wooden cobra

Working in the style of ancient Java, Suparta carves a portrait of the Hindu god, Shiva, one of the most complex gods in Hindu faith, embodying seemingly contradictory qualities. He is both destroyer and restorer; the great ascetic and the symbol of sensuality; the benevolent herdsman of souls and the wrathful avenger. Coiled around his neck, a cobra symbolizes his divine destructive power. His gesture is known as vitarka, or the "gesture of debate.