Rijksmuseum

Religieuze leraar

Date

c. 1300 - c. 1400

Medium

bronze (metal)

Institution

Rijksmuseum

This teacher’s right hand makes the gesture of edification (vitarka mudra). This statue may represent one of the Alvars, the poets-saints who dedicated themselves to the god Vishnu. The making of bronze images of these mystics and their veneration began around the 10th century in Tamil Nadu, under the Chola Dynasty. From this time on, their poems also became an integral part of the temple liturgy.

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