Vishnu with goddesses

Object Details

• Label

  Vishnu is one of the three principal Hindu deities. Here he is shown flanked, on the right, by Shri Lakshmi, goddess of good fortune, and, on the left, by Sarawati, goddess of learning. The shrine was made for daily domestic worship. The shrine is mounted on an altar with a drain to carry off fluids used in ritual bathing of the image. With its base, walls, spire, and water-jar finial, the shrine is a miniature version of Hindu temples built in the eastern state of Orissa during the same period.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Arts of the Indian Subcontinent and the Himalayas (October 16, 2004 to January 3, 2016)

  South and South East Asian Art (May 9, 1993 to February 7, 2000)

  The Arts of South Asia (May 13, 1985 to December 2, 1985)

  The Ramayana (July 18, 1983 to April 15, 1984)

  Hindu and Buddhist Art (April 1, 1982 to July 18, 1983)

  Hindu and Buddhist Art (January 28, 1981 to September 24, 1981)

  Indian Art (January 1, 1963 to January 28, 1981)

• Origin

  Orissa, India

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Sculpture

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1100s, 1300s

• Place

  Orissa, India

• Topic

  Bronze, Conch shell, Art, Lotus, Sarasvati, Eastern Ganga dynasty (700 - 1299), Metal-work, South Asian and Himalayan Art, Vishnu, Shrine, Sculpture, Attendant, Lakshmi

• Culture

  Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Object Type

  Sculpture