吊坠 · Pendant with Two-Armed Blue Deity on a Lotus with Nagas (serpent divinities)

This pendant was made to hang on a large bronze sculpture of a deity in a Nepalese temple. Nepalese craftsmen excelled at detailed encrustation of jewels to depict complex figural imagery. They painstakingly shaped gold wire into tiny frames, then inserted polished stones that were held in place with an adhesive. This pendant features a central two-armed deity, possibly Garuda, the mount of the Hindu god Vishnu, carved from lapis lazuli. A pair of nagas (serpent deities) with golden tails intertwined below have human faces made of carved turquoise. Garuda is known for his ability to tame the nagas.