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.
Birds are also associated with spiritual bliss, freedom, insight, and wholesomeness.
The four legs of the boar represent the holy scriptures. Its tusk represents sacrifice, its tongue the sacred fire, its head is priesthood and its two eyes represent the day and night.
The conch shell is revered as a giver of fame, longevity and prosperity and as the cleanser of sin.
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.
Composite beasts often include physical attributes of elephants and tigers in addition to other beasts. They are protective entities.
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.
Serpents represent both death and infinity. There is a belief in the possibility of snake spirits possessing human beings and influencing their behavior, by taking revenge against them for their past cruelties. Snakes may even assume human form and enter a conjugal or romantic relationship with humans. Therefore, snakes can also symbolize sexuality, fertility, weapons, and destructive power.
If there is interest, I will provide other details/information available prior to purchase.
Antiques.co.uk Ref: 5Y59DXX9
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