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Among all the tens of thousands of stone sculptures created over the course of half a millennium in medieval eastern India, this incomparable work of art survives as a unique masterpiece. It is the only known image of the revered Hindu sage Agastya, and its extraordinarily high artistic quality and exquisite detail rank it as an indisputable masterwork.
The historical Agastya is believed to have been born in the seventh century in the ancient holy city of Banaras (modern Varanasi) in north India. In his early life, he was a great sage and religious ascetic. Then, after marrying a beauty queen and having a large family in order to fulfill a prophecy enabling his ancestors to go to heaven, Agastya moved to south India, where he and his descendants are credited with being responsible for the introduction of Hinduism and the worship of the important god Shiva.
Agastya is also believed to have taught south Indians medicine and grammar, invented the eloquent Tamil language of south India, and even written a treatise on making religious images for temples. His biography was further embellished by being merged with the mythological exploits of another great sage, also named Agastya, whose momentous deeds had been praised in even more ancient Indian literary works. He is thus said to have had a miraculous birth, had mastery over mountains (hence, the meaning of his name: “Mover of Mountains”), and once even swallowed the entire ocean. This last magical feat enabled him to travel to Cambodia and Indonesia, where he is recorded in ancient inscriptions and textual references as having founded numerous temples dedicated to Shiva.
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Gift of the 2005 Collectors Committee. |
