- Title
- Lintel with the Nine Planetary Deities
- Date Made
- circa 600-625
- Medium
- Sandstone with traces of paint
- Dimensions
- 4 3/4 x 30 1/2 x 2 3/8 in. (12.06 x 77.47 x 6.03 cm)
- Accession Number
- AC1999.262.1
- Collecting Area
- South and Southeast Asian Art
- Curatorial Notes
Dating stylistically to circa 600-625, this lintel from Uttar Pradesh is one of the earliest extant representations of all nine planetary deities (navagraha). Surya (Sun) is shown on the viewer’s left in a squatting position. He holds a lotus in each upraised hand and wears a conical crown and chest armor. To his right are six planetary deities seated in various positions of axial alignment. The right hand of each of the first four deities is raised in the gesture of reassurance, while the right hand of the remaining two is shown clutched at the chest with the wrist bent back and knuckles facing outward. Each of the six planetary figures except Shani (Saturn) grasps the neck of a water vessel in his left hand. Chandra (Moon) is curiously topped with curly hair, while the others have an ascetic’s piled hair. Rahu (Demon of Eclipses) is portrayed in what may be an anachronistic mode of expression. He appears more humorous than horrific and seems to sneer rather than snarl. His demonic nature is indicated by his oversize ear, bulging eyes, and thick eyebrows. His left forearm and hand are shown in a grasping gesture. The half-serpentine figure of Ketu (Personification of Comets) appears to be female and has an ascetic's hairstyle. She holds a sword or club in her left hand while the other hand is raised in the gesture of reassurance. See also M.83.221.1, M.75.105, and AC1999.58.1.
- Selected Bibliography
- Markel, Stephen. "Hindu Cosmology and Mythology." Orientations 55, no.6 (2024): 39-47.
