In
Hinduism, Ardhanari (sa. अर्धनारी Ardhanārī) or Ardhanarishvara (sa. अर्धनारीश्वर Ardhanārīśvara), is an
androgynous deity composed of
Shiva and his consort
Shakti, representing the synthesis of masculine and feminine energies. The Ardhanari form also illustrates how the female principle of God, Shakti is inseparable from the male principle of God, Shiva. Ardhanari in
iconography is depicted as half-male and half-female, split down the middle. The best sculptural depictions of Shiva as Ardhanari are to be seen in the sensuous
Chola dynasty bronzes and the sculptures at Ellora and Elephanta.
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[Hindu] In Hindu mythology, Shiva represented as half-male and half-female, typifying the incarnation of the male and female principles of the world.
Ardhanari or Ardhanari-Natesvara (Sanskrit) [from ardha half, middle + nari woman; natesvara from nata dancer + isvara lord] Half-female; lord of dancers. The androgynous aspect of Siva cosmically, when bearing the duality of the polarized forces of nature -- what is generally termed on lower planes masculine and feminine. Blavatsky depicts Ardhanari surrounded by the six-pointed star or seal of Vishnu and compares it to the wheel of Adonai of the Hebrew seer Ezekiel (IU 2:453). See also
ARDHANARISA