Parvati at The Asian Art Museum, San Francisco

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The sculpture lies in pieces. Parvati, wife of Shiva, holds a broken figure of her child Skanda in her left hand; her other child, Ganesha with an elephant head, stands near her right foot. Beneath her lotus throne is the lion she rides regularly. Above her, elephants pour water over her as a sign of respect. Behind you, Durga's sculpture can be seen, a related goddess. This work and the one were made within 50 miles of each other but several centuries apart. Parvati is the Hindu goddess of love, fertility, and devotion. She is also the goddess of divine strength and power. As the gentle and nurturing aspect of Shakti, the Hindu goddess, she represents the mother figure in Hinduism with many attributes and aspects. Each of her aspects has a different name, giving her over 100 names in regional Hindu mythologies across India. Alongside Lakshmi (goddess of wealth and prosperity) and Saraswati (goddess of knowledge and learning), Parvati forms the trinity of Hindu goddesses. She is married to Shiva, the destroyer, recycler, and regenerator of the universe and all life. As the daughter of mountain king Himavan and mother Mena, she has many roles. Her children are Ganesha and Karttikeya. Some communities also believe her to be the adopted sister of Vishnu. With Shiva, Parvati is a central deity in the Saivism sect of Hinduism. In Hindu belief, she represents the recreative energy and power of Shiva, and she is the cause of a bond that connects all beings and a means of their spiritual release. She is symbolically represented as argha or yoni in Hindu temples dedicated to her and Shiva. She can be found extensively in ancient Indian literature, and her statues and iconography adorn ancient and medieval era Hindu temples across South Asia and Southeast Asia. This object is part of the "Scan The World" initiative. Scan the World is a non-profit project introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks, and landmarks from around the globe for public access free of charge. Scan the World is an open-source community effort. If you have interesting items nearby and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to learn how you can help. Scanned using photogrammetry (processed with Agisoft PhotoScan).