Srikanteshwara Swamy Temple (also known as Nanjundeshwara Temple) in Nanjangud, near Mysuru, Karnataka.
During the Samudra Manthan (the churning of the cosmic ocean of milk), a lethal poison called Halahala emerged and threatened to destroy all creation. Shiva drank the poison to save the universe.
Goddess Parvati (as his divine consort or Shakti) gently grasps his neck to contain the poison at his throat, which turned his neck blue—giving him the name Neelkantha (“the blue-throated one”). This specific narrative sculpture is considered a rare form of Visapaharana iconography in South Indian temple art.
