The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 19, 2025
Shalabhanjika (Woman and Tree)
300s–400s CE
Location: Not on view
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.- Year in Review: 1974. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 11-April 6, 1975).
- {{cite web|title=Shalabhanjika (Woman and Tree)|url=false|author=|year=300s–400s CE|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1974.74