This is Veerabhadra, identified by his attributes: a sword, a Trishul, an arrow, a bow, an unidentified object and a missing shield. The shield would have rested on the severed head on his left. Yes, that is right this icon has six arms.

One interpretation of the six arms is that it is a demonstration of the supernatural features of deities.

The goat-headed Daksha on Veerabhadra’ s right reinforces the identification.

For the story of Veerabhadra, please see one of the earlier blogs.

The tiered crown, the flames on the prabhavali, and Veerabhadra’ s mundamala are some of the features worth noting. The little movement in Veerabhadra’ s legs and the plaited hair are uncommon design features.

This bronze is from the Deccan region. It is a single piece and not cast as a single piece. This bronze may be dated to the nineteenth century. It is about 17 cm high.