Skip to main content

Relief from a Carved Processional Car

Datelate 19th century
MediumTinted wood
DimensionsOverall: 24 3/8 × 12 × 3 1/16 in. (61.9 × 30.5 × 7.8 cm)
Credit LineGift of Dea Jean Kinsey (OC 1961)
Object number1963.19
Status
On view
More Information
This wood sculpture is a panel that was once part of the decoration of a processional cart (rátha), used to carry a Hindu icon outside of a temple to allow darshan. The figure is Ganga, the Hindu goddess who personifies the holy river Ganga, also called the Ganges. She can be identified by what she rides, a makara. These mythical creatures combine elements from various other animals, here an elephant’s trunk and a lion’s body. On processional carts and in architectural decorations, Ganga was often paired with another river goddess, Yamuna, who personifies the Yamuna River, a tributary of the Ganges. Both goddesses often flanked doorways as guardians and greeters. The image of a woman grasping the branch of a tree is also an ancient subject in India, based on very early images of yakshi or yakshini, a type of female nature deity associated with fertility and the bounty of the natural world.
Collections
  • On View
  • Asian
This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator. Noticed a mistake? Have some extra information about this object? Please contact us.
Pouch
late 19th–early 20th century
Female Attendant
9th–10th century
Paint Pouch
late 19th–early 20th century
Uma-Mahesvara
10th–11th century
Peace Pipe
19th century
Covered Bowl
19th century
Awl Container
late 19th–early 20th century
Necklace
late 19th–early 20th century