Archival Details

• Tradition: Chola Bronze
• Period: c. 1000
• Medium: bronze
• Dimensions: Overall: 76.5 x 45 cm (30 1/8 x 17 11/16 in.); Base: 26 x 25 cm (10 1/4 x 9 13/16 in.)
• Credit line: Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
• Source: The Cleveland Museum of Art, accession 1971.117

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.