A RARE AND IMPRESSIVE SANDSTONE STELE DEPICTING SHIVA AND PARVATI, RAVANANUGRAHAMURTI, ABANERI, 8TH-9TH CENTURY

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A RARE AND IMPRESSIVE SANDSTONE STELE DEPICTING SHIVA AND PARVATI, RAVANANUGRAHAMURTI, ABANERI, 8TH-9TH CENTURY India, Rajasthan. Finely carved in deep relief, depicting Shiva and Uma seated in dalliance upon Mount Kailasha, the divine couple flanked by Ganas (attendants) and richly adorned with elaborate jewelry and tall headdresses. Below, the ten-headed demon king Ravana kneels beneath the mountain, straining to lift and shake it with his many arms, while Shiva subdues him by pressing down upon the mountain with the touch of his toe. Uma leans toward her consort in alarm, her sensitively modeled body arranged in an elegant and complex pose. The central scene is framed by two square pilasters densely carved with scrolling foliage, vase-and-foliage motifs, lotus medallions, and auspicious ornament, each surmounted by a fierce kirtimukha mask. Dimensions: Height 73 cm (excl. stand) With an associated metal stand. (2) Ravananugraha or Ravananugraha-murti (form showing favor to Ravana) is a benevolent aspect of the Hindu god Shiva, depicted seated on his abode Mount Kailash with his consort Parvati, while the rakshasa-king (demon-king) Ravana of Lanka attempts to uproot it. According to Hindu scriptures, Ravana was proceeding towards Kailasha on the flying Pushpaka Vimana, but the vehicle stopped moving as it neared the mountain. The enraged demon was warned by Nandi to not proceed further, as Shiva and Parvati were sporting on the mountain. Ravana, mocking Nandi, is then believed to have uprooted Mount Kailasha and lifted it in his arms, frightening Parvati, who clung onto Shiva. The god responded by pressing his foot down onto the mountain, crushing Ravana’s arms and pinning him in place. The defeated demon sang praises to Shiva for over a thousand years, after which the god eventually released him, bestowing him with blessings and a magical sword. The theme is popular in Indian art and is found as early as the Gupta-Pallava era (300–600 AD). The iconography of Ravananugrahamurti images derive directly from the story. They generally consist of two registers; the lower contains Ravana depicted with ten heads, lifting the mountain with multiple arms. His front two arms may be depicted carrying a sword, while his expression or posture may convey the pain or difficulty he is in. Shiva and Parvati are shown in the upper register, seated on the right and left sides respectively. Shiva is usually depicted with a calm expression, while Parvati may be shown seated next to or on the lap of Shiva, with her arms thrown around him to express her fear at the shaking of the mountain. Sculptural representations of Ravananugrahamurti appear frequently in the historical record from the eighth century, most commonly in Shiva temples built with the patronage of royal dynasties such as the Pallavas of Kanchipuram, the Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas and Hoysalas of the Deccan, and the Kalachuri and Pratihara dynasties of central India. Scholars have suggested that these depictions of Shiva’s effortless victory over Ravana, and the mercy he subsequently showed the demon, were incorporated into temples as political messages; the sculptures may have been intended to signify the might of a royal patron, and his mercy towards defeated rivals. Alternatively, the king may have been identified with Ravana, whose might was sufficient to shake even Mount Kailasha to its foundations. A large panel depicting Ravananugrahamurti is seen at the east entrance to the Elephanta Caves in Maharashtra, dated to about the seventh century CE. Shiva is shown holding onto his attendants by their hair as Ravana shakes the mountain. The scene is also prominently featured in the rock-cut cave temples of Ellora, Maharashtra, including the mid-eighth century Cave 15 or Dashavatara cave, the late eighth-century Cave 16 or Kailasanatha temple, and Cave 29, the Dhumar Lena. Ravananugrahamurti images from Ellora have been discussed for their highly naturalistic portrayals of the episode. Parvati is depicted clinging in fear to Shiva, and Ravana is portrayed with considerable bodily discomfiture, doubled down in the relief from Cave 15 and completely kneeling in Cave 16. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related sandstone Ravananugrahamurti from Abaneri, dated 8th-9th century, in the Albert Hall Museum, Jaipur, accession number 14/59/64, and illustrated by Chandramani Singh in Treasures of the Albert Hall Museum, 2009, p. 24. Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Christie’s New York, 16 September 2014, lot 233 Price: USD 161,000 or approx. EUR 199,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the related modeling, manner of carving, and subject. Note the size (84.4 cm).

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