Many of the temple images revolve around love, life, masculine, and feminine, typified here by this image of Kama and Rati on Parsvanath Temple. Kama represents emotional and mental states of love. In one story, he angered Shiva, who destroyed him with his gaze. Afterwards, there was barrenness and sterility in the world--nothing could regenerate. Seeing the need of love in the world, Shiva later resurrected him. In his upper right hand he holds five arrows: one that gladdens the heart, one that causes attraction, one that leads to infatuation, one that weakens and one that kills pleasantly. Rati is his consort; together they hold the bow.
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