Shiva and Parvati with their Sons Karttikeya and Ganesha and the Calf Bull
India (Jammu and Kashmir, ancient kingdom of Kashmir)
A devotee used this charming rendering of the Shiva family assembled on a single pedestal for worship, likely in a private chapel. Shiva holds a rosary (aksamala) and flask; his wife, Parvati, a mirror. Both are crowned and jeweled as if Kashmiri monarchs. Shiva’s calf bull Vrsabha nuzzles close to his lord, and the couple’s two children flank the ensemble.