Ardhanareesvara and Androgyny

Celebrating International Day against homophobia, transphobia and biphobia with this sculpture of the Ardhanareesvara. In Sanskrit, “Ardha” means half and “Nari” is woman. This androgynous deity portrays the aspect of Shiva and Shakti, where their bodily forms are fused together to make one idol. The syncretic nature of the image could imply that the political factions of the Shaivite and Shakti cults found a meeting point in this image- possibly one that was developed for political purposes. This idol is especially sacred to the transgender community and has inspired several musical compositions in Indian repertoire, including Muthuswamy Dikshitar’s famous tribute in the Ragam Kumudakriya. .

7th-8th century AD Virupaksha temple, Pattadakal, North Karnataka, India Badami Chalukyan Style .

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