This Benarasi silk brocade carries the extremely unusual motif of Shiva as Yogeshwara, seated as an ascetic upon a tiger skin, holding a trident in one hand, damroo in the other, which a cobra around his shoulders. Each figure is separated by a flowering plant upon which are perched a magpie and a woodpecker. It is a superb example of the fine detail that Benarasi weavers could achieve using multi-coloured threads and a very tight weave.
