Ravanagrihamurti (Shiva subdues the demon Ravana)

Images(2)

Ravanagrihamurti (Shiva subdues the demon Ravana)

Dateca. mid to late 9th century

Label TextThis relief tells a full story but was only one of many images on a temple exterior. The piled slabs, carved with diagonal shapes and tiny animals, represents Mount Kailasha, Himalayan home of the Hindu god Shiva and his wife, Parvati. Kailashanatha has long been considered one of the holiest places on earth, not only by Hindus but also by Buddhists, Jains, and others. Below the mountain crouches a man with many heads and spiderlike arms. He is the powerful demon Ravana (also encountered in the ancient Indian religious epic, the Ramayana). In the story depicted here, Ravana challenges Shiva by trying to carry away his mountain. Parvati cowers, her hand on Shiva’s chest, but the great god is unfazed. With one foot, he calmly presses the mountain and makes it so heavy that Ravana can no longer bear the load.

Shiva and Parvati, each bedecked with jewels and nimbus, sit in royal ease on top of Mount Kailasa. The mountain throne of the gods is symbolized here by a circular, three-tiered platform decorated with tree motifs, serpents, a bird and an animal, all representing the flora and fauna of the mountain. Below is Ravana, an enemy of the gods who has been imprisoned in the netherworld by the weight of Shiva's mountain. In an effort to break free, Ravana shakes the mountain, causing a quake which alarms Parvati. Glancing downward, she turns to Shiva for reassurance while he calmly presses down with his foot to hold the mountain secure. The tranquility and harmony of the godly world prevail. The image's rectilinear shape and small size suggest that it was probably part of the wall decoration of a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva.

Object number67.134

Provenance[William H. Wolff, Inc., New York]; purchased from gallery by Seattle Art Museum (Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection), March 28, 1966, accessioned 1967

Exhibition HistoryNew York, New York, The Asia Society, "Gods, Guardians and Lovers: Temple Sculpture From North India, 700-1200 A.D.", Asia Society, 3/29-8/15/93; Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, 10/10-12/5/93 (03/29/1993 - 12/05/1993) Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, "50 Years: A Legacy of Asian Art", June 30, 1983 - May 30, 1984, (6/30/1983 - 5/30/1984) Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Boundless: Stories of Asian Art, Feb. 8, 2020 - ongoing. Published References"Selected Works." Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum, 1991, p. 146 Sharma, Brijendra Nath. "Rāvaṇa Lifting Mount Kailāsa in Indian Art," in East and West, Vol. 23, No. 3/4 (September-December 1973), pp. 327-338, fig. 9 "Museum Accessions for 1969," in Archives of Asian Art, Vol. XXII, 1968-1969, p. 134 S.A.M. "Engagement Book," (10-12-69)

Credit LineEugene Fuller Memorial Collection

Dimensions21 x 17 in. (53.34 x 43.18 cm)

MediumSandstone