The Family of Shiva is a 10th century relief sculpture made of sandstone from a region of India known as Uttar Pradesh. The sculpture is approximately two feet tall, one foot wide, and six inches deep. This elaborate relief depicts Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction, and his wife Parvati (Uma-Mahaeshvara) sitting on a lotus, symbol of the universe, which in turn is supported by the bull Nandin, Shiva's vehicle. This theme of the divine couple is undoubtedly the quintessential image of late Hindu period sculpture in North India due to its intricate and multifaceted detail. The artistry found in the details of this sculpture presents the audience with great importance to these figures and to Hindu culture in its entirety. Shiva is adorned with jewels along his arms, a garland around his neck and a tall, powerful head ornament. Her soft, round body is sitting with an open body gesture and her gaze looks straight at the viewer, inviting us in. His head is placed in front of a halo, which marks the attainment of enlightenment or spiritual meditation. Positioned between his eyes, there is an Urn, a third eye, which is a representation of the cycle of birth and rebirth around which Hindu culture is structured. Calm and omnipotent, he grips his (now broken) trident and presses his right foot lightly against the ground to contain the warriors of Ravana, the demon king of the underworld, shown bottom center. Sitting next to Shiva is Parvati, embracing his body and all his eminence. She is also sculpted in a soft, round naked body with very large breasts and a light belly, emphasizing her fertility and femininity. She is too embellished with necklaces, bracelets... half of paper......l centuries. In the general context of Southeast Asian art, the sculpture is definitely not the first example of Shiva sitting with his bride. Parvati. Numerous examples from the 4th or 5th century can be identified, although none of them have depictions of the "holy family" represented by the divine couple, which is a crucial iconographic component of the Shiva Family sculpture.5 The Shiva Family relief sculpture The family is but a small object, yet within the limits of such a small object lies a vast history of India, its religious foundations, and serves to maintain the deep and important ideology of Hinduism. Each aspect of the sculpture includes knowledge of the culture and contains a story of its own. With so much substance, it is works of art like these that allow us to capture the history of our world and preserve its magnificence.