https://goo.gl/maps/VcALqeBcJ4QwTC7SA?g_st=aw
I was attracted by the artwork of Ravanugrah in the sculpture gallery of the State Museum, Bhopal.
It is a sculpture of Shiva & Parvati carved from a single stone. It was carved in Hinglajgarh in the 11th century AD during the reign of Paramara dynasty. Shiva must have had four hands which are broken in this statue. Shiva Parvati’s private palace situated on Kailash has been carved in this stele. Parvati is sitting on Shiva’s left thigh and has embraced Shiva with her right hand.
Shiva is calm and as if telling his beloved wife that there is no need to be afraid. Shiva wears a crown made of his long hair on his head, while Parvati’s hair is arranged in a bun, and there is a crown on it. Both have precious ornaments on their bodies. Shiva’s right leg is down, Nandi is peeking near the knee and Kartikeya is sitting near the foot below. A lion is visible near Parvati’s left leg. Shiva and Parvati have been carved very precisely by the sculptor, one can feel the radiance and aura on their faces. Both have open attractive captivating eyes and Shiva’s third eye is closed. On the left side, below, Ganesha who is holding weapons in his hands and killing a demon. Below Shiva and Parvati, Ravana with many arms and heads has been carved. He is pressed under Kailash and is trying to remove the burden of Kailash by kneeling on his right knee. He has weapons like bow and arrow, spear, sword, shield etc in all his hands.
The stele, which is almost in the shape of a crown, has Vishnu carved very beautifully on a bracket on the left side and Brahma on the bracket on the other side. There are other gods and goddesses in between the two. Similarly, attendents and maids have been depicted below as well.
According to the Hindu texts and mythology, when Ravana was going in his Pushpak plane after looting Kuber near the Himalayas, Pushpak was not able to fly over Kailash. He asked Nandi and he was told that Shiva and Parvati were in the palace and so he could not fly over it. The arrogant Ravana decided to move the Kailash and tried to lift it with his strength, which made the Kailash shake and Parvati became frightened, but Shiva knew that this was the work of the demon Ravana, Shiva pressed down on him with his right foot, and he kept screaming in pain. On the advice of Ravana’s advisors, Ravana sang hymns in praise of Shiva for several thousand years, being thus buried under the Kailash, then Shiva became pleased and gave him a sword and a linga so that he could be freed from this burden.