Vishnu

Vishnu

As a Hindu king of the Sen dynasty, I asked one of my sculptors to make this image of Vishnu, the Preserver of the Universe, and place it in a temple to be worshiped. I had many sculptures of Vishnu placed in temples across Bangladesh to assert my authority as a living Vishnu to be worshiped and obeyed by my subjects.

This is an idealized portrait of me as Lord Vishnu. Tiger claws suspended from a gold necklace identify me as a warrior king, and I have fought many battles to defend my people and expand my kingdom. The sculptor has given me two extra arms to hold Vishnu’s favorite battle weapons- the mace and whirling disk to destroy my enemies.

The sculptor chose me, a young prince in the palace of the king, to be his model for Garuda, the eagle on which Vishnu rides when called upon for help. Though I am only a teenager, I developed this strong body by practicing sword fighting, becoming an excellent bowman, and learning to ride a charging horse into battle or on the hunt. When I have killed a tiger, I too may add tiger claws to my gold necklace. To turn me into Garuda, the sculptor has given me wings to fly, and bracelets and armbands of Naga serpents with whom Garuda is known to fight. As I have been called and am ready to leap up and fly off with Vishnu on my back, I will see you again later.

You will have to look carefully to find us as we are depicted as quite small and insignificant at the base of this sculpture. It is a convention in South Asian art to show the relative importance of humans and gods by their size and where they are placed in the composition of a sculpture or painting. We are the two queens of the king, a common practice in Hindu monarchy to assure that the king will have a son to succeed him.

The sculpture has shown me playing the vina and every Hindu student knows that I am Saraswati, the goddess of learning. My festival is celebrated at every school and students pray to me for success in their studies. I will tell you a great deal more when you meet me again here in the museum.

And I am Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth. My sculptures are far older than any sculptures of Vishnu.

My image can be found carved on the railing of the great Buddhist stupa at Bharhut more than 2000 years ago. When Vishnu arrived in India, I was already very popular, and he had no choice but to marry me if he wanted to be accepted by the indigenous people who worshiped me.

You will find prints of me, often along with Ganesha and Saraswati, presiding over the kitchen, not only in Hindu homes, but in Buddhists and Jains homes all over the world. As for Vishnu, he is best known and worshiped for his avatars whom he sends to earth to punish evil kings and save the world from destruction. Here in Bangladesh you will discover that we mother goddesses are far more powerful and important in Hindu villages than any of the male gods!

Last updated by admin at 11 September, 2020