Part of rail pillar, sandstone, Mathura, early Kushan, 2nd century AD

Part of a curving gateway (torana) bracket decorated with a shalabhanjika or yakshi holding a branch of a tree with long, lanceolate leaves. This is one half of the bracket which has a similar figure on the reverse ( IM.73-1927). It was formerly sliced in two before the museum acquired it, but is now rejoined. The figure is damaged having been cut off at the knees and she has also lost both hands and a portion of her left breast. Her hair is smoothed over her head with a shallow, oval bun at the front. She wears courtly jewellery, including ear-lobe ornaments, two bead necklaces and arm bangles from her wrists almost to her elbows. She also wears a belt round her hips made of over-lapping fish-scale-like segments with an elaborate central clasp. This belt secures a diaphanous skirt (antariya) which has a narrow girdle in front below her waist, which leaves the rest of her lower body nude. There is a looped sash shown behind her on her right and folds of the skirt are visible between her legs. This bracket belonged to a ceremonial gateway (torana) marking an entrance to a shrine, most probably a Buddhist or possibly a Jain stupa.

Buddhist or possibly Jain Salabhanjika or yakshi

Purchased from Imre Schwaiger , with 73-1927 . The panel had been sawn into two pieces for purposes of display, but was re-joined in the 1980s.

Reportedly from a Jain stupa, carved in mottled red sandstone. The panel forms one face of the upper half of the original pillar or bracket. The pillar was at some time split into two halves, the other face being I.M. 72-1927, but they are now reunited. The subject represents a guardian Yakshi (Vrikshaka) down to the knees. She stands with body conforming to the curve of the bracket, with her arm raised over her head to hold the branch of a flowering Ashoka-tree, whilst her right hand (broken away) rested on the rich girdle which encircles her hips. Each forearm is almost completely covered by thirteen bracelets, the ears have large jewelled earplugs and round the neck are two bead-necklaces. The figure is apparently nude, but the ridge across the stomach and the sash falling down her left side, indicate the skirt of transparent diaphanous muslin.

Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India

This double-sided pillar bracket relief was reportedly recovered from a Jain stupa (shrine) site at Mathura. Carved in mottled red sandstone, it represents Vrikshaka, a female nature-spirit guardian (yakshi).
She stands with her right arm raised over her head to hold the branch of a flowering Ashoka tree and is decked with courtly jewellery. Her left hand rests on the richly bejewelled girdle which she wears on her hips. Around her neck she wears two bead-necklaces, each forearm is covered with bracelets and her ears have large jewelled earplugs. The figure is seemingly naked. However, a ridge across the stomach and the sash falling down her left side indicate a skirt of transparent diaphanous fabric, perhaps a fine muslin.
At some point in its post-excavation history this relief was sawn into two. This enabled both faces to be exhibited and it was assigned two museum numbers (IM.72-1927 and IM.73-1927). It was restored as a single object in the 1980s.

IM.73-1927