Linga with Face of Shiva (Ekamukhalinga)

myminifactory

The linga, that aniconic pillar symbolizing the Hindu god Shiva's generative powers, embodies his fundamental creative force. Its phallic form is juxtaposed with Shiva's face in a style reflecting innovative iconographic trends and inherited design traditions from fifth- to sixth-century Gupta north India. The Shahi kingdom, which thrived only in eastern Afghanistan during the seventh to ninth centuries, produced a unique collection of Hindu devotional images. Typically crafted from white marble, these works demonstrate connections eastward, particularly to Kashmir for Shaiva iconography, and westward, as seen in the flying locks of hair inspired by Sasanian royal imagery.