It looks like you're using an Ad Blocker.
Please white-list or disable AboveTopSecret.com in your ad-blocking tool.
Thank you.
Some features of ATS will be disabled while you continue to use an ad-blocker.
Originally posted by MysteriousEyes1
I purchased this piece from an estate. It is very old and beautiful. It is solid sandstone and is about 30" in height and 20" in width. I would love to know more about this piece??
Originally posted by Hopeforeveryone
Yeah after a little research ( a quick google if I'm honest) it does look like Vishnu vishnu
My brain interpreted the 8 figures as a potential signifyer for the 8 noble paths
Did you find any more info about it ?edit on 30-11-2011 by Hopeforeveryone because: (no reason given)
Originally posted by Mercurio
Originally posted by Hopeforeveryone
Yeah after a little research ( a quick google if I'm honest) it does look like Vishnu vishnu
My brain interpreted the 8 figures as a potential signifyer for the 8 noble paths
Did you find any more info about it ?edit on 30-11-2011 by Hopeforeveryone because: (no reason given)
I thought Vishnu was supposed to be a male god. but it seems rather androgynous. Just an observation.
Originally posted by Mercurio
Originally posted by Hopeforeveryone
Yeah after a little research ( a quick google if I'm honest) it does look like Vishnu vishnu
My brain interpreted the 8 figures as a potential signifyer for the 8 noble paths
Did you find any more info about it ?edit on 30-11-2011 by Hopeforeveryone because: (no reason given)
I thought Vishnu was supposed to be a male god. but it seems rather androgynous. Just an observation.
Originally posted by CosmicCitizen
My guess is that it is a Cambodian deity but could not guess the age.
Nice piece...you might take it to a local museum to held identify it.
The stone inscriptions include inscriptions in Brahmi, Vatteluttu, Nagari, Telugu, Tamil and Kannada scripts. Of the Brahmi inscriptions, the Bhattiprolu stone reliquary inscriptions are important as the alphabet employed here is considered to be earlier than 200 BC. This suggests that there was a variety of Brahmi script in vogue in the South, long before that period. The Brahmi inscriptions from Amaravati and Jaggayyapeta are important both for showing the further developments of the script and for revealing several technical terms which could not be known otherwise. The Vatteluttu inscriptions include also those on the hero and memorial stones, already referred to; this script was in use in the southern region of the Tamil country till a late period and most of the early Pandyan and Kerala inscriptions are in this script. In order to show the development of the scripts of South India from the Brahmi script, specimens of original inscriptions in the different scripts such as Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Brahmi and Nagari are shown in separate groups, arranged on the mezzanine floor of the New Extensions, in chronological order, headed by a plaster cast of an Asoka inscription and followed by a chart showing clearly the different stages of development of each of the scripts. The remaining stone inscriptions are exhibited in the Archaeological Reserve Collection shed.
Parvati (Sanskrit: पार्वती, Kannada: ಪಾರ್ವತಿ IAST: Pārvatī) is a Hindu goddess. Parvati is Shakti, the wife of Shiva and the gentle aspect of Mahadevi, the Great Goddess. Parvati is considered as complete incarnation of Adi Parashakti', with all other goddesses being her incarnations or manifestations.
Note the bolded text above. #ala is actually s h i t a l a, gotta love ATS for auto-censoring bad words. LOL.
Parvati, when depicted alongside Shiva, generally appears with two arms, but when alone, she is shown having four or eight arms, and astride a tiger or lion. Generally considered a benevolent goddess, Parvati also has wrathful incarnations, such as Durga, Kali, #ala Devi, Tara, Chandi, and the Mahavidyas as well as benevolent forms like Kathyayini, Mahagauri, Kamalatmika, Bhuvaneshwari, and Lalita.
She is also known by 108 names from the Durga Saptashati. These include Ambika ('dear mother'), Gauri ('fair complexioned'),[2] Shyama ('dark complexioned'), Bhairavi ('awesome'), Kumari ('virgin'), Kali ('black-colored'), Umā, Lalita, Mataji ('revered mother'), Sahana ('pure')[3], Durga, Bhavani, Shivaradni or Shivaragyei ('Queen of Shiva'), and many hundreds of others. The Lalita sahasranama contains an authoritative listing of 1,000 names of Parvati.
A Mantra in Sanskrit is meant for her: SARVARUPE SARVESHE SARVASHAKTI SAMANVITE BHAI BYASTRA HE NO DEVI DURGE DEVI NAMAUSTUTE It translates to: We bow down to Devi Maa Durga, the demon fighting form of Parvati, who is source of all forms (sarvarupe), who is the God of all beings (sarveshe), in whom all power exists(Sarvashakti samanvite) and who destroys all fear (bhai bhyastra).
Again, read the bolded text. Parvati was worshiped during that time, and still is.
Both textual and archaeological evidence suggests Sati-Parvati appears in the epic period (400 BC–400 AD), as both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata present Parvati as Shiva's wife.
As per devi bhagwata Purana, Goddess Parvati is lineal progenitor of all other goddesses. She is one who is source of all forms of goddesses. She is worshiped as one with many forms and name. Her different mood brings different forms or incarnation.
Durga is demon fighting form of this Goddess, and some texts suggest Parvati took the form of Goddess Durga to kill Demon Durgam.
Kali is another aspect that was assisted by Goddess Chandi while fighting with rakta bija. She was born from the forehead of the goddess. But many interpretations of scriptures suggests that it was Goddess Chamunda who has gotten same iconography as goddess Kali who is nobody but an aspect of Maa Kali, even Maa PArvati is cosidered as Goddess Kali herself in her ferocious form.
Goddess Chandi is the epithet of Maa Durga, who is created by the collection of all demigods and trimurti power, and then considered as power of sagun parashakti (Parvati), She is black in color and rides on lion, she is known as the original slayer of Demon Mahishasura, Considered as a form taken by Durga herself.
Ten Mahavidyas are the ten aspects of Maa Shakti, in tantra all have great importance in majority, they all took birth from Goddess Sati, previous Incarnation of Shakti before Goddess Parvati. There is no difference between Sati and Parvati.
52 shakti peethas of Maa Parvati, proves that all Goddesses are expansions of the Goddess Parvati.
Some of the famous temples where Parvati forms are predominantly worshipped include,
Akilandeswari temple at Thiruvanaikaval in Tamil Nadu, India
Ambaji temple at Ambaji, Gujarat, India
Attukal Temple, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Chottanikkara Temple, Near Cochin, Kerala
Kamakshi Amman temple at Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu, India
Meenakshi temple at Madurai in Tamil Nadu, India Abirami Temple in Tamil Nadu, India
Shakti Peethas
Tiruvairanikulam Sri Parvati temple, near Aluva, Cochin,Kerala
Visalakshi temple at Banaras, Uttar Pradesh, India
Karthyayani Temple, Cherthala,Alappuzha,Kerala, India
Sree Parvati Temple, Kadampuzha, Malapuram,Kerala
and the conch shell in this depiction. If you go HERE, you can both those images in their proper context.
The "Sudarshan-Chakra" or beautiful discus, which spins around the index finger of the Goddess, while not touching it, signifies that the entire world is subservient to the will of Durga and is at her command. She uses this unfailing weapon to destroy evil and produce an environment conducive to the growth of righteousness
Finely carved seals and figures, dated to approximately 2500 to 1700 BC of the ancient Indus Valley civilization, are some of the oldest sculptures known to India.Though they were incredibly sophisticated, these sculptures were surprisingly small, ranging in size from approximately just over one inch, to one foot in height. The size of these sculptures is noteworthy considering they were discovered over the site of ancient Harrapa.Archeologists theorize that Harrapa was an urban hub which dominated the Upper Indus Valley region.
The many states of India are unique in their rich diversity of sculptures. The sculptures, even today, are unique in that they display a long standing tradition of the cultural, regional, and religious beauty of India. Contemporary artwork of India is very popular worldwide for its aesthetic prowess, and many people purchase these sculptures to enjoy the exotic artistry in their homes. It is remarkable that an art form that originated in the Upper Indus Valley of India, nearly four thousand years ago, can be found in homes all over the world today.