id: 145968 accession number: 1971.173 share license status: CC0 url: https://clevelandart.org/art/1971.173 updated: 2023-03-11 20:50:54.471000 Ravana Shaking Mount Kailasa, 700s. Central India, Madhya Pradesh, Chandela Dynasty, 8th century. Sandstone; overall: 139 x 72 cm (54 3/4 x 28 3/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Sundry Purchase Fund 1971.173 title: Ravana Shaking Mount Kailasa title in original language: series: series in original language: creation date: 700s creation date earliest: 700 creation date latest: 800 current location: 244 Indian and Southeast Asian creditline: Sundry Purchase Fund copyright: --- culture: Central India, Madhya Pradesh, Chandela Dynasty, 8th century technique: sandstone department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art collection: Indian Art type: Sculpture find spot: catalogue raisonne: --- CREATORS --- measurements: Overall: 139 x 72 cm (54 3/4 x 28 3/8 in.) state of the work: edition of the work: support materials: inscriptions: --- CURRENT EXHIBITIONS --- LEGACY EXHIBITIONS --- PROVENANCE --- fun fact: digital description: wall description: According to followers of the branch of Hinduism that considers Shiva to be the ultimate, original creator of the universe, he takes on a mythological form and resides in his created world. His home is in the Himalaya Mountains, on Mount Kailasa, where he lives with his wife Parvati. In one episode of Shiva's mythology, he presses down his big toe to quell the ten-armed demon Ravana, who tried to steal Mount Kailasa and take it away to his island. As Ravana was trying to shake the mountain loose, Parvati turned and clung to Shiva in fear— the moment depicted in this magnificent sculpture, which once formed part of a temple exterior. It is thought that Shiva created the world for the sake of his own enjoyment, his lila or divine play, and emanated himself into all the beings of creation: gods and demons, humans and animals. He shrouded their awareness of the reality that they were in essence the god Shiva himself, so that they would perform the actions of his cosmic drama. --- RELATED WORKS --- CITATIONS The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. page number: Reproduced: p. 301 url: https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1978/page/n321 Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine. Vol. 53 no. 05, September/October 2013 page number: Mentioned and reproduced: p. 173 url: https://archive.org/details/CMAMM2013-05/page/16 --- IMAGES web: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1971.173/1971.173_web.jpg print: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1971.173/1971.173_print.jpg full: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1971.173/1971.173_full.tif