2-727-066 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Descent of the Ganges, c. 1700-10. At upper left, Shiva sits with his wife Parvati on Mount Kailash in the Himalayas. She offers him a cup of wine, but Shiva is focused on the sage below. One of his devoted followers, the sage stood on one leg for 1,000 years to obtain the gift of the purifying waters of the Ganges. Impressed with the sage’s devotion and discipline, Shiva grants the request and squirts the river from his topknot of hair into the sage’s outstretched hands. The ideal devotee can attract the attention of a god and distract him even from his beautiful wife and a cup of wine. At the base of Mount Kailash is the icy Lake Manasarowar, still a major pilgrimage place for followers of Shiva. In this painting, devotees hope to earn the god’s favor; one has held a hand elevated and motionless for so long that the nails have grown around and through the hand.