Neelkanth is a name which we fondly refer to God Shiva with. Lord Shiva in Indian mythology is considered to be the creator of the universe and one of the most powerful gods. He in fact finds a spot among the three most powerful gods in the universe, and his name is assertively taken alongside Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu, three of them together who make for eternal strength as per Indian Mythology.

There is a very intriguing tale behind how Lord Shiva came to be known as Neelkanth; the one with the blue neck. A story that can be volumes of pages and very gripping if deep-dived into.

The story of Samudra Manthan or the Manthan Mythology holds a special significance in Hindu culture. It is the only story in our Puranas where the Devas and the Asuras (the good and evil) come together and join hands for a common purpose. The story is so special it finds a place in two of the most important books of Indian Literature, the Vishnu Purana and the Bhagavad Purana.

The phrase Samudra Manthan literally means the Churning of the Ocean/Sea. Got you intrigued? Let's briefly look into why the ocean was churned and how the Neelkanth name was derived from this churning of the ocean tale.

Once an act of God Indra makes Sage Durvasa very angry who in turn curses Indra and all Gods that they would lose wealth, power, and immortality. After the incident, when the Gods (Devas) fight a battle with the Asuras (Demons), they end up as the loser, and Bali king of Demons takes control of the universe. Having experienced the defeat at the hands of Asuras, and loss of numerical strength in the battle, then Indra and his fellow Gods decide to do something and first approach God Brahma who clearly informs them that he is not the right person to guide them to obtain a solution to the problem, but tells them to go to God Vishnu. After listening to Indra, God Vishnu prepares a detailed plan of obtaining Amrit/nectar through the process of churning the Ocean of Milk. He also tells the Gods, it is an uphill task, and hence they need to take help from the Asuras as well. Accordingly, the Gods contact the Asuras and invite them to participate in the Samudra Manthan who happily agree to do so. As the per plan of Vishnu Mount Mandara is chosen as a churning rod/stirrer, and Vasuki the King of Serpents, is selected as a churning rope. While positioning Mandara as a stirrer in an ocean, due to its own weight when the mountain starts sinking, Vishnu puts himself in action. By taking the shape of a Kurma/tortoise. He goes down Mandara and supports it from the base. In this way, Vishnu burdens himself with the load of mountain Mandara.

Additionally, to avoid the mountain from wobbling during the process of churning, God Brahma is made to sit on the top of Mandara to provide the necessary stability during the rotation of a stirrer. Under the supervision of Vishnu, the Gods and the Asuras start the process of churning the ocean, and one by one thing start coming out of the Ocean of Milk. In total, fourteen Ratna/Jewels are obtained from Samudra Manthan; some of them are beneficial things and some are harmful objects too. As per the legend, Halahal the poison comes first and the poison of the Halahal is considered to be one of the most poisonous ones.

Worried that the poison or the Halahal will poison the entire humankind, the devas and the asuras rush to Lord Shiva to request him to help them save mankind. Without giving it a second thought Lord Shiva consumes the poison and the venom of the Halahal makes his neck turn blue. So much so that to date every visual description of Lord Shiva is seen with a blue neck.

They say belief is everything and if it is to be believed then this tale goes to say the power of Lord Shiva who saved mankind from the venomous poison and is fondly referred to as Neelkanth for doing the same.

 At G-Art we take pride in Indian Mythology and are mesmerized by the beautiful and intriguing stories that the Indian culture carries with it. Our sculptures are a depiction of the love and adoration we carry for the Indian Culture and every bronze sculpture and marble sculpture. we intricately and passionately design and bring to life our way to pay tribute to the rich heritage and diverse cultural background we come from.