Description

This sculpture of Ganesha, revered as the Puranic deity associated with the arts and with the removal of obstacles, dates to after the Gupta period, when his status emerged as prominent in the Puranic pantheon. While associated broadly with Shiva, his pan-cult status across traditions is also evident in texts like the Ganesapurana, the Mudgalapurana, the Brahmapurana and the Ganpati Atharvasirsa- which highlight the Ganpatya tradition as well. The proliferation of Ganesha- with his elements- has also permeated boundaries of faith, with his statuary and sculpture often featuring in Jaina and Buddhist tradition as well, across a large area in the subcontinent. This depiction shows him seated upon a pedestal, in a unique two-handed form, holding a banana and the modaka. His torso is fairly simple- covered only by a necklace and a naga-yajnopavita. While the right side of the sculpture is damaged, one can still look at detailed carving on his face as well as his lower torso, where the folds of his clothes are carved intricately. The base of the pedestal features more food as offerings, likely calling to Ganesha's role as a benevolent deity of abundance as well.