Somaskanda

Somaskanda (Sanskrit: सोमास्कन्द, romanized: Somāskanda) is a medieval form of Hindu iconography, a representation of Shiva with his consort Uma (Parvati), and their son Skanda (Murugan), depicted as a child.

[1] This family depiction of Shiva originated during the 6th-8th centuries CE during the period of the Pallava in South India.

The representation shows Shiva with four arms and Uma (Parvati), and between them the infant Skanda (Murugan) is shown as dancing with ecstasy.

[3] In the Somaskanda representation, Shiva is seated in the sukhasana pose, with his left leg folded and depicted with four hands.

Their son, Skanda, is portrayed in their midst, performing the araimandi pose, or standing in vaitastika-sthanaka with his knees slightly bent.