Virabadhra

Size:

13cm

Region:

Karnataka, India

Type:

Four-armed Virabadhra

Period:

18th century

Condition:

Very good with nice patina; face rubbed off from devotional puja-use

Description:

A four-armed Virabadhra with the typical high shoes

To find a Virabadhra statue is quite rare; more common are the square plates

Around his hips a garland of sculls, around the neck on a long thread a linga-container

Virabadhra came into being after Dakhsa insulted Shivas wife, who subsequently commited suicide; Shiva created him as a form of himself and gave him an army to take revenge upon Dakhsa

Virabadhra cut off the head of Dakhsaa in the battle.

The other gods persuaded Shiva to bring him back to life. But Dakhsas head could not be found and so it was substituted with the head of a ram.

13.02-ESOE