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Discovered Ancient Sandstone Carving.

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posted on Nov, 28 2011 @ 06:34 PM
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Flag and Star for the UFOs depicted on it.
Really nice!



posted on Nov, 30 2011 @ 03:20 PM
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reply to post by MysteriousEyes1
 


Have logged in after a long long time....but had to, after I saw your post. The image in question is that of the Hindu God Vishnu. The image and style of rendering is definitely Cambodian, maybe from Angkor Wat.

"The world rests as the lotus in the palm of my hand, the cosmos revolves around my finger like a discus. I blow the music of life through my conch and wield my mace to protect all creatures."

Vishnu, part of the Hindu Trinity ( Brahma the creator, Vishnu the protector and Shiva the destroyer) often pictured with his consort, Lakshmi (the goddess of wealth and beauty) and usually has four arms. Each hand holds an emblem of his divinity: the conch, discus, club, and lotus.

Vishnu is best known through his ten avatars (incarnations), which appear on earth when there is disorder in the world. The last one, is Kalki, stated to appear when this world is about to end.

Just Google Hindu God Vishnu for more info. Hope this helps.

Cheers!



posted on Nov, 30 2011 @ 04:23 PM
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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??






My first thought was Hindu origin but then I thought it looks more like Buddhist art.



posted on Nov, 30 2011 @ 06:19 PM
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reply to post by Charismagic
 


Thank you for your response. You were very informative. I suspected Vishnu. But did not know the story. I still would like to find out the age of this piece. Just out of curiosity.



posted on Nov, 30 2011 @ 06:21 PM
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reply to post by Mercurio
 


Your first thought was correct.



posted on Nov, 30 2011 @ 08:48 PM
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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)



posted on Nov, 30 2011 @ 10:24 PM
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I'd agree that this is apparently Vishnu, as others have said.

It's an intriguing piece and *might* be a copy, but looking at the chisel marks on the back, I wonder if it was chopped out of an old temple. How thick is it?

In general, modern sculptures tend to be very detailed, but the details on this seem soft and worn, which would be consistent with "chopped out of an abandoned temple." Unfortunately, there's no reliable way of dating stonework other than by style (which can be faked.) Check to see if there are family stories that give more detail about where this might have been found.

Quite interesting!
edit on 30-11-2011 by Byrd because: (no reason given)



posted on Nov, 30 2011 @ 10:26 PM
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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.



posted on Nov, 30 2011 @ 10:32 PM
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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.


That *is* the way they present their male deities. If you hit Google images, you will see that their depiction of all males seems somewhat "feminized" to our Western eyes. Men (in India) are supposed to be elegant and graceful.



posted on Dec, 1 2011 @ 08:12 AM
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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.


Well from what i can gather Vishnu can be worshiped either directly or through one of his many avatars. Mohini, a female avatar would be my best guess as to the identity of the statue - I don't really know though.



posted on Dec, 1 2011 @ 08:23 AM
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reply to post by Byrd
 


Hi Byrd,
Thank you for your imput. I took some other photos of this piece that might interrest you. There is some writing (Sanskrit) and I darkened the lettering with water to see if someone can decipher it.










posted on Dec, 1 2011 @ 12:17 PM
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reply to post by Byrd
 


Thanks Byrd, I didn't think of that. It looked feminine to me, and my first thought was Kali or Lakshmi. I learn something all the time at ATS.


edit on 12/1/2011 by Klassified because: (no reason given)



posted on Dec, 2 2011 @ 03:28 PM
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reply to post by MysteriousEyes1
 

CAN ANYONE HERE READ SANSKRIT? I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW WHAT THESE TWO INSCRIPTIONS SAY.



posted on Dec, 3 2011 @ 12:00 AM
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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.


I thought the same thing.

It's definitely not Kali. No necklace (or belt) of skulls.

Harte



posted on Dec, 5 2011 @ 11:15 PM
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@IAMTAT:

Not Sanskrit. Sorry.

It's definitely a variation of a Brahmi script. Here's the syllabus:


It dates to about 5th century BCE. The etchings are poor in the pics, but I can clearly see /ja/ and /la/, with /ja/ being repeated twice.

I'm still working on the ID of the Goddess. I'm going with Pavarti first, and maybe Vishnu second. So many Hindi deities have 4 arms. (Ok, that's a joke.)

What's important to consider is the accompanying relief. Vishu was usually depicted as solitary, While Pavarti usually was depicted with consorts around her. I'm still researching, but it's a lot easier to nail down than your bowl.



edit on 12/5/11 by Druid42 because: removed an and



posted on Dec, 6 2011 @ 08:49 AM
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I think Druid's nailed it -- the script looks right. The other marks suggest that it was chipped out of (looted) from an abandoned and otherwise ruined temple. The inscription MAY be younger than the piece -- there's no particular reason to put the inscription in the place where it was found (that's not where you usually find writing on religious objects.)



posted on Dec, 6 2011 @ 01:05 PM
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reply to post by Druid42
 


Are you sure you don't mean AD? The sculpting seems more advanced than a 5th century BCE piece.



posted on Dec, 6 2011 @ 08:11 PM
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reply to post by MysteriousEyes1
 


The Brahmi script dates back further than 5th century BCE. I wasn't referring to the actual sculpture, sorry.


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.


Link to source.

Here's a TIMELINE for you. That region was home to the Indus Valley civilization, circa 2600 BCE. There's no reason to say that they weren't proficient in working with sandstone by that period in time (pure speculation, of course), and they were pretty good at working with terracotta by 1st century BCE. Here's an interesting piece I found of Durga, which I'll tie in later:


Source.

Notice the yakshas (male servants) in this terracotta example, in the upper left and right corners. Strikingly similar to your sandstone piece. Sandstone, of course, is super easy to work, and of course it was used because it was in bountiful supply in that area. I would like to think your piece was removed (read looted) from a larger sculpture by vandals, and the yakshas in your piece were supporting a part of a larger carving. Looters were common place during the era of the Aryan invasions, and poverty provided the motivation.

Onto the explanation of the carving. I'm sticking with Parvati. This is a depiction of one of her many forms. Perhaps a bit of a history lesson is in order:


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.



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.
Note the bolded text above. #ala is actually s h i t a l a, gotta love ATS for auto-censoring bad words. LOL.


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).



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.
Again, read the bolded text. Parvati was worshiped during that time, and still is.


edit on 12/6/11 by Druid42 because: sigh!



posted on Dec, 6 2011 @ 09:03 PM
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Continued....


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


Source was Wikipedia.

Here's another couple of interesting examples of the similarity to your piece of artwork:


Striking similar are the headpiece, the earrings, and the flowing garland from her shoulders to her knees. She is also holding the scepter in this pic as well.


Here the headpiece and earrings are similar, as well as the garland, but since the figurine is black, is depicting a Kali representation. Notice the

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
and the conch shell in this depiction. If you go HERE, you can both those images in their proper context.

I think Hinduism is fascinating. If you notice all four arms in your piece, the terracotta piece, and the last two statues, you'll notice each arm set in a specific pose. Each of those poses are captured by the artist (carver) to portray a specific statement. A hand outstretched, as one hand is your piece is displayed, means "bestowing". When the thumb and forefinger are posed together, it means "meditation". Each object a hand holds is also pertinent to the meaning. Once all the factors are considered, each piece ever produced in that area has a definite symbolic meaning.


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.


Source.



posted on Dec, 6 2011 @ 09:38 PM
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reply to post by Druid42
 


Druid, Thank you so much for all the research that you have done on this piece. I can't believe that it could be that old. That would be amazing if it was. The history is quite facinating. We are very grateful for getting to know you on here . You are a very gifted researcher . Blessings!







 
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