Alinga Mudra: The Gesture of Divine Embrace in Hindu Sacred Art What Is Alinga Mudra In the vast vocabulary of gestures that animate Hindu sacred sculpture, the Alinga Mudra occupies a place of singular warmth and depth. The word "alinga" derives from the Sanskrit root meaning to embrace, to hold close, or to draw toward oneself. As a mudra — a deliberate gesture carrying spiritual and iconographic meaning — the Alinga mudra communicates the act of embrace, the offering of protection, and the intimacy of relational contact between divine beings. Unlike gestures of blessing or protection that are directed outward toward a devotee, the Alinga mudra turns inward between figures, expressing a bond that is at once physical, emotional, and cosmological. Form and Gesture In sculptural representation, the Alinga mudra is typically shown through one arm, most commonly the left, wrapping around another figure. The fingers are gently curved in a natural, unhurried arc, suggesting...