Possibly southeastern Rajasthan or western Rajasthan, Malwa region
Mid-eleventh to early twelfth century CE
Sandstone; 79.1 x 33.2 x 16.5 cm
(31-1/8 x 13-1/16 x 6-1/2 in.)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lenart, 70.21.1
Provenance: Acquired 17 July 1970 from the private collection of Mr. and Mrs. Lenart.

Framing the entrance to the sanctum, temple doorways frequently portray images of celestial beings, ascetics, and other minor deities in their roles as protectors and companions of the primary deity (Fig. 44, 45). Although paired today, and carved on a single block of stone, the two figures in Celestial Figure and Ascetic occupied separate recesses in the architectural framework. Of the two, the female figure is clearly given prominence in size, volume, and the detail lavished upon her form.

The sinuous female figure appears as if caught in motion. Her left arm extends above her head in a graceful gesture while her scarf gently swirls around her shoulders and knees. Her overarching arm and languorous pose are echoed in the curving lotus vine with paired birds on its seedpod curling overhead. She is heavily adorned with necklaces, anklets, bracelets, and an elaborate girdle. The broken mirror in her right hand identifies her as an attendant to the primary deity housed in the temple’s inner sanctum. The juxtaposition of her full female figure with the fantastic lotus vine and paired birds emphasizes her fertility and her auspiciousness. The male figure is readily identifiable as an ascetic by his simple loincloth, staff, and the sacred thread running diagonally across his torso from shoulder to hip. An apotropaic mask of glory (kirtimukha) above marks the liminal space of the doorway.

This fragment likely formed part of the set of figures framing the lower jamb of the doorway into a temple sanctum.1 The leaning stance of the ascetic, together with the elaborate pose of the celestial female, suggests that the piece belonged in a corner, where the doorway sculpture met the wall. In this configuration, only the torso of the ascetic would have been visible, explaining the unusual lack of attention to his lower body.2 If this were the case, the figures would have been part of the lower left jamb frieze.

Although the original location of this sculpture is not known, it may come from the Malwa region, in modern southeastern Rajasthan and western Madhya Pradesh. Her pose and jewelry compare closely with those on the Sas Temple at Gwalior (1093 CE), providing an approximate date for the piece.3 EWW

1 From the tenth century onwards, the set typically included river goddesses, ascetics, and door guardians.
2 However, the possibility that it was part of the vertical posts beneath the carved seat back of a large temple cannot be excluded.
3 The female figure can be compared with a torso in the Kota Museum from the same period (AIIS Photographic Archive Neg. 646.14), and the leonine mask with one carved on the ceiling of the eleventh-century Mahakaleshvara Temple at Atru (AIIS Photographic Archive Neg. 642.54).