This superb bronze group of Shiva in union with his consort is a masterpiece of a rare and little understood type of sculpture, the Hindu tantric art of Nepal. Whereas the art of the Buddhist tantras is relatively well known—partially because the iconography spread through the greater Buddhist world—the art of tantric Hinduism in Nepal is a relatively small and comparatively self-contained tradition, and produced relatively fewer works of art. The clients for this type of bronze would be limited to the initiated of the comparatively small Hindu elite of the Kathmandu valley, populated largely by the royal families themselves and their priests. The tradition was relatively sparse but longlived, as similar examples from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries are known.1

This energetic depiction represents the form of Shiva known as Shrikantha ‘the one with the beautiful throat’, who here ‘dances in ecstasy as he copulates with his consort Guhyakali’.2 The term ‘kamakala’ is drawn from iconographic texts as a description of images of gods in copulation.3 The bull and lion that form part of the base confirm the identification of the Great Lord Shiva, whose vehicle is the bull, and his consort, Devi who takes many forms (Guhyakali is one), identified by her lion mount.

The sculpture is of an astonishing complexity. Depicted with five heads and ten arms, Shiva is dancing in the pratyalidha pose, trampling on two demons lying beneath his foot. He holds his primary hands in varadamudra and abhayamudra, his remaining eight hands radiating around him and holding attributes including a trishula, triratna, danda, mala, and pushtaka. Devi is depicted with twelve arms and six heads, her left leg wrapped around Shiva’s waist, and her right foot trampling on a demon or lesser god, who is lying on her vehicle the lion. She is holding attributes including a kapala, ghanta, capa, kartrika, sara, triratna and trishula. Like Shiva’s her heads are adorned with a five-leaf skull-crown diadem and she is wearing bracelets, earrings, a necklace, anklets and ornaments.

The high quality of both the casting and finishing and the lively artistic imagination exemplify the skills of the Newar masters during the early Malla period. The convincing realization of an extraordinarily complex concept, the well pronounced features and the delicate details are all hallmarks of the masters of the Newar tradition. The lovely foliate forms that rise from the back of the bull Nandi and the lion, exuberantly and perfectly realized, are a grace note typical of the virtuoso craftsmanship of these masters. Note the little Nandi himself, who turns his head to regard his master.

This inspired composition of the Hindu couple Shiva and Parvati manifesting as Shrikantha Kamakala is united in a convincing, harmonious and well-balanced form. The various positions and striking movements create a sense of organic rhythm and dynamic force, revealing their physical inseparability and strong emotional interrelationship. This tantric group is well modelled and exhibits finely articulated features; it reflects the rarest quality and may be considered a masterpiece of early Nepalese art.

1 Pal, 1974, p. 101 and fig. 153; Pal, 1975, fig. 68.
2 Pal, 1974, p. 101 and fig. 153.
3 Pal, 1975, fig. 68, p. 129.