Period: 11th century
Materials: Schist
Height: 73 cm
Provenance
Sotheby’s, New York, September 1996
Private Collection, Milan
LAKSHMI-NARAIANA (VAIKUNTHA KAMALAJA), Himachal Pradesh
Description
This rare sculpture depicting Lakshmi-Narayana (Vaikuntha Kamalaja) is among the most remarkable examples of 11th-century Himachal Pradesh sculpture. The work portrays an androgynous deity in which the bodies of Vishnu and Lakshmi are united into a single form, combining masculine and feminine attributes.
The image symbolizes the non-duality of the male and female principles of the universe and, on a deeper philosophical level, the union of sat (truth) and cit (consciousness), whose conjunction generates ananda (bliss).
The composition is clearly inspired by the iconography of Ardhanarishvara, the combined form of Shiva and Parvati, yet it finds a distinctive expression in Vaikuntha Kamalaja, a manifestation especially revered in Nepal and throughout the Western Himalayas, particularly Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.
The deity is shown seated upon Garuda, his sacred mount. The facial features, elaborate coiffure, jewelry, and refined carving technique strongly support an attribution to the artistic production of medieval Himachal Pradesh.
The hands of Vishnu hold his traditional attributes: the gada (mace), shankha (conch), chakra (discus), and padma (lotus). The female half, identified as Lakshmi, carries the kalasa (ritual water vessel), a mirror, a manuscript, and a lotus.
Owing to its rare iconography, refined craftsmanship, and remarkable state of preservation, this sculpture constitutes an important example of medieval Hindu art from Himachal Pradesh.
