Surya
Sculpture
mid 13th century (made)
mid 13th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Surya, the Sun God is represented holding a lotus (padma) in each hand and is accompanied by his two wives Pratyusha, the goddess of twilight, and Usha, the goddess of dawn, who drives away the darkness with her arrows. The god stands frontally in an unflexed position (in samabhnaga posture) and has a circular halo. He wears elaborate ornaments including a jewelled crown (ratna mukuta),necklace (hara), a sacred thread (yajnopavita), a band above his waist (udarabandha),a girdle round his hips (katibandha), as well as rings on his fingers and toes, bracelets, armlets. earrings and anklets above and over the arches of his bare feet. The torana comprises two pilasters with elaborate mouldings, each surmounted by a makara and rider from which three bands of decoration on either side spring to form a pointed arch with a kirtimukhaat the apex.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Surya (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Metamorphosed impure limestone |
| Brief description | Figure of Surya, metamorphosed impure limestone, Hassan district, Karnataka, Deccan, mid-13th century. |
| Physical description | Surya, the Sun God is represented holding a lotus (padma) in each hand and is accompanied by his two wives Pratyusha, the goddess of twilight, and Usha, the goddess of dawn, who drives away the darkness with her arrows. The god stands frontally in an unflexed position (in samabhnaga posture) and has a circular halo. He wears elaborate ornaments including a jewelled crown (ratna mukuta),necklace (hara), a sacred thread (yajnopavita), a band above his waist (udarabandha),a girdle round his hips (katibandha), as well as rings on his fingers and toes, bracelets, armlets. earrings and anklets above and over the arches of his bare feet. The torana comprises two pilasters with elaborate mouldings, each surmounted by a makara and rider from which three bands of decoration on either side spring to form a pointed arch with a kirtimukhaat the apex. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Object history | Purchased in 1965 from Mrs. G. Slazenger., owner of the Powerscourt estate in Co. Wicklow, Ireland. Apart from the separate temples dedicated to Surya, he is also included in the Pancayatana system whereby the five principal Hindu deities, Visnu, Shiva, Durga, Ganesh and Surya are installed in one central and four subsidiary shrines. Although Surya was still a major deity in the 12th and 13th centuries his importance began to diminish after this period. Hoysala representations of Surya break from conventional iconography in the frequent absence of his seven horses and charioteer Aruna, and of his characteristic tall boots. |
| Production | Karnataka, Deccan, India |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Bibliographic reference | "Viscount Powerscourt, A Description and History of Powerscourt , Mitchell and Hughes, London, 1903
For related image see Annual Report of the Mysore Archaeological Department, 1917, p.12 & Plate VII.
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | IS.76-1965 |
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| Record created | February 13, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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