Of all the qualities that make Lord Krishna who He is, it is His prowess with the flute that captures the hearts of devotees. Spread across not only the subcontinent but also the world, devotees never tire of His music. He sits in one of Vrindavan's many glades and pulls out His flute, the sound of which reaches the inhabitants within the city. The music that is emanating from His flu

The saptamatrka is a set of interesting deities from the Hindu pantheon. They are the maternal manifestations (‘matrikas’) of seven (‘sapta’) Hindu devas; and, as divine manifestations, are distinct from the wives and companions of those devas. Devi Varahi, whose murti you see on this page, is one of the saptamatrkas. She is the ashtabhujadhari (eight-armed) maternal manifestation of Lord

Icons depicting Shiva as the Lord of Dance (Nataraja) seem to have originated in the North in Gupta times, and developed in the South under the post-Gupta Vishnukundin dynasty early in the seventh century. One of the first southern sculptures is a colossal dancing figure carved upon the cliff face above the facade of a cave- temple at Mogallarajapuram on the Krishna river. The Pallavas took up the

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There is more to the adorable laughing Buddha than meets the eye. His face bursts forth with the mirth of enlightenment. His rucksack contains the bare essentials of a Bodhisattva, which is not much, but He is supremely content. A string of prayer beads graces His ample neck. The laughing Buddha, who lived in Zhejiang during the rule of Later Liang, was reputed to be a Buddha of benevolent charact

This exceptionally ornate brass statue is an example of highly balanced anatomy with delightfully distributed right and left – a strange symmetry with the center unable to contain its line and mincing to the figure’s overall rhythm: the navel and abdomen tilting to the left, and the little inflated right breast, to further right, represents Lord Ganesha in a posture as if commanding and assuri

Lord Krishna is the god of compassion, love, and tenderness and is revered as one of the prominent avatars of Lord Vishnu in Hinduism. Krishna is interpreted as ‘all-attractive’, as the aura of his charm and purity captivates the eyes of the viewer. The beautiful brass sculptures you see on this page, depict Lord Krishna in his iconic Tribhanga posture, where the left leg crosses the right fro

Lord Buddha hailed from a royal family, of the Shakya clan, hailing from the modern Indo-Nepal border. As a young man, he renounced his aristocratic heritage and embraced the life of an ascetic beggar. Buddha understood the fallacies of materialistic attachments. He taught to his followers that this attachment was the root of all suffering. It's notable however that Buddha never advocated com

The Hindu deity, Bhagwan Krishna is famous for his naughty leelas with Radha and other gopis of Gokul, the intense charm of his face, and the Madhur (melodious) tunes arousing from his flute. This sculpture of Krishna depicts him as standing on a rectangular thick brass block etched in a realistic stone-like pattern. He is postured in his iconic tribhanga posture with the left leg bent forward and

Lord Hanuman sits down balanced on a single knee. He sets the mace down to His right, and gathers His hands in the namaskaram mudra. This mudra conveys an acknowledgement of the divine contained within the entity afore oneself. In the case of the great Hanuman, it is none other than Lord Rama before whom He bows. The face with the protruding jaws that bear striking resemblance to a monkey.

It is not just His childlike innocence that makes Ganesha one of the most popular deities of the Indian pantheon. The adorable form of a chubby little boy, His generosity with blessings and boons, and that unfailing love of laddoos - so much so that His iconography is incomplete without a bunch of the delectable Indian sweetmeat in the picture - endear Him to His devotees. The fateful Samudra-Mant

A one-of-a-kind bitone Buddha composition. The predominant color is black, which has the unmistakable sheen of marble. The medium captures the otherworldly glamour of the erstwhile Shakyamuni. The complementary color, white, is to be found in the dotted raiment clothing of the seated figure, which makes for a surreal visual experience. Legs gathered in the perfect padmasana - heels together direct

This brass-statue represents a winged Naga-kanya, a maiden with a serpent’s lower half. Almost all ancient mythologies world-over comprise the concept of half man-half serpent and half maiden-half serpent, often interacting with the world of man. As regards the cult of man-serpent mixed forms, Indian mythology is far more elaborate though strangely while it talks with definiteness about diff

This image is that of Dakini Vajrayogini. A Dakini is the most important female principle in Tantric Buddhism, representing the ever-changing flow of female energy. They are the guardians of teachings and are considered the supreme embodiments of wisdom. The Dakini can help change human weaknesses into wisdom and understanding, and the concept of self into enlightened energy. There are two kinds o

In the Shaiva shrines of South India, the wife of Mahadeva Shiva- Parvati, resides as Shivakamasundari – the beautiful woman who is the sole focus of Shiva’s passionate love. Resonating with her descriptions in the Hindu textual traditions, Devi Parvati in her sculptures appears as a divine amalgamation of yoga (spiritual attainment) and Bhoga (material fulfilments). Maa Parvati’s standing i

She is the fairest Devi of the Hindu pantheon. She strums Her veena, cradled on the lap of a divine lotus. She lulls Her devotees with Her music and Her charm. She is the wife and the loved one (‘priya’) of Lord Brahma, who presides over the creative process (termed ‘srshti’ in Indian philosophy). She is the Devi of learning and the arts, crucial to that process. She is Devi Sarasvati, the

Garuda is said to be the devourer of all the evils on earth; it is an immortal mythological bird revered by Hindus and Buddhists alike. This king of birds is the vahana of Lord Vishnu and is said to exterminate the entire oceans full of snakes. In Mahabharata, he is invoked as a symbol of impetuous force, speed, and martial prowess. This statue shown here is carved out of superfine teak wood by ex

Karttikeya, also known as Murugan, Skanda, Kumara,and Subrahmanya, is the Hindu god of war. He is the son of Parvati and Shiva, brother of Ganesha, and a god whose life story has many versions in Hinduism. He is a philosopher-warrior, who destroyed evil in the form of the demon Taraka while teaching the pursuit of ethical life and the theology of Shaiva Siddhanta. After many exploits which proved

This elaborate brass sculpture is a variation of the Goddess Kali iconography, and hers is a distinct iconography. Her stance is far from the unassuming body language of Indian devices; she is clad in very little by way of clothing and shringar; and there is ferocity about her composure, which matches the weapons she wields in her numerous hands. This one is alone Goddess Kali's composition,

Dharma-Artha-kama-moksha (virtue, finances, pleasure, liberation) - these are the four Purusharthas or pursuits of a person, in Hinduism. Goddess Lakshmi’s four hands, the most common attributes attached to her iconography, represent these four life goals. It is well established that in the pursuit of any of the above-mentioned goals, Ma Lakshmi’s Kripa (regards) is required by the devotee. La

The panchamukha-roopa is common to many deities in the Hindu pantheon. The word ‘panchamukha’ is a portmanteau of ‘pancha’, which means five, and ‘mukha’, which means face. The murti that you see on this page is of the Panchamukha Vinayaka (another name for Ganesha). Each of the five faces stands for the yogic koshas or layers of existence. It is a murti of Vengai wood, derived from a

Godhead of Hindu trinity deities and the most popular incarnation of Lord Vishnu- Lord Krishna or Murlimanohar is the leader, hero, protector, teacher, and a friend of all. He is the ruler, not only of religion and philosophy, but also mysticism, literature, and all aspects of Indian folklore. Here he stands on a flourishing carved multilayered leveled-up inverted lotus in his run-of-the-mill cros

Gentle and wise and perfect in every way, Lord Ganesha is the widely revered son of Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati. Ganesha Brass Statue is adored by devotees for His childlike form and disposition, which gives Him a high propensity to mete out blessings and boons to those who simply turn to him. In this life-sized sculpture, He is seated in all His cosmic glamour upon a curvaceous multi-tiered thron

Lord Hanuman is known to be a popular symbol of strength and selfless devotee of Lord Rama in Hinduism. It is said that he is the only God who is still present on Earth in various forms as per Sita’s blessing of being there for his devotees forever. The sculptor has kept up to the key characteristics of Lord Hanuman of devotion, courage, and self-discipline while carving out this sculpture, as c

Shitala Mata is a folk deity and an incarnation of supreme Goddess Durga; cures poxes, sores, ghouls, pustules, and diseases. Shitala literally means ‘one who cools’ and is referred to as ‘ma’ or ‘mata’ as she, just like a mother cures her children of diseases and other evil spirits and ghosts. She is known by various names, Jagrani (queen of the world), Karunamayi (full of mercy), Man