Art Print – “Namah Shivaya”: Lord Shiva with Nandi and Trishul

Provenance Namah Shivaya presents Lord Shiva standing calmly before a vast white flower, set within a deep navy field and a cream border inscribed in Devanagari. His name, 'Shiva', appears at the top, and beneath the image runs 'Om Namah Shivaya', the five-syllable mantra at the heart of Shaiva devotion. Shiva's blue-grey skin, matted locks crowned by the crescent moon and a small figure, and the cobra coiled about his neck identify him at once. He raises his right hand in blessing, marked with 'Om', and holds a trishul from which a small damaru hangs on a red ribbon. Strands of rudraksha beads, a spotted animal-skin garment and a red sash complete his ascetic dress, while Nandi, his bull, rests beside him adorned with golden ornaments. The pale, finely veined petals of the flower, their pointed tips touched with green, open behind the figure like a luminous mandorla, recalling the datura associated with Shiva. Cool blue, ivory and soft lilac are warmed by touches of ochre, red and gold, and the clean symmetry against the navy ground lends the print a quiet, meditative stillness.