About the Work

A monumental carved processional figure of a lion vahana, the mount of a Hindu god or goddess. Statues like this are displayed outside South Indian temples and on holy days a statue of the corresponding deity is placed atop and taken out in procession (ulā). The statues were replaced regularly due to the degradation of the wood in the hot and humid southern Indian climate. It is therefore rare to find such a well-preserved example.

The lion’s face is modelled on that of a yali, a mythical lion-elephant-horse hybrid, typically depicted with bulbous eyes and gaping mouth. Believed to be a guardian, the yali often features on entrance pillars of South Indian temples. The yali is the mount of Budha, the Hindu god of intelligence. However, at least 10 other deities, including Durga and Parvati, have a lion vahana. With Asiatic lions having been hunted to extinction by the middle of the century, the artist may have modelled the face on that of the ubiquitous yali.

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