King Cobras

Mattias Klum

Eddagatan 10 / National Geographic Magazine

Serpent of the Gods - Using pigments from stone on handmade paper, New Delhi artist Sneh Gangal adorns the Hindu god Siva with a cobra, in India a sacred being that can symbolize fertility or rebirth. Siva, grasping his consort Parvati, is one of the most complex gods of India, both a great destroyer and a primal life force. He is often portrayed in mythology and art garlanded with the venomous serpent, also both killer and creator.

Mattias Klum, "King Cobras," in POYi Archive, Item #31865, http://archive.poy.org/items/show/31865 (accessed April 26, 2024).