Cleveland Museum of Art

Personification of the Discus

Date

670

Medium

chlorite

Culture

Northeastern India, Bihar, Aphsad, early Pala period, 7th Century

Department

Indian and Southeast Asian Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Vishnu's main weapon is the discus, or chakra in Sanskrit. Vishnu's chakra is a wheel that is a metaphor for true knowledge, which he uses in mythic battles to slice demons who stand for ignorance and self-centered arrogance. Iconic images of Vishnu show him as four-armed, with a discus in one hand; sometimes the discus is personified. This personification, with the chakra behind his head, has broken away from the main image of Vishnu. Stylistically this sculpture retains memories of the Gupta styles, with the lush ringlets of hair curling from a central part, the relatively simple adornments, and the soft contours of the body. The exaggerated facial expression and figural proportions indicate a transition to a later period.

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