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Asian Art

The Hindu god Shiva, principle of creation and destruction, is often worshiped in the form of the lingam, a symbolic representation of the male genitals. Sometimes, as in this sculpture, the lingam is embellished with four faces, oriented towards the points of the compass and representing different aspects of the god.

The square base and octagonal mid-section of the lingam are taken to represent the other two principal gods of Hinduism, Brahma and Vishnu. For followers of Shiva, he is the supreme god, crowning the other two, but at the same time all three gods can be seen as different aspects of the same being.