Lower part of a Nagaraja (Serpent King) image

Object Details

• Label

  Serpent-kings, who were believed to dwell within splendid kingdoms below lakes and rivers, were absorbed into the Hindu and Buddhist religions as semidivine protectors and devotees. This nagaraja probably stood on a low base outside the gates of a Buddhist stupa (reliquary mound) or monastery. Its heavy coils emphasize the robust monumentality typical of sculpture from Mathura, the southern Kushan stronghold in the Gangetic plains.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

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

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

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

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

• Origin

  Mathura, U.P., India

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Sculpture

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Place

  U.P., Mathura, India

• Topic

  South Asian and Himalayan Art, Art, King, Kushan dynasty (1st century BCE - 299 CE), Stone, Snakes

• Culture

  Himalayan peoples, South Asians, Naga (South Asian people)

• Object Type

  Sculpture