Hinduism - What Is Utkutikasana?

 

Utkutikasana is a yoga asana in which the legs are contracted and the soles of the feet are forced towards each other, with the outer parts of the feet and legs flat on the ground.

This is the pose in which deities are shown in Hindu iconography, and it seems to be the stance named samasthana in the Yoga Sutras comments.

This pose is especially noteworthy because it seems to be shown on one of the Indus Valley civilization's seals; the figure depicted here is the mystery horned god that some viewers have attempted to identify as a "proto-Shiva."