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Shalabhanjika (Woman and Tree)

300s–400s CE
gray steatite
Overall: 8 cm (3 1/8 in.)
James Parmelee Fund 1974.74
Location: not on view
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Description

The full carving of a flowering tree on the back of this figurine indicates that she is a figure of a nature divinity who personifies the life-giving qualities of the sap that envigorates the tree and causes it to flower. These figures are sometimes called shalabhanjika, "she who breaks the tree," probably because her fertile properties are so powerful that it causes the tree to fruit so heavily that the branches break.
Shalabhanjika (Woman and Tree)

Shalabhanjika (Woman and Tree)

300s–400s CE

Northern India, Kashmir

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