Collection record · Nature & imagination
Yoga Narashimha, Vishnu in his Man-Lion Avatar
The collection record classifies this work as sculpture. It is dated c. 1250. Recorded culture or place: South India, late Chola period (900–1200s).
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A closer look at the details.
- Museum title
- Yoga Narashimha, Vishnu in his Man-Lion Avatar
- Date
- c. 1250
- Culture / origin
- South India, late Chola period (900–1200s)
- Materials and technique
- bronze
- Dimensions
- Overall: 57 x 31 x 23 cm (22 7/16 x 12 3/16 x 9 1/16 in.); Base: 18.8 x 32 x 22.5 cm (7 3/8 x 12 5/8 x 8 7/8 in.)
- Artist / maker
- Not specified by the museum
- Museum
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Accession number
- 1973.187
FROM THE MUSEUM
In the museum’s words
The following description is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s original English record.
Narasimha means “man-lion” in Sanskrit, and is the name of one of the ten main avatars, or incarnations, of the Hindu god Vishnu. For devotees, the man-lion form recalls a myth that describes his superhuman defeat of a seemingly invincible demonic foe.
This rare iconic form also embodies royal power and yogic discipline. The intensity of his concentration is apparent in the expression of his face over the ruff of mane, the taut posture, symmetry, and perfect proportions of his four-armed body. The yoga band holds the crossed legs up in equilibrium. In his upper right hand he holds the flaming discus that, when thrown, cuts through ignorance and its demonic personifications.
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Text and image sources
The Cleveland Museum of Art · Gift of Dr. Norman Zaworski · CC0
The summary is based on public collection data. Refer to the museum’s latest record for the title, date and attribution.
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