Southern India, Chola period (900s–1200s) / c. 1000
Monkey General Hanuman
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Monkey General Hanuman as sculpture (Southern India, Chola period (900s–1200s) · c. 1000).
Hanuman stands on a lotus pedestal with slightly upturned petals.
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The museum identifies this sculpture as bronze.
The museum's collection notes: Hanuman is one of the most popular heroic figures of the epic Ramayana. In the story, he was indispensable in the search for the abducted wife of Rama, an incarnation of Vishnu. He is able to fly through the air and lift mountains, but here he is shown as a humble servant of the god. His gestures signify his humility and he bows slightly in reverence to his master. Bronzes during the Chola period spanning the 800s to 1200s were solid cast, using the lost-wax method. Each one is unique and would have been kept in the treasury of the temple until the festival day when the presence of the deity is invited to reside in the sculpture, which is the
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The Cleveland Museum of ArtMonkey General HanumanOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.