SOLD Wood Panel Ravana Lifting Mount Kailash 96"
- A masterpiece wood carving in a pose known as Ravananugraha murti, (Ravana Lifting Mount Kailash or Ravana Shaking Mount Kailash) depicting the raksha (demon) Ravana shaking mount Kailash with Shiva & Parvati peacefully seated on top
- The bottom of this impressive carving depicts the 10 headed, 20 armed Ravana playing a demon headed veena, while squatting down in the act of shaking mount Kailash
- The intricate carving includes from top to bottom: 2 winged apsaras, 2 apsaras playing the horn with the face of Mahakala or "great time" between them, Shiva and Parvati seated with Shiva's foot resting on Nandi with 2 rishis (priest) surrounding them, Ganesha and Murgan, 8 rishis or priests, a dwarf gana, a Lingam, rat, cow, peacock, deer and the mustached figure of Ravana
- The panel is 5 inches thick giving the artist room to give both depth and detail to the sculpture
- A breath taking, one of a kind, masterpiece Hindu wood panel, hand carved and hand painted by the wood artists of South India
The story behind the carving: The ten-headed, twenty-armed mighty King Ravana defeated and looted Alaka - the city of his step-brother and god of wealth Kubera, situated near Mount Kailash. After the victory, Ravana was returning to Lanka in the Pushpaka Vimana (the flying chariot stolen from Kubera), when he spotted a beautiful place. However, the chariot could not fly over it. Ravana met Shiva's bull-faced dwarf attendant Nandi (Nandisha, Nandikeshvara) at this place and asked the reason behind his chariot's inability to pass over the place. Nandi informed Ravana that his lord Shiva and Parvati were enjoying dalliance on the mountain and no one was allowed to pass. Ravana mocked Shiva and Nandi. Enraged by the insult to his lord, Nandi cursed Ravana that monkeys would destroy him. In turn, Ravana decided to uproot the mountain Kailash, infuriated by Nandi's curse and his inability to proceed further. He put all his twenty arms under Kailash and started lifting it. As Kailash began to shake, a terrified Parvati embraced Shiva. However, the omniscient Shiva realized that Ravana was behind the menace and pressed the mountain into place with his big toe, trapping Ravana beneath it. Ravana gave a loud cry in pain. While imprisoned under Kailash, Ravana cut off one of his heads and built a veena from it. He used his tendons for the strings and began singing praises of Shiva for a thousand years. Finally, Shiva not only forgave Ravana but also granted him an invincible sword. Since Ravana cried, he was given the name "Ravana" - one who cried.
You just know when you find the right piece to bring into your home and into your heart. - Kyle Tortora, Founder of Lotus Sculpture
Shiva was originally known as Rudra, a minor deity addressed only three times in the Rig Veda. He gained importance after absorbing some of the characteristics of an earlier fertility god and became Shiva, part of the trinity, or trimurti, with Vishnu and Brahma.
Shiva wears a snake coiled around his upper arms and neck symbolizing the power he has over the most deadly of creatures. Snakes are also used to symbolize the Hindu dogma of reincarnation. Their natural process of molting or shedding their skin is symbolic of the human soul's transmigration of bodies from one life to another.
Shiva's female consort and wife is Parvati; because of his generosity and reverence towards Parvati, Shiva is considered an ideal role model for a husband. The divine couple together with their sons - the six-headed Skanda and the elephant headed Ganesh - reside on Mount Kailasa in the Himalayas.
His guardian is Nandi (the white bull), whose statue can often be seen watching over the main shrine. The bull is said to embody sexual energy, fertility. Riding on its back, Shiva is in control of these impulses.
He often holds a trident, which represents the Hindu trinity of Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu. It is also said to represent the threefold qualities of nature: creation, preservation and destruction, although preservation is usually attributed to Vishnu.
As the destroyer, Shiva is dark and terrible, encircled with serpents and a crown of skulls.
Shiva often wears sacred Rudaksha beads, perhaps a reference to his earlier name Rudra.
The crescent moon Shiva wears on his crown, besides being a symbol of Kama the goddess of nightly love, also represents the bull, Nandi, a fertility symbol.
Shiva holds a skull that represents samsara, the cycle of life, death and rebirth. Samsara is a central belief in Hinduism. Shiva himself also represents this complete cycle because he is Mahakala, the Lord of Time, destroying and creating all things.
Shiva is represented in a variety of forms. One such form is as a lingam. The ovoid shape is a representation of the absolute perfection of Lord Shiva - if that which is beyond form had to be given form, the lingam would be the closest form to the mystical experience of the absolute perfection of Shiva. Shiva is often pictured in a pacific mood with his consort Parvati, as the cosmic dancer Nataraja, as a naked ascetic, as a mendicant beggar, as a yogi, and as the androgynous union of Shiva and Parvati in one body (Ardhanarisvara).
Another example of Shiva's apparent synthesis of male and female attributes is seen in his earrings. He wears one earring in the style of a man and the other as a female.
Shiva's third eye is a symbol of higher consciousness. It is also a weapon he uses to destroy his enemies by emitting a fire missile which has the power to incinerate the three worlds. He can also kill all the gods and other creatures during the periodic destruction of the universe. Shiva's third eye first appeared when Parvati, his wife, playfully covered his other two eyes, so Shiva opened his third eye emitting his destructive missile endangering the three worlds.
Wood statues are easy to take care of as they just need some annual upkeep to keep them looking as they did when they were first carved. All the wood used by Lotus Sculpure's artists is dried out for months. Moisture causes cracks in the sculpture as the wood contracts and expands in different temperatures. Our wood has little to no moisture in it assuring that the sculpture is not going to crack in its journey into different climates. Here are some simple tips to keep your statue in good condition:
- Dust the statue as needed to prevent dirt build up
- To make the statue shine use a natural wood cleaner and a cotton cloth to buff the sculpture
We prefer Old English to polish and buff our statues. The use of a wood polish like Old English will keep the wood looking fresh and keep the colors looking vibrant. For natural wood and painted wooden statues we recommend Old English for lighter woods. For darker wood statues we recommend Old English for darker woods. Lotus Sculpture cleans and polishes each wooden statue prior to shipping them to the customer.
We recommend keeping wooden statues in an indoor environment. Wood statues can go outside however, they will wear more quickly and develop an antique appearance. If you would like to put a wood statue from Lotus Sculpture outside and keep the same appearance of the sculpture we would recommend first coating the statue with a couple of layers of sealant or polyurethane. We would then recommend placing the statue in a partially covered area. The more exposure to the elements the more the statue will wear over time. Please feel free to contact us directly if you have any questions regarding your wooden statue from Lotus Sculpture, (760) 994-4455 or [email protected].
USA Shipping
This sculpture is in our Oceanside, California gallery and ready for immediate packing & shipping. Packing takes anywhere from 1-4 business days. Shipping takes anywhere from 1-6 business days. The shipping price is automatically calculated from Oceanside, California to the destination in the online checkout. Or you can get a shipping quote by clicking the Calculate Shipping link beneath the Add to Cart button. Shipping will be calculated based on the weight of the sculpture and the distance to the destination from our Oceanside, California showroom.
The delivery charges include insurance, a residential lift gate delivery to your home or business. The freight company will call you to schedule a delivery day and time frame to make the delivery. Someone must be present to receive the statue. Depending on where you are located we will use either R&L Carriers, UPS Freight, Estes, DHX or Roadrunner Transport.
The freight company will use a lift gate to bring the sculpture to the ground and then use a pallet jack to move it anywhere on the same level. They will move it anywhere in your driveway or in your garage. They will not take it to your backyard or in the elevator to your apartment or up or down any steps. They will not be unpacking the statue and taking the crate away. Think of them as you would UPS or Fedex. They only deliver the statue. If you require a little extra service, (within reason) a tip to a delivery man usually works wonders!
For placing the statue our customers have either placed the statue themselves with help of a friend and a tool like a hand truck or a dolly. Or by contacting their landscaper who is used to moving large and heavy objects like rocks and trees into place. For much larger and heavier sculptures sometimes the customer needs a piece of heavy equipment for placing the statue like a crane or forklift. If you have any questions contact me directly at [email protected] or (760) 994-4455
International Shipping
This sculpture is in our Oceanside, California showroom and ready for immediate packing & shipping. This piece is too heavy to ship via UPS and will be shipped using an international freight service. Packing takes anywhere from 1-4 days depending on the statue. We can ship the statue using either sea or air freight to either the your home or the closest port.
If you place your order online shipping will show in the order as $0. Shipping will be calculated based on the weight of the sculpture and the distance from Oceanside, California to determine the shipping price. The shipping quote will be emailed to you and no charge will be made without your approval.
You can obtain a shipping quote for any statue by clicking the link, Calculate Shipping beneath to the Add To Cart button on every statues' page. Or you can email [email protected] or call us 760-994-4455 to receive a shipping quote. Please include the item number of the statue you are interested in purchasing as well as your country and postal code.
Here you can view how our freight statues are professionally crated.