Nagakal
Sculpture
6th century (made)
6th century (made)
| Place of origin |
Female crowned nagini holding a blossom, probably a lotus flower in her left: her right hand has been damaged. She is wearing jewellery and a circlet beneath her navel where her lower half is shown as a wavy serpent tail. The stone is roughly carved behind her and is plain except for two pairs of snakes either side of her head next to the now damaged ruff of cobras (their heads are now missing), which springs from her shoulders.
The stele bears a tenon at its base where it would have been slotted into its original architectural setting.
The stele bears a tenon at its base where it would have been slotted into its original architectural setting.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Nagakal (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | carved limestone |
| Brief description | snake princess; Sculpture, limestone, Palnad Taluga, Buddhist, C6? |
| Physical description | Female crowned nagini holding a blossom, probably a lotus flower in her left: her right hand has been damaged. She is wearing jewellery and a circlet beneath her navel where her lower half is shown as a wavy serpent tail. The stone is roughly carved behind her and is plain except for two pairs of snakes either side of her head next to the now damaged ruff of cobras (their heads are now missing), which springs from her shoulders. The stele bears a tenon at its base where it would have been slotted into its original architectural setting. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Purchased from R. Robert Sewell, J.C.S. |
| Object history | In southern India Nagakals are votive tablets to snake divinities which are set up by women who wish to become pregnant. They are frequently placed in groups in temples, entrances to villages and towns, near ponds or under trees. This relief was purchased from Robert Sewell, (I.C.S., member of the Council of the Royal Asiatic Society) in 1913. The acquisition register records that the object was "From a deserted village in a forest tract in the Palnad Taluqa, Kistna District, Madras Presidency." Purchased from R. Robert Sewell, J.C.S., 4, Britstol Gardens, Roehampton, Surrey. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Museum records (Asia Department registers and/or Central Inventory) as part of a 2023 provenance research project. RP 1913-1326M |
| Bibliographic reference | Barnard, Nick. 'A Third-Century CE Nagarjunakonda Relief and Other Sculpture from Andhra Pradesh in the Victoria and Albert Museum' in Shimada, A. and Willis, M. (eds.) Amaravati: The Art of an Early Buddhist Monument in Context, British Museum Research Publication 207. The British Museum, London, 2016. ISBN 978 0861592074.
p. 81, fig. 106 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | IM.309-1913 |
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| Record created | June 25, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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