Ardhanarishvara is a composite androgynous form of
the Hindu God Shiva and His consort Parvati (also known as Devi, Shakti and Uma
in this icon). Ardhanarishvara is depicted as half male and half female, split
down the middle. The right half is usually the male Shiva, illustrating His
traditional attributes.
Ardhanarishvara symbolizes that the
male and female principles are inseparable. Ardhanarishvara
signifies "totality that lies beyond duality", "bi-unity of male
and female in God" and "the bisexuality and therefore the
non-duality" of the Supreme Being. It conveys that God is both Shiva and
Parvati, "both male and female, both father and mother, both aloof and
active, both fearsome and gentle, both destructive and constructive" and
unifies all other dichotomies of the universe.
The earliest Ardhanarishvara images are dated to the
Kushan period, starting from the first century CE. Its iconography evolved and
was perfected in the Gupta era. The Puranas and various iconographic treatises
write about the mythology and iconography of Ardhanarishvara. While
Ardhanarishvara remains a popular iconographic form found in most Shiva temples
throughout India, very few temples are dedicated to this deity.
Ardhanarishvara represents the synthesis of
masculine and feminine energies of the universe (Purusha and Prakriti) and
illustrates how Shakti, the female principle of God, is inseparable from (or
the same as, according to some interpretations) Shiva, the male principle of
God. The union of these principles is exalted as the root and womb of all
creation. Another view is that Ardhanarishvara is a symbol of Shiva's
all-pervasive nature.
Names
The name Ardhanarishvara means "the Lord Who is
half woman." Ardhanarishvara is also known by other names like
Ardhanaranari ("the half man-woman"), Ardhanarisha ("the Lord
who is half woman"), Ardhanarinateshvara ("the Lord of Dance Who is
half-woman"), Parangada, Naranari ("man-woman"), Ammaiappan (a
Tamil Name meaning "Mother-Father"), and Ardhayuvatishvara (in Assam,
"the Lord whose half is a young woman or girl").[ The Gupta-era
writer Pushpadanta in his Mahimnastava refers to this form as dehardhaghatana
("Thou and She art each the half of one body"). Utpala, commenting on
the Brihat Samhita, calls this form Ardha-gaurishvara ("the Lord whose
half is the fair one"; the fair one – Gauri – is an attribute of Parvati).
The Vishnudharmottara Purana simply calls this form Gaurishvara ("The
Lord/husband of Gauri).
