Vishnu's flaming chakra, copper alloy, South India, 16-17th century.

Copper alloy image of Vishnu's flaming chakra or discus. A ring on a stand contains a face of a vyali encircled with lotus petals or face of glory in the centre surrounded by radiating petal-like spokes. Flames shoot outwards at four points of the exterior of the ring. The ring is supported by a vyali on each side of the lower flame. It rests on a lotus pedestal which stands on a square base. The figure was previously identified in the nineteenth century as a Surya yantra, a representation of the sun god.

Probably given to the India Museum, London, by Colonel Colin Mackenzie (1754- 1821), who may have acquired it some time around 1800-10.

Transferred from the India Museum to the South Kensington Museum (now V&A) in 1879.

The object corresponds with the description of No. 16 in H.H. Wilson's catalogue of the Mackenzie Collection (1828). Colonel Colin Mackenzie was a British antiquarian who completed a major survey of the Mysore kingdom in southern India and became the first Surveyor General of India in 1815. Born in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland, Mackenzie travelled to India in 1783 as an Infantry cadet in the 78th Seaforth Highlanders but in 1786 transferred to become an Engineer in the Madras Army. He spent the remainder of his life in Asia, much of it in southern India, where he carried out a survey of the Nizam of Hyderabad's Dominions (1792-8) and the Mysore Survey (1799-1810), although he also worked in other parts of India and in Java (1811-13). Further information can be found in Howes, J. Illustrating India: the Early Colonial Investigations of Colin Mackenzie (1784-1821), Oxford University Press, 2010 and other publications. Mackenzie's serious research into antiquities began after his return from an expedition to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) in 1796 and was made possible by his association with Kavelli (or Cavelly) Venkata Boria, a Brahmin whose talents as a translator of Indian languages were of great importance to Mackenzie and some of whose family members continued to work with Mackenzie after Boria's death in 1803.

The India Museum Slip Book entry, number 468, for this Museum number 750(IS) describes it as 'Idol (Bronze)... Surya, the sun'. However, it is also possible that the object in question was originally numbered 742(IS), Slip number 407, which is described as 'Emblem in bronze... Surya-yantra, the disc of the sun', presented by 'Col. Mackenzie'. The Mackenzie Collection Surya Yantra is described in Wilson's catalogue as 'Surya Yantram (Copper). A Circular figure of the sun according to the Astronomical system of the Hindus; on four sides of the disk is a god of Fire in the form of a flame, two lions support the globe of the sun.' However, the object now carrying the Museum number 742(IS) is a Nepalese mirror and does not correspond to Wilson's description. It is conceivable that the two Museum numbers were transposed at some point in their history.

Rather than a Surya yantra, the object may possibly now be identified as the flaming chakra or disc of the god Vishnu.

South India, Nayak Period

750(IS)