VARUNA

Image of Varuna seated on his mount, a fabulous monster – also called makara – in which members of aquatic animals are mixed with others belonging to terrestrial mammals. Varuna is a Vedic divinity, who occupies the highest rank in the hierarchy of the Asura representing the Vedic law. It is the divinity of the waters and the elements, presiding from the western regions of the universe. In this piece, Varuna is represented seated on the makara, with the two legs bent one over the other, showing the soles of the feet, in a posture known as “diamond posture” or “vajrasana”. In his four arms he holds a patra and a mallet in the two back arms, while with the two front arms he performs the mudra called “Abhaya?mudra”. Varuna is represented in this image with a princely headdress, in which stand out as frontal ornaments a flame, which in addition to his ushnisha, is repeated as an iconographic motif in the mobile halo that frames the figure. Considering its artistic style as well as its casting, we can conclude that this piece is of Patna origin, later extended throughout the region of Orissa. I.C.F. / Extracted from: Isabel CERVERA FERNÁNDEZ: Fundación Rodríguez-Acosta. Asian Art Collection. Granada, 2002. Bibliography: A.A.V.V.: Indian Bronze Masterpieces. The Great Tradition. Delhi, 1988.