The Hindu deity Shiva in the form of Mrityunjaya, Conqueror of death

This six-armed form of Shiva is extremely rare. In this form, according to Hindu religious texts, Shiva embodies a prayer known as "the conqueror of death." Though some of his hands and the implements they carried are broken, other symbols confirm that this is Shiva. Among these are the third eye in the forehead and the presence of Shiva's associated animal, a bull, on the lower-left part of the base. Also linking with Shiva are the two matted-haired yogis depicted on the base. Shiva's elaborate piled-up hairstyle once extended into the empty space above his head, but it is now largely broken away. The red substance below Shiva's crossed legs is probably the remainder of a paste or powder applied by priests or the faithful as an act of reverence in the early twentieth century, evidence of the enduring power and significance of an image created nearly one thousand years ago.