Vishnu
Not on view
The Pallavas, centered at their imperial capital of Kanchipuram, were the most powerful clan to rule southern India from the third century until their defeat by the Cholas in 897. This image of Vishnu displaying the symbols of his authority as a divine monarch likely belongs to their last phase of stability, during the reigns of the kings Dantivarman and Nandivarman. Notably, icons of this scale mark the beginnings of the tradition of processional icons in south Indian worship.
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