Vishnu-Lakshmi Seated On A Hoysala Throne

Hoysala was the name of the ruling dynasty in present-day Karnataka between the eleventh and fourteenth centuries. Under the patronage of its architecture-loving rulers, a number of icons and temples were built that now belong to the Karnata Dravida tradition. These structures stand to this day as testimony to an especial iconography, a fine example of which is the Vishnu-Lakshmi murti that you see on this page.It is an intricately sculpted bronze, a superior hallmark of the workmanship of the South. Lord Vishnu, the presiding deity over the preservation of existence, is seated in lalitasana on a four-legged throne. His wife, Devi Lakshmi, is sitting on His lap. She is the presiding deity over wealth and resources; and, as such, She is indispensable to Him. One hand He raises in blessing, while the other He puts around Her waist. She holds a lotus-bud in one hand; the other She rests gently on Her lap. The language of their bodies, their composite stance, is one of calm and stability. In other words, this sculpture would exude a world of sattvaguna wherever it is installed.Suggestions of the Hoysala style are to be found in the legs of the throne shaped like a lion’s paw and the network of vine down the frontal midline; the shringar of Lord Vishnu and Devi Lakshmi, and the aureole that stems from the backs of the lions that flank the Vishnu-Lakshmi ensemble. The simple yet elegant aureole, with its multiple curves, completes the beauty of the sculpture.