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Naga attendant holding a fly whisk

ca. 3rd century CE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 235
The semidivine celebrant here is an anthropomorphic depiction of a serpent deity (naga), identifiable by the cobra hoods rising above his head. He is attired in a princely manner, wearing enormous conical earplugs (compare to those displayed nearby). The assimilation of nagas into Buddhism is a recurring theme in early religious literature. Associated with water and its riches, nagas represent one of the most powerful of the nature spirits that controlled the spiritual landscape of pre-Buddhist India. It was thus essential for monks to subjugate the power of the nagas; to this end Buddhist rituals evolved to influence the coming of the rains.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Naga attendant holding a fly whisk
  • Period: Ikshvaku period
  • Date: ca. 3rd century CE
  • Culture: India, probably Goli, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh
  • Medium: Limestone
  • Dimensions: H. 36 1/4 in. (92.1 cm); W. 8 7/8 in. (22.5 cm); D. 3 3/8 in. (8.6 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1933
  • Object Number: 33.25
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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India, Andhra Pradesh
3rd century CE
Drum panel depicting a stupa with the Buddha’s descent from Trayastrimsa Heaven, Limestone, India, Nagarjunakonda Stupa Site 6, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh
Drum panel depicting a stupa with the Buddha’s descent from Trayastrimsa Heaven
India, Nagarjunakonda Stupa Site 6, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh
late 3rd century CE
Drum panel with scenes of the Great Departure and Temptation of the Buddha, Limestone, India, Nagarjunakonda, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh
Drum panel with scenes of the Great Departure and Temptation of the Buddha
India, Nagarjunakonda, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh
first half 3rd century CE
Dharma-wheel pilaster (dharmacakrastambha), Limestone, Andhra Pradesh, possibly Ghantasala, Krishna district
Dharma-wheel pilaster (dharmacakrastambha)
Andhra Pradesh, possibly Ghantasala, Krishna district
ca. early 3rd century CE
The Conversion and Ordination of Nanda, Limestone, India (Andhra Pradesh, Goli)
The Conversion and Ordination of Nanda
India (Andhra Pradesh, Goli)
3rd century

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