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Miniature Linga

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.
The Indian prescriptive Shastric texts, the Agamas, describe a variety of lingas, both immovable (acalalinga) and movable (calalinga). The former were nearly always of stone, while an almost infinite variety of materials could be employed for the portable ones, ranging from sand and stone to bronze, jewels, and precious metals. Rock crystal was widely used in the early Khmer-speaking regions of mainland Southeast Asia. These portable lingas were probably made by devotees who carried them as they journeyed to sites (tirtha) sacred to Shiva in the Khmer landscape.

cat. no. 82b

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Miniature Linga
  • Date: 7th century
  • Culture: Southern Vietnam
  • Medium: Rock crystal
  • Dimensions: Approx. H. 3/4 in. (1.8 cm); W. 1 1/8 in. (3 cm); D. 2 in. (5 cm)
  • Classification: Hardstone
  • Credit Line: Lent by An Giang Province Museum, Long Xuyen, Vietnam
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art