It is not often that you find classical bronzes with multiple figures. No wonder this bronze caught my attention.

It is a group of seven women on a single pedestal. An assembled figure. There is obviously a hierarchy among them, going by the differences in their height and placement. Only the central figure has attributes, and I am yet to identify the attributes.

The facial features and design of the crown suggest this Vigraha is from Western India. Worship of the Seven Sisters, as a protective deities, is common in Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan. There does not appear to be any standard iconography for them.

It is tempting to identify them as Saptamatrikas. The absence of attributes, Vahanas and the difference in heights preclude that possibility.

Seven Sisters have an identity of their own, and their names change by the region. The worship of the Seven Sisters as a group is far more common than the worship of Saptamatrikas.

As part of my research, I did a Google image search and came across a bronze, now in the British Museum, with seven figures on a single pedestal. It is identified as Seven Planets. The central figure’s attire is different from the others.

Not quite convinced about the gender attribution. But the question is, why Seven Planets? Hindu’s have always worshipped Nine Planets (Navagrahas).

Anyway, that is a different topic.

The Seven Sisters bronze may be about 150 years old. It is 13 cm wide and 9 cm tall. It is from the Western India.