Door guardian (dvarapala)
Place of Originprobably Dadapuram, Tamil Nadu state, India; probably Dadapuram, Tamil Nadu state
Dateapprox. 900-950
MaterialsStone (hornfels)
DimensionsH. 69 1/2 in x W. 17 in x D. 10 in, H. 176.5 cm x W. 43.2 cm x D. 25.4 cm
Credit LineThe Avery Brundage Collection
Object numberB60S425
DepartmentSouth Asian Art
ClassificationsSculpture
On View
On viewLocation
Text Entries- Gallery Location Gallery 4
Hindu temples in southern India often had a pair of door guardians like this flanking their entrances. This guardian would have been at the right side of an entrance twisting toward the door. Door guardians carry weapons like this club, and they have fierce features such as fangs and wild hair to suggest their power to ward off evil. This door guardian is a major example of the early sculpture of the great Chola kingdom of southeastern India (862–1310).
Subject
- Hinduism
- guardian
approx. 900-1100
500-700
1100-1200
approx. 825-875
1700-1900
perhaps 1300-1400
approx. 1175-1225
approx. 1300-1400
approx. 1300-1400
approx. 1180-1250
approx. 700-900