Seated Ganesha (Primary Title)
Unknown (Artist)
Wearing an intricately jeweled crown, Ganesha is depicted here as a benign, royal divinity. He clutches an axe and a lotus in his upper hands. His lower left hand cradles a bowl of sweets, one of which he has taken in his trunk, ready to feed himself. As his enormous potbelly and chubby legs attest, Ganesha has an insatiable appetite for sweets. The cobra tied around his middle and the tusk in his lower right hand probably refer to a story in which he girded himself with a snake in order tokeep his tummy from bursting. The moon witnessed this amusing sight and laughed, making Ganesha so angry that he broke off one of his tusks and hurled it at the heavenly body. This compact relief probably once graced a Hindu temple in southern Karnataka, likely installed in a niche to left as one approached the main deity. The deep hole at his navel may be the result of ritual touching by legions of passing devotees.
Hoysala
Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection, Gift of Paul Mellon
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
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