SHESHASHAYI VISHNU
Description
EVERY inch of this large slab is carved with profuse iconographic and decorative details of the myth of Vishnu reclining on the serpent Shesha also known as Ananta. The panel is not carved as a single-level bas-relief as usual. The artist has imaginatively used the available thickness of the stone slab to place the figures on different receding levels of the space which lends greater dimension to the relief. Vishnu is reclining on a bed of serpent coils, spread on a cot, supporting his head on his upper right hand. Goddess Lakshmi seated near his feet is partially mutilated. The warriors on the panel behind Vishnu are the demons Madhu and Kaitabha. The artist’s ability for detailing is seen in the carving of the deep undercuts, the pillow below the head of Vishnu, the joints and the two front legs of the cot and the decorative design on the stool on which Lakshmi is seated.
Collection
Sculptures
Object Type
Sculpture
Material
Unpolished Dolerite
Schools/Culture/Period
--
Technique
--
Date
11th century CE
Location
Dohad, Panch Mahal District, Gujarat
Dimension
78 x 167 x 53 cms.