Lakshman

The iconography of Lakshman seems to vary especially when he is in the Ram Durbar set.

Here is one more variation. Lakshman is carrying two sets of bow and quiver. One of them is Rama’s. In a typical Ram Darbar scenario, Rama is seated on a throne with Sita, his consort, sitting next to him. This precludes the possibility of Rama carrying his trademark bow and arrow. And there is always Lakshman to do what his beloved elder brother needs, keep Rama’s bow and arrows readily accessible.

The identification is based on the context. See the above example of a Ram Darbar set from Victoria Albert Museum. Lakshman is on our right.

The Anjali mudra is typical of Lakshman’s iconography in Ram Durbar set. In this example Lakshman is standing in Samapada, without any bend.

There is another form of Lakshman carrying just one bow and quiver. For a discussion of that see my blog on Lakshman.

This Vigraha is from Karnataka, and it may be dated to the nineteenth century. The Vigraha is about 8 cm tall.

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