Archival Details

• Tradition: Chola Bronze
• Period: 1000s
• Medium: Bronze
• Dimensions: Overall: 113 x 102 x 30 cm (44 1/2 x 40 3/16 x 11 13/16 in.); Base: 35 x 24 cm (13 3/4 x 9 7/16 in.)
• Credit line: Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
• Source: The Cleveland Museum of Art, accession 1930.331

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.