Untitled

Unknown

ca. 10th century · Red sandstone · Asian Art

This ten-armed dancing Ganesha holds his broken tusk, weapons, a pot with sweetmeats, and many other attributes that have broken away. Two snakes—one stretched above his head, the other drawn across his chest as a sacred thread—are attributes that connect him to his father, Shiva. Unlike smaller portable images cast in metal, this large, sandstone example would have been placed in a temple niche to remove obstacles standing between the worshipper and the divine. As leader of the ganas (nature deities), Ganesha stands in a pose that emphasizes his playful and rambunctious nature—in contrast to his father Shiva’s cosmic dance of creation and destruction. As remover of obstacles, Ganesha clears a path to access Shiva while also bestowing wealth and prosperity.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 10th century

Medium

Red sandstone

Culture

India, Madhya Pradesh

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, 2007