Art, being an important expression of the Indian culture has had a long and continuous evolution from prehistory to this time with different subjects, mostly Vishnu and Shiva, portrayed with narration of different tales. Having said that, a detailed and intricate sculpture of Sheshshayi Vishnu was found during an excavation work carried out by ASI in Sindkhed Raja town in Maharashtra’s Buldhana district on June 23, 2024.
Found at a depth of 2.25 meters during a conservation work of the Lakhuji Jadhavrao’s Chhatri, the sculpture remained in a horizontal position. The Superintendent Archaeologist of Nagpur Circle, Arun Malik, informed
“After the sabha mandap was exposed, we decided to check the depth of the temple, during which we found a sculpture of goddess Laxmi. Later, a huge sculpture of Sheshshayi Vishnu in its entirety was revealed. It is 1.70 meters in length and 1 meter in height. The width of the sculpture’s base, which is yet to be exposed, maybe, 30 centimeters,”
The sculpture is made of chlorite schist rock, which was usually carved in South India. Portraying Vishnu in a reclining position on the Shesha Naga having Goddess Laxmi at his foot and Brahma arising from the naval of the Vishnu, it further shows numerous figures with iconography. The carved panel is meticulously detailed showing Dashavatara, Samudra Manthana, and Lord Vishnu in one plane.
The Hindu religion believes that the divine energy is a nucleus of three pre-eminent gods, Brahma The Creator, Vishnu The Preserver, and Shiva The Destroyer who were accompanied by their feminine energies, Saraswati, Laxmi, and Parvati, respectively. Numerous sculptures and paintings have depicted them in varied poses and landscapes. However, the found Sheshshayi sculpture is one of the most eminent and exquisite carved panels among the many findings.
Vishnu, being the Lord of Cosmic Sleep, who sleeps in the primordial waters of Chaos, has a slumbering wakefulness in this state. Growing Brahma from his naval, he reclines on the coils of the thousand-hooded serpent, Ananta (Endless) also known as Sesha. Having great strength, and knowledge in the universe, Vishnu is served by his divine consort, Laxmi and her sitting at his feet represents the sphere of ignorance, for ignorance is the mother of creation in the world. The Vishnu’s sleep is without darkness, a sleep of light, and his slumbering on the Ananta or Sesha is for the endless remainder that remains in the interval between the dissolution of the world and its new creation. Hence, the sculpture in his posture further represents the consciousness transcending time and space and causality.
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Featured Image: Sheshshayi Vishnu found by ASI in Sindkhed Raja Town, Maharashtra; © PTI, enhanced by @GemsOfINDOLOGY, Twitter.
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