Durga on tiger
Relief
Late 18th century -early 19th Century (made)
Late 18th century -early 19th Century (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
A low relief rectangular plaque carved in a naiive style shows the four armed goddess Durga in a full-frontal pose of her upper body while sitting astride a tiger which faces left with its front right paw raised. In her outsttretched hands the goddess holds a sword and perhaps a shield, bow and arrow. She wears a crown and has large almond-shaped eyed with brows that meet at a vertical third eye in her forehead. Traces of red paint (vermilion) remain on the surface of the plaque indicating that the object was used in worship. The tiger's stripes are represented by a number of irregular incised slashes.
Object details
Object type | |
Title | Durga on tiger (generic title) |
Materials and techniques | Fine-grained calcareous sandstone carved in low relief. |
Brief description | Relief plaque showing Durga on tiger, finegrained sandstone, 18th early 19th century, Kota. |
Physical description | A low relief rectangular plaque carved in a naiive style shows the four armed goddess Durga in a full-frontal pose of her upper body while sitting astride a tiger which faces left with its front right paw raised. In her outsttretched hands the goddess holds a sword and perhaps a shield, bow and arrow. She wears a crown and has large almond-shaped eyed with brows that meet at a vertical third eye in her forehead. Traces of red paint (vermilion) remain on the surface of the plaque indicating that the object was used in worship. The tiger's stripes are represented by a number of irregular incised slashes. |
Dimensions |
|
Marks and inscriptions | An inscription on the reverse reads: "Taken from the 'Sacred Temple' in the Fortress of Kote, Kangra.. May 28 1846. F.G." ("There are few letters in Nagari script reading pamara (?)."
Gauriswar Bhattacharya, 13 July 2006.) |
Object history | Received from the Geological Survey & Museum. The inscription on the back of the carving is dated 1846 which was the year the British took over the District of Kangra at the end of the Ist Sikh war. The state had a long history association with the Rajput Katoch kings of Kangra. In 1785 the fort had been relinquished by a Sikh chieftain to Sansar Chand, the legitimate Rajput prince of Kangra, but he lost the fort to the Sikh ruler, Ranjit Singh in 1809. The relief may date to his reign. Kot Kangra, the fort occupied a site above the town built on high cliffs on three sides. The palace buildings and temples of the Katoch kings were all at its highest point. The fort with its temples and the town were badly damaged by an earthquake in 1905. |
Collection | |
Accession number | IS.1-1962 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
Record created | September 5, 2002 |
Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest