Shiva as Vanquisher of the Three Cities (Shiva Tripuravijaya)

India, Tamil Nadu

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 240

This majestic image of Shiva as the supreme victor over the Three Cities of the demons is one of the greatest realizations of this regal form of Shiva as the destroyer of evil, a masterpiece in the corpus of imperial quality devotional bronze icons produced under Chola patronage. This work may be assigned to the peak of imperial Chola production under Rajarajachola I or his immediate successors. Infused with all the majesty of a conquering king, this form of Shiva was much revered by the Chola rulers, as both their spiritual protector and as a divine role model for their imperial ambitions.

Shiva as Vanquisher of the Three Cities (Shiva Tripuravijaya), Copper alloy, India, Tamil Nadu

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