; its journey from India to the U.S. was completed without mishap. And the Sri Rama murti was indeed very beautiful & everything I could have hoped for. I would unhesitatingly recommend Cottage9 if one is looking for authentic, beautiful artwork from India.
Hemendra RanaHemendra Rana
04:19 30 Mar 22
Cottage9 team has been extremely proactive right from suggesting the right product to customizing the same. The best part was they were keeping us posted with timely updates along with pics during the course the product was being customized.I am extremely satisfied with the finished product and whoever has seen it, can’t stop asking for details😊
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