A member of the trimurti, the Hindu trinity, Shiva is one of the most revered deities in Hinduism. He is considered to control the endless cycles of the creation and destruction of the universe, with each phase lasting one day (kalpa) in the life of Brahma (4.3 billion human years). Shiva’s own origins are perhaps very ancient indeed; 12,000 year-old petroglyphs depicting a dancing figure with a trident and cow at Bhimbetka have been interpreted as Shiva with his trident (triśula) and his mount, Nandi. Similarly, a figure known as the ‘Master of Beasts’ (paśupati) in the Indus Valley civilisation has also been identified as a form of Shiva, dating from 2350 BC. His eventual prominence in the Hindu tradition can perhaps be attributed to this early date; he was there from the very founding moments of Hinduism, and was woven into all the major Hindu traditions. His ancient origins, probably as an amalgamation of various shamanistic deities and figures, has resulted in Shiva’s many attributes and forms. These eventually crystallised into twenty-five core forms (panchavimśatimurti), from which all depictions of Shiva are derived. Perhaps the most unusual of these, aesthetically at least, is Sadashiva.

A great many forms of Hindu gods are depicted with multiple appendages: four-headed and four-armed avatars abound in the pantheon. Sadashiva, however, is represented with five heads, and with ten arms. The symbolism is deep. Each head emanates from the four cardinal points, with a fifth representing the upwards direction niśkala (formlessness). They also allude to the pancābrahma, the five acts in which Shiva engages: creation (srsti), preservation (sthithi), destruction (samhāra), the concealment of grace (tirobhāva), and the revelation of grace (anugraha). Each act is similarly associated with five colours (crystal, gold, blue, red, and white), five physical elements (pancabhuta: sky, air, fire, water, earth), five body parts (head, mouth, heart, feet, genital organs), and with five essential teachings. Each of his ten hands similarly indicates a specific function, represented by the attribute they traditionally hold. His five right hands hold the trident (trisula), club (khatvānga), thunderbolt (vajra), and with his final hand in the abhaya mudra (gesture of fearlessness). The right hand side, then, is the side of action, of martial force, and of destruction. The left hands hold a snake (naga), the matulunga fruit (citron; Citrus medica), a water lily (Nymphala nouchali), a two-headed drum (damaru), the rosary (rudrakśa), and with his final hand in the varadam mudra, which symbolises the dispensing of boons. His left side becomes the symbol of creation, enlightenment, and aid.

Sadashiva first appeared in southern India, but became particularly associated with the Sena Dynasty of Bengal (Eleventh to Twelfth Centuries AD). The figure was also exported to other parts of South Asia, arriving in the Khmer Empire in the Ninth Century AD. While Shiva was widely worshipped by the Khmer, and Sadashiva appears prominently in Khmer art. This Bayon Period sandstone sculpture demonstrates the exceptionally fluid, feminine forms of Khmer art. Sitting in the lotus position (padmasana), Sadashiva is depicted as a softly athletic youth, with pencil thin moustaches on his four faces. His ten hands hold a number of his attributes – the matalunga fruit, vajra and rudrakśa among them – but they are a variation on the traditional arrangement, with no empty hand in a mudra, and with the rudrakśa in a right hand, for example. His faces are round, with a square jaw, flat nose, short stubble, ears stretched out from the wearing of heavy jewellery, and eyes half-closed. When Shiva’s eyes are open, it indicates the start of a new cycle of creation and destruction; when closed, it harkens the destructive phase. Half-closed, his eyes represent the middle of a cycle, which is what the Hindu believed they were living through at the time. On each of his five heads, he wears a conical crown, mokot sat, which is characteristic of Khmer art.

References: the heads of a similar Sadashiva can be found in New York (Metropolitan Museum of Art 1993.387.1).