This colossal seated figure of the god Vishnu towers more than nine feet tall. It is surely one of the largest Indian sculptures outside of India. Vishnu wears a cylindrical crown, or miter. Royal lions support the base of his throne. His left foot rests on a double lotus blossom. His missing arms and hands would have held the traditional martial attributes of Vishnu: a mace, conch shell, and war discus, or chakra.

The sculptures in earlier galleries all came from north India. This image is from the southern tip of India: an area never influenced by Gupta-period traditions. The relaxed pose and broad, plain surfaces are typical of the monumental Hindu sculptures carved from the sixth to the tenth centuries, under the Pandya dynasty. Many Pandya figures were carved directly into cliffs and other natural rock formations. Nearby you’ll see another Pandya-dynasty sculpture from the same period. Most Hindu gods rode upon animal vehicles. This seated figure had the wings of a bird—the tips have been broken off. This is Garuda: a mythological creature, half-man, half-bird, who transported Vishnu through the air.

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