Shiva

Shiva is the great ascetic, destroyer and renewer of the universe. His blue throat recalls the moment he swallowed the poison churned from the cosmic ocean to save the world.

Every element of this mask carries meaning: the third eye of fire and insight, the crescent moon of time, and the cobra that shows his mastery over fear and death.

In Sattriya plays Shiva often appears as a devotee of Vishnu, reflecting the inclusive spirit of Srimanta Sankardev's Ek Sarana Nama Dharma.