A copper Bhairava shrine base Nepal, ca. 14th century | 尼泊爾 約十四世紀 銅陪臚龕座

The scene depicts a charnel ground with a cremation scene in the foreground and a barking dog in the centre. The dog represents the mount (vahana) of Bhairava, the fierce emanation of Shiva, and is often substituted for Bhairava himself. The dog is flanked by two carrion birds and a coiled snake, with a stupa to the left and linga to the right. Five deities are seated around the edges of the shrine, each holding a ritual implement in his left hand and raising the index finger of his right hand to the mouth in a gesture implying silence (maunavrata). In an identical scene depicted on a similar fourteenth century or earlier Nepalese copper shrine, formerly in the Pan-Asian Collection, Dr. Pal has suggested that these deities probably represent the five forms of Shiva that are equated with the five elements (panchabhuta), see Pal, Nepal: Where the Gods are Young, New York, 1975, cat. 64. The Pan-Asian example has four posts rising at the centre that Pal suggests would have supported a roof over the shrine. In this example the posts are incorporated into the the top of the heads of the deities at each corner. Pal also notes that the inclusion of both the stupa and the linga indicates that the shrine is venerated by Buddhists as well as Shaivas.