The Newar Craftsmen of Kathmandu Valley: Objects of Devotion from Nepal

Uma-Mahesvara
Mineral pigments on primed cotton
By Deepak Joshi
1987
12” x 16”

The depiction of the four-armed Shiva (also called Maheshvara (“Great Lord”) embracing his consort Parvati (Uma) has been popular in the Kathmandu Valley for over a thousand years. Newar sculptors and painters have long been commissioned by Hindu devotees to depict of these embodiments of divine domestic bliss and sexual intimacy. This painting also shows the couple’s sons Kumar and Ganesh, along with a troupe of strange musical attendants arrayed along the bottom row. On Uma’s left are her attendants, one holding a parasol, another a bowl of fruit, and a third – the earth goddess – holding auspicious offerings.