Possibly south-central or eastern Rajasthan
Late tenth to eleventh century CE
Sandstone; 32.2 x 19.8 x 10.9 cm
(12-5/8 x 7-13/16 x 4-5/16 in.)
Ackland Fund, 87.51
Provenance: Acquired 17 November 1987 from Spink Son, & Ltd., London.
The Garland Bearer in a Medallion is probably a fragment from the stone benches found in the entrance halls, projecting porches, and ambulatory pathways of many temple complexes in northern India. The shape, together with the organization of the foliage and roundel, suggests that this piece was part of a seat back (kakshasana). It would have sloped outward to make a smooth and comfortable seat within. Carved on the reverse with a frieze, it would also have formed part of the elaborate ornamentation of the temple’s exterior (Figs. 40, 41). When viewed from the side, the sloping top of the piece attests to its original outward lean. Based on existing seat backs, the Ackland’s piece was part of a larger unit, likely with a balustrade. The Ackland’s fragment must be envisioned as part of a temple’s elaborate exterior and, at the same time, as a piece of built-in functional furniture that supported the weary backs of travelers or pilgrims as they took in the multi-sensory ritual activities within the temple’s halls.1
Garland bearers are one of the many types of semi-divine attendants found on Indian temples. This figure demonstrates the ritual practice of offering a floral garland to the temple’s deities. Garland bearers frequently frame images in niches as seen in the Dancing Ganesha (Plate 13) and Brahmani (Plate 14). However, adjacent roundels may also have contained other types of paired or individual figures, abstracted vegetation, and other decoration, as many
motifs are used interchangeably. Whether vegetal or figural, the decorative motif typically expands to fill the entire medallion, creating a swirling rhythm, suggesting that the Garland Bearer may have been incorporated into the seat back as much for his decorative rhythm as for his role as attendant to the sanctum deity.
The medallion framed by a half diamond and double volute is a common decorative motif for such seat backs. This composition became highly popular in the mid-tenth century and continued into the eleventh century across a wide geographic area.2 Examples of the half diamond and double volute occur prolifically in Rajasthan, although each site has its own distinct variation.3 The garland bearer’s circular earrings, swept-back hairstyle parted down the middle with a decorative curl over each temple, and square face ending in a pointed chin further link this piece to the south-central to eastern part of modern Rajasthan.4 LJT
1 For further discussion of the activities occurring in the temple halls with their built-in seating, see Phyllis Granoff, “Halayudha’s Prism: The Experience of Religion in Medieval Hymns and Stories,” (pp. 67–93) and Darielle Mason’s catalogue entry, “Slanted Seat Back” (pp. 197–98) in Gods, Guardians, and Lovers, ed. Vishakha N. Desai and Darielle Mason (New York and Ahmedabad: Asia Society Galleries and Mapin Publishing, 1993).
2 Existing temples with this motif can be found as far west as Prabhas-Patan in Gujarat, as far north as Pinjore in Haryana, and as far east as Chandrehe in Madhya Pradesh. See Somanatha Phase I temple (ca. 960–965 CE), Prabhas-Patan, Junagadh District, Gujarat, Encyclopaedia of Indian Temple Architecture, North India: Beginnings of Medieval Idiom, ed. M.A. Dhaky (New Delhi and Philadelphia: American Institute of Indian Studies and University of Pennsylvania Press, 1983), vol. 2, pt. 3, bk. 2, plate 658; Shiva temple (ca. 950 CE), Chandrehe, Rewa District, Madhya Pradesh, plate 102.
3 Ibid., Mahavira temple (ca. 954 CE), Ghanerav, Pali District, Rajasthan, plate 376; Sas-Bahu temple complex (ca. 975–980 CE), Nagada, Udaipur, Rajasthan, plates 463-4; Ambika temple (961 CE), Jagat, Udaipur District, Rajasthan, plate 415; Nilakanthesvara temple, Kekind, Nagaur, Rajasthan, plate 276; Lodrava, Jaisalmer District, Rajasthan (ca. 960–970 CE), plate 328.
4 Note however, that the treatment of foliate ornament closely resembles that on the mid-tenth-century Kaleshvari Temple at Kaleshvari-ni-nal, Panch Mahal District, Gujarat. Email communication from Darielle Mason, 2/28/2006.