Abhayagiri Ardhanarisvara Statue Abhayagiri Ardhanarisvara (or Ardhanari-natesvara) Statue (Sinhala: අභයගිරි අර්ධනාරිෂ්වර ප්රථිමාව) is a small bronze discovered from Abhayagiri Monastery Complex , in Anuradhapura District, Sri Lanka (Wikramagamage, 2004). It is presently on the display at the Colombo National Museum . Ardhanarisvara is a representation of both Siva and Parvati, two divinities in the Hindu pantheon ( Chutiwongs et al., 2013) . They are joined together to form one figure depicting half-male and half-female, equally split down the middle. As seen in Indian sculptures, the right half is usually the male Siva while the left half is female Parvati ( Chutiwongs et al., 2013) . However, this sculpture has the male half on the left side while the female half on the right side ( Chutiwongs et al., 2013; Wikramagamage, 2004). The statue is 12.3 cm tall and depicted in a dancing posture (Wikramagamage, 2004). The female half holds a conch ( Sankha ) by her backhand and the front hand directs towards the downside ( Chutiwo…
