This is Mahishasura Mardhni, the slayer of the demon Mahisha. Mardhini is a form of Durga. Here she is holding sword, arrow, chakra (discuss), Trishul, conch shell (shankha), bow, shield and Mahish…

Source: Mahishasuramardhini (GJ)

This is Vishnu accompanied by his consorts, Sri Devi and Bhu Devi. They are the Goddess of wealth and Goddess of Earth respectively. Vishnu is identified by his attributes. He is holding lotus, dis…

Source: Vishnu triad (Kerala)

This is Vishnu and he is identified by his attributes. He is holding mace, discuss, conch shell and lotus in his hands, clockwise starting from his lower right hand.  The mace and lotus are firmly …

Source: Seated Vishnu (Orissa)

This Rama and Sita. The identification is by elimination. Most of the Hindu male gods are portrayed with four arms and only Rama is shown with two hands. Remnants of  Vaishnavite symbol, V-shape, o…

Source: Sitarama (GJ)

Tree of Life is a frequently occurring theme. Trellis patterns of the Moghul period, paintings of trees, wooden carvings (see an example at the bottom) and sculptures like the one in this blog are …

Source: Tree of Life

This is Krishna, identified by the ball of butter in his right hand and the pinched hair-do. He is in dancing pose, with his right leg supported by lotus. This form of Krishna is quite common in ho…

Source: Dancing Krishna (Ganga Jamuna)

This is seated Ganesha with two attendants holding fans. Four armed, elephant headed Ganesha is accompanied by his vahana, a rat, shown between his right and retracted left leg. This is folk in nat…

Source: Ganesha with attendants

Krishna is identified by the butter ball in his right hand and pinched hair do. A three piece construction, base, prabhavali and deity, that is typical of Deccan. This bronze shows signs of worship…

Source: Dancing Krishna

This is Mahishasuramardhini, a form of Durga. Here she is slaying the asura (demon) Mahisha and hence the name. Mardhini is one of the widely worshiped Hindu goddesses. Mardhini is plunging trishul…

Source: Mardhini (Orissa)

Uma or Parvati while accompanying Nataraja is called Sivakami. Nataraja and Sivakami are normally on separate pedestals. It is not surprising given Nataraja’s form. Here Sivakami is framed by…

Source: Sivakami (Uma)

This is a Mukhalinga, translates to Linga (aniconic form of Siva) with a face. A robust Mukhalinga, turbaned, mustachioed and with solid ornaments. Note the ear rings , shaped like Cobra (Sarpakund…

Source: Mukhalinga

This is Vishnu holding lotus, mace, discuss and conch shell in his hands (starting from lower right clockwise). He is standing in Samapada , without any bend. This pose is more or less the default …

Source: Vishnu (Gujarat)

  This is Krishna as Venugopala, the flute player. In this case, as it is more or less normal, the flute is missing. Venugopala standing in the typical style, with his right leg bent and cross…

Source: Venugopala

This was sold as Phra Mae Thorani from Burma. Bought it for its grace, elegance and simplicity. Its height at 28.5 cm helped. Not quite sure about the identity or the regional attribution. She is s…

Source: Goddess (from Burma?)

Here the goddess is standing on a turtle base holding a mirror and a container in her hands. Ornamentation, though not elaborate, is complete. Take time to look at the hair pleat and the dec…

Source: Yamuna or Lakshmi?