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Aiyanar

first half of the 7th century
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
This princely figure seated at ease, supported by a meditation strap, likely represents the minor Hindu god Aiyanar (“lord,” in Tamil). Aiyanar emerged as a non-Vedic cult figure in southern India as early as the third century, when he was worshipped as a village guardian. He was perhaps a huntsman who, over time, was deified, first as a local hero (vira), then, with the gradual Sanskritization of southern India, as a secondary deity closely aligned with Shiva. He wears long dreadlocks in the manner of Shiva. The upper torso is rendered with uncanny naturalism.

cat. no. 103

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Aiyanar
  • Date: first half of the 7th century
  • Culture: Central Thailand
  • Medium: Sandstone
  • Dimensions: H. 26 7/8 in. (68.3 cm); W. 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm); D. 12 7/8 in. (32.7 cm); Wt. 185 lbs. (83.9 kg); Tenon/Tang: H. 19 1/8 in. (48.6 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Lent by Asia Society, New York: Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, 1979.73
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art