Day 105 - Bhu Devi

November 30, 2018

Gallery 239 contains just three large sculptures from the Pandya dynasty, which ruled in southern India (Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka) in the 8th and 9th centuries.  Displayed at the center is an outsized statue of Vishnu, perhaps nine feet tall from the tip of his toe to the top of his crown. He is flanked by smaller statues of Garuda, his mount (shown in human rather than bird form - who knew?) and of Bhu Devi, one of his consorts.  While there is no indication that the statues originally appeared together, they are stylistically consistent and positioned  in such a way as to give us a sense of what a similar arrangement would have looked like in situ. The  gallery's dim light reinforces my sense of how  impressive it all must have been. But I read that both the Vishnu and Devi figures, made of granite and something called granulite, were meant to be plastered and polychromed. I think the statues' plain gray surfaces add to the sense of their monumentality. Would bright colors have diminished this? 

While the Vishnu figure would undoubtedly be the most important in such a configuration,  I much prefer the Bhu Devi figure.  Perhaps four feet tall, she sits in a position  known as "royal ease"(Maharajalilasana - this much Hindi I can understand!), her left knee raused, her right leg folded on the ground. She wears an elaborate headdress and armbands. Although I can't tell where her garment begins and ends, the caption describes her as bare-breasted -- generously endowed, too -- and indeed, Bhu Dvi represents the fertility of the earth.  Her eyes are open and slightly downcast. (From what angle would she have been viewed, I wonder?)  

I am trying to figure out why I like this statue so much. At first, I speculate that it's because she's a woman, and she's not wielding various weapons; perhaps this make her more "relatable." But I think it's more that,  above all, she radiates a sense of serenity.  In contrast to Vishnu, whose powerful image is also somewhat remote and intimidating,  Bhu Devi looks approachable, as if she is welcoming us into her presence.