Markandeya

According to legend, Markandeya was a young Shiva devotee who was destined to die at the age of twelve. When the day approached, the boy went to the temple to pray. As the god of death Yama approached Markandeya, the boy entered the sanctuary and embraced the linga—the totemic symbol of Shiva—and prayed for divine intervention. Yama’s noose accidentally fell around the linga, enraging the god, shown here emerging from the stone to do battle. Shiva prevails and rescues Markandeya from his fate. In the South Indian tradition this miracle was said to occur in the village of Thirukadaiyur in Tamil Nadu, where it is celebrated to this day. As a story of divine intervention, it was much loved by parents of young children.