Ardhanarishvara

(“the deity who is half woman”)
Particular form of the god Shiva, in
which the left side of the image has
female form, dress, and ornamentation,
and the right side has male characteristics and dress.
The image has several possible interpretations. As a divinity one of Shiva’s
attributes is his ability to transcend all
duality, and this half-woman, half-man
image symbolizes that power over even
the most basic human difference, sexual
identity. In the context of the esoteric
ritual tradition known as tantra, which
describes the universe as the product of
the interaction between the divine principles of awareness (Shiva) and power
(Shakti), this image symbolizes not only
the radically different natures of these
two principles, but also their inseparability in action.
The Ardhanarishvara is sometimes
referred to as the androgyne; this term
seems inappropriate, however, since
the image does not show the loss
of sexual characteristics associated
with androgyny but rather the full
development of each on their respective sides.
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Ardha (“Half”) Kumbha Mela
An image of the deity Ardhanarishvara in
Mahabalipuram. A form of the god Shiva,
Ardhanarishvara is half male and half female.