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Shiva is one of the principal deities of Hinduism and the supreme god in the tradition of Shaivism. Worshipped throughout India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and parts of Southeast Asia, he is an amalgamation of various older deities into a single figure. Alongside Brahma and Vishnu, Shiva forms part of the Trimurti, in which he is known as the "destroyer", although in many traditions he also creates, preserves and transforms the universe. He is depicted as both an ascetic yogi and as a householder with his consort Parvati and his sons Ganesha and Kartikeya. Shiva's iconography includes the trishula (trident), the third eye, the damaru, the serpent king Vasuki, the crescent moon, and the river Ganga flowing from his hair. Usually worshipped in the form of the lingam, Shiva is regarded as the patron of meditation, yoga and the arts. This painting depicts Shiva and Parvati seated together on a terrace at night, with iconographic elements including skulls, snakes, and the Ganga flowing through his hair. The work was painted around 1800 on paper in bodycolour and gold, inlaid with pieces of iridescent beetle carapace, and is now in the collection of the British Museum in London.Painting credit: unknown