Karttikeya, Commander of the Divine Army, Seated on a Peacock

Ganga Period, about 12th century

This basalt sculpture, carved in the round, depicts Karttikeya, the Hindu god of war, with six heads (shanmukha) and 12 arms, 10 of which hold weapons. According to legend, Karttikeya was born from the spilled seed of the Hindu divinity Shiva. He developed his six heads in order to nurse from his six mothers, the Pleiades (or Krittikas—hence his name, Karttikeya), a constellation of stars.

Public domain · CC0
Free to download and reuse. Image courtesy of Art Institute of Chicago.

Artist

India Andhra Pradesh, Madanapalle

Date

Ganga Period, about 12th century

Medium

Basalt

Dimensions

150.5 × 121 × 39 cm (59 1/16 × 47 5/8 × 15 3/8 in.)

Origin

Andhra Pradesh

Collection

Art Institute of Chicago

Credit

Purchased with funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. Sylvain S. Wyler