Archival Details

• Tradition: Chola Bronze
• Period: c. 950–60
• Medium: bronze
• Dimensions: Base: 21.6 x 79.5 x 24.9 cm (8 1/2 x 31 5/16 x 9 13/16 in.); Part 1: 81.9 x 48.7 cm (32 1/4 x 19 3/16 in.); Part 2: 65.1 x 16.5 cm (25 5/8 x 6 1/2 in.)
• Credit line: John L. Severance Fund
• Source: The Cleveland Museum of Art, accession 1961.94

Chola-period bronzes were cast in South India, chiefly under the Chola dynasty (9th–13th century), using the lost-wax (cire perdue) process. Temple workshops in Tamil Nadu produced processional images of Shaiva and Vaishnava deities that were carried in festival rituals, and the tradition is widely regarded as a high point of Indian metal sculpture for its fluid modeling and iconographic precision.