Cleveland Museum of Art

Kubjika–Navatman

Date

1300s

Medium

Gilt bronze with semiprecious stones

Culture

Nepal

Department

Indian and Southeast Asian Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

The tantric Hindu Goddess Kubjika sits on the bent knee of her male consort, Navatman, a form of Shiva. Tantric practitioners use the recitation of mantras, which are powerful formulas or spells, in order to achieve the favor and power of the goddess. In this sculpture, the male figure personifies the Navatman Mantra by means of which devotees can access the goddess Kubjika. Kubjika ’s name translates to “the crooked one,” and she is often shown as an elderly woman with a curved back. Here, however, she is depicted as a youthful contortionist. The smaller figure, the goddess Kubjika, is the more powerful of the pair.

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