India
1970s
Approximately 35 x 21 cm
The Hindu pantheon is complex and composed of numerous gods and deities. In this piece, deities often appear on animal mounts (vahanas), their vehicles. The creatures here are all auspicious and this item is likely for fortune telling/astrology. The seller reported this came from a man who had commissioned a temple priest to produce it for him. In this piece are several auspicious signs.
The cow symbolizes wealth, compassion, righteousness (dharma), motherhood, divinity, sacrifice, service, purity, and auspiciousness. In ancient India, a person’s social and economic status depended upon the number of cattle he possessed. Lord Krishna grew up in a family of cowherds and personally tended the cows and other domestic animals in his childhood. Shiva is known as the lord of the cows.
The lotus flower is the foremost symbol of beauty, prosperity and fertility. Within each human is the spirit of the sacred lotus. It represents eternity, purity, divinity, and is widely used as a symbol of life, fertility, ever-renewing youth. The lotus flower is used to describe feminine beauty, especially female eyes.
Elephants symbolize royalty, majesty, strength, divinity, abundance, fertility, intelligence, keenness, destructive power, and grasping power. The souls in elephants are said to be highly evolved and ripe for evolution. Its large head symbolizes knowledge, intelligence and thinking power. The trunk represents grasping power, while his large ears denote his attentiveness.
Birds/fowl are also associated with spiritual bliss, freedom, insight, and wholesomeness. Birds have long been associated with sensuous longing and attachment. Birds may be messengers between lovers. This piece may feature a peacock. On the one hand, peacocks symbolize aggression, ferocity and war like qualities while on the other, purity, grace, beauty, artistic ability, agility, and harmony.
The parrot is the vehicle of Kama (Manmadha), the god of love and lust. It is a messenger between forlorn lovers or a companion of the lovesick.
If there is interest, I will provide other details/information available prior to purchase.
Antiques.co.uk Ref: 6QM5WYAN
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