The Hindu deity Skanda

Skanda, often called Subrahmanya in south India, is one of the sons (along with the elephant-headed Ganesha) of the Hindu deity Shiva. Skanda is a warrior, and is shown here carrying two weapons. In his upper right hand is a lance, depicted as a blade with three multipointed sections, and in his upper left is a double trident.

The expression of the dreamily pensive face suffused with sensuality is confirmed by the vibrancy of the modeling of the body enhanced by the disposition of ornaments and drapery.*

These are the words a great scholar of Indian art used to describe this statue.

Its combination of pensiveness, sensuality, and vibrancy are characteristic of many sculptures of the great Chola kingdom of southeastern India, which flourished from 862 to 1310. Chola sculptures are displayed nearby and along the wall to your right.

*Stella Kramrisch, Manifestations of Shiva, 1981.