Panchamukha-Shivalingam at The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

Panchanana Shiva is Hindu God Shiva with five faces. Panchanana is also referred as the five emanations of Shiva. Siva appears in this form in the Panchamukha Shivling found in very rare temples. Four faces are in four directions and in some Shivalingams the fifth face is shown facing the sky and in some it is the southeast direction. The five faces are known as Ishana, Tatpurusha, Aghora, Vamadeva and Sadyojatha.Ishana faces south east or faces sky or zenith. It is the highest aspect and represents Shiva as Ishwara. In this aspect he is also known as Sadashiva, or the Eternal Siva. Symbolically, it represents Shiva ruling over the sky. Spiritually, this aspect of Shiva grants liberation or Moksha.Tatpurusha faces the east. This form of Shiva controls the air. On the spiritual sphere this aspect of Shiva helps in removing ego, darkness and obscurity.Aghora faces the south and represents the destructive and regenerative aspect of Shiva which first absorbs all life and then renovates the universe by creating things afresh.Vamadeva faces north. Shiva is healer and represents water. In this form he is the preserver.Sadyojata faces west and represents the creative power of Shiva. This object is part of Scan The World. Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source, community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email [e-mail] to find out how you can help.Scanned : Photogrammetry (Processed using Agisoft PhotoScan)