Hoyshaleshvara Temple Sculpture, Halebidu (Halebeedu)

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Artist: Richard Banner Oakeley (British, 1834–1914)
Medium: Albumenized salt print from waxed paper negative
Size: Image: 27.2 x 29.2 cm (10 11/16 x 11 1/2 in.); Mounted: 35.3 x 44.4 cm (13 7/8 x 17 1/2 in.); Matted: 50.8 x 61 cm (20 x 24 in.)
Culture: England, 19th century
Museum: Cleveland Museum of Art
Rights: CC0 — no rights reserved

On the recommendation of a friend, Oakeley marched 20 days along treacherous country roads to locate the Hoyshaleshvara Temple in southwestern India. Finding it more beautiful than any other building he had seen in southern India, he framed his subject to capture a sense of the lavish number of vivid sculptures that enliven the temple's walls.

At the right is the Hindu god Shiva with his wife, the goddess Parvati, seated on his mount, the bull Nandi. At the left, Shiva and Parvati are seated on Mount Kailasha, which a multiarmed demon is attempting to dislodge.