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Ardhanarishvara ((サンスクリット:अर्धनारीश्वर), ),(Tamil:அர்தனாரீஸ்வரர்) is a composite androgynous form of the Hindu god Shiva and his consort Parvati (also known as Devi, Shakti and Uma in this icon). Ardhanarishvara is depicted as half male and half female, split down the middle. The right half is usually the male Shiva, illustrating his traditional attributes. The earliest Ardhanarishvara images are dated to the Kushan period, starting from the first century CE. Its iconography evolved and was perfected in the Gupta era. The Puranas and various iconographic treatises write about the mythology and iconography of Ardhanarishvara. While Ardhanarishvara remains a popular iconographic form found in most Shiva temples throughout India, very few temples are dedicated to this deity. Ardhanarishvara represents the synthesis of masculine and feminine energies of the universe (Purusha and Prakriti) and illustrates how Shakti, the female principle of God, is inseparable from (or the same as, according to some interpretations) Shiva, the male principle of God. The union of these principles is exalted as the root and womb of all creation. Another view is that Ardhanarishvara is a symbol of Shiva's all-pervasive nature. ==Names== The name Ardhanarishvara means "the Lord who is half woman." Ardhanarishvara is also known by other names like Ardhanaranari ("the half man-woman"), Ardhanarisha ("the Lord who is half woman"), Ardhanarinateshvara ("the Lord of Dance who is half-woman"),〔(Monier Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (2008 revision) )〕 Parangada,〔 Naranari ("man-woman"), Ammiappan (a Tamil name meaning "Mother-Father"), and Ardhayuvatishvara (in Assam, "the Lord whose half is a young woman or girl").〔 The Gupta-era writer Pushpadanta in his Mahimnastava refers to this form as ''dehardhaghatana'' ("Thou and She art each the half of one body"). Utpala, commenting on the Brihat Samhita, calls this form Ardha-gaurishvara ("the Lord whose half is the fair one"; the fair one – Gauri – is an attribute of Parvati).〔Swami Parmeshwaranand p. 60〕 The Vishnudharmottara Purana simply calls this form Gaurishvara ("The Lord/husband of Gauri).〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ardhanarishvara」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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