The Child-saint Sambandar (Tirujñāna Saṁbandha)

Sambandar (Saṁbandha, ca. 7th century) was a renowned poet-saint from what is today Tamil Nadu in Southern India. He was known for deep religious knowledge even as a small child, for performing miracles, and for writing thousands of devotional hymns to Shiva that are still sung today. This sculpture, designed for processional use, portrays Sambandar as a dancing child. His dynamic movement is conveyed through the figure’s asymmetry, and his spiritual refinement through its perfectly balanced forms. The young saint’s right leg is raised, and his left arm is extended in the “elephant trunk” gesture (karihasta or gajahasta) to suggest his graceful dance. He points forward with his right hand, a reference to a vision of Shiva and Parvati that appeared to him as a boy. Icons of Sambandar borrowed the popular iconography of images of “Child Krishna” (bālakṛṣṇa), with which such images are often confused. In Child Krishna icons, the right hand makes the fearlessness gesture (abhaya mudrā).