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The Ophidian Iconography Quest (Mundus Vetus & Mundus Novus, 2004 - present) |
| ● COMPENDIUM'S DATABASE ● |
| ◀ Figure 075 of 090 | INDIA: LOCATIONS | SET 001 | SET 002 | SET 003 | SET 004 | Figure 077 of 090 ▶ |
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| Figure SSA-ind-076. A female worshipper in the attitude of respect and veneration and coiling, rearing naga hooded cobra with the cranial gemstone (?) flanking the stem of the lotus pedestal, on which the goddess of snakes Manasa Devi (the younger sister of the great serpent Vasuki) sitting with her son Astika on her lap (only the goddess' right leg is shown). Astika was an ancient Hindu rishi (sage) born from the union of Manasa Devi and a severe ascetic Jaratkaru, who practiced a brahmacharya (complete celibacy), but changed his lifestyle after the persuasion by his dead ancestors, who were doomed to fall to hell if he did not procreate. According to the Mahabharata, Astika saved the life of a nagaraja Takshaka, when king Janamejaya of the Kuru Kingdom organized the Sarpa Satra (Snake Sacrifice) intended to completely eliminate all nagas and to avenge for the death of his father Parikshit (a grandson of the legendary Arjuna) due to a snake bite by Takshaka. Astika convinced the king to end his persecution of the naga race and since that day (Shukla Paksha Panchami in the month of Shravan) it is celebrated as the festival of Naga Panchami in July/August. |
| Medium: | Category (Object): |
Artist/Workshop: | Historical/Art Period, Date: |
Provenience: | Collection: |
| Stone | High relief (Architectural panel, (stele?), carved decoration, detail) | Unknown | Somavamshi (Ke-shari) Dynasty, 900-1000 AD |
Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, East India | Odisha State Muse-um, Bhubaneshwar, Inventory № ? |
| Source-Image(s): The image(s) is/are from Alexei Alexeev's personal photo archive (The First Indian Expedition, 27 January - 6 March 2013). All artefacts will be available for viewing in the Compendium's respective volumes after the completion of the fully integrated iconographic database. Some of the artefacts will be represented by several figures (offering a general view and details). |
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