Kumara, The Divine General

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Kumara, The Divine General

India, Madhya Pradesh, 7th century
Sculpture
Reddish brown sandstone
28 1/2 x 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 in. (72.39 x 21.59 x 11.43 cm)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lenart (M.77.4)
South and Southeast Asian Art
Not currently on public view

Curator Notes

...
Kumara, also known as Skanda or Karttikeya in northern South Asia and Subrahmanyam or Murugan in the south, is the youthful Hindu god of war. He is the son of Shiva and Parvati. Although varying origin stories are presented in different textual sources, perhaps the most familiar is that Kumara was born when Shiva and Parvati were interrupted while having sex. This caused Shiva to ejaculate accidentally into a fire. As the god of fire, Agni, was unable to bear the heat of Shiva’s seed, he threw it into a thicket of reeds on the bank of the Ganges River. The embryo was found and nursed by the wives of sages known as the Krittikas (personifications of the Pleiades constellation cluster). He eventually grew into a handsome warrior boy who was destined to destroy the demon Taraka. In this representation, the nimbate Kumara stands in a stiff, frontal pose (samapada sthanaka). His hair is gathered into three braids (trishikha) and he wears a necklace of tiger claws (vyaghra nakha). His dhoti has a flamboyant fanlike fold across his left thigh. In his left hand, he holds the upright shaft of his now-broken spear, which was made from the Sun by Vishvakarman, the architect and artificer of the gods. His now-missing right hand was likely held in the gesture of charity (varada mudra) or was feeding his peacock mount standing behind him with its now-lost head turned upward. See also M.82.167, M.84.40, M.85.212.2, M.85.213.1, M.85.279.3, M.87.272.11, AC1993.151.1, AC1994.130.1, and AC1994.183.1.
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Bibliography

  • El Universo de la India: Obras Maestras del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Angeles. Santiago: Centro Cultural Palacio La Moneda, 2012.

  • Pal, Pratapaditya. The Divine Presence: Asian Sculptures from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lenart. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1978.

  • El Universo de la India: Obras Maestras del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Angeles. Santiago: Centro Cultural Palacio La Moneda, 2012.

  • Pal, Pratapaditya. The Divine Presence: Asian Sculptures from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lenart. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1978.

  • Newman, Richard.  The Stone Sculpture of India: a Study of the Materials Used by Indian Sculptors from ca. 2nd Century B.C. to the 16th Century.  Cambridge, MA:  Center for Conservation and Technical Studies, Harvard University Art Museums, 1984.
  • Pal, Pratapaditya. Indian Sculpture, vol.1. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; University of California Press, 1986.
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