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Title: Identification of a sculpture recovered from a

village pond in Haryana.

Author: Urmila Duhan. Freelance Researcher. Email:

uduhan@yahoo.com

Abstract : A chance recovery of a seemingly

ancient looking stone sculpture was reported by
a local radio station. The sculpture was
reportedly excavated from the village pond of
village Ikkas (Distt. Jind, Haryana,
India. Geographical location: Latitude 29.3062,
Longitude 76.34215). As per the author’s
knowledge, the sculpture has so far neither been
dated nor specifically identified by any
authoritative body. The aim of this article was
to 1. Photographically document the excavated
sculpture, 2. Propose an identification and an
age for the sculpture, 3. Discuss the academic

 
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importance of the sculpture. The results of the

study provide photographic details of the
sculpture. The sculpture has been identified to
be of goddess Parvati from the Pratihara period
in Haryana (10 C.E). The identification is on
the basis of iconographic principles and on the
basis of similar fashioned sculptures of Parvati
housed at National Museum, New Delhi. Based
on the uniquely sculpted dress and design of the
sculpture, it is proposed that the excavated
sculpture was initially part of a larger scene
showing marriage of Shiva and Parvati i.e.,
Kalyansundara.

Introduction: The author heard on a local radio

station (year 2013) that while cleaning/ desilting
the village pond of village Ikkas (Distt. Jind,
Haryana, India. Geographical location: Latitude
29.3062, Longitude 76.34215), an ancient

 
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looking sculpture had been found in the pond. A

formal inquiry with the Archaeological Survey
of India (ASI, Delhi branch) informed the author
that a stone female bust had been recovered by
the villagers from Ikkas village pond. A photo
of the sculpture (one view only) was procured
by the ASI and kindly shared with the
author. No further academic information on the
sculpture, such as its age, identity and its historic
importance was available with the ASI. When
the author inquired about the sculpture from the
Sarpanch (village head), the author was kindly
allowed access to the sculpture for viewing and
photographing. The sculpture was kept in the
Shiva temple of the village. The aim of this
article was to 1. Photographically document the
excavated sculpture 2. Propose an
identification and an age for the sculpture,
3. Discuss the academic importance of the

 
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sculpture. As the sculpture was recovered from

a water filled pond and in a broken state, no
definite clues on its original place of
establishment such as a temple etc. were
available.

Material and Methods: To accomplish the aims,

the stone sculpture was photographed inside the
Shiva temple of the village, using Apple's iPad
(Model MC707TH). In an attempt to date and
identify the Ikkas sculpture, the author visited
various state and National museums. A
similarly designed crown on a Pārvati sculpture
at National Museum, New Delhi (10th C.E,
Gujjarkhedi Village, Distt. Rohtak, Latitude:
20.0, Longitude: 77.0, Haryana) was noticed in
this regard due to the extreme similarity of its
crown with that of the Ikkas sculpture. A
detailed visual analysis of the Ikkas sculpture

 
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was also done and the stylistic features of the

dress, jewellery design, crown design and
hairstyle were iconographically compared to
various sculptures of known female deities from
ancient India, in order to find a match.

Results and Discussion: Multiple photographs

of the sculpture from various angles are
provided in this report. Although specific
dimensional measurements were not made at the
time of photographing, but the sculpture is about
60 cm high and approximately 30 cm wide. The
crown design of the sculpture was very simple
yet unique. It was the most noticeable feature of
the sculpture. The hairdo of the sculpture was
very prominent and decorative. The sarp
kundals (coiled ear studs) were the only piece of
prominent jewellery besides a simple beaded
necklace. Both Shiva and Parvati are almost

 
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invariably shown wearing Sarp Kundalas and

adorn a high hairdo in ancient India’s sculptures.
A decorated veil loosely covered the back part
of the hair bun of the sculpture.

The unidentified Ikkas sculpture is of a female

as evidenced from prominent breasts. The stone
is of a highly porous variety and seems
somewhat fragile. The surface is of a rough
texture. The roughness and porosity of the
surface of the sculpture may have increased due
to being submerged under water for many years,
perhaps even centuries. The female figure is
sculpted with a prominent hair bun that extends
upwards from the surface of the head in an
aesthetically pleasing manner. The hair bun has
been tastefully sculpted with strings of beads. A
simple and relatively unornamented
crown/encircles the forehead of the

 
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sculpture. Presence of a crown indicates the

sculpture to be either of a royal or of a
deity. The eyes of the sculpture are large, open
and somewhat protruding, adding calm and
peaceful look to the face. The nose appears to
be well formed but is now chipped off.

The physical features of the sculpture, such as

an elongated and raised shape of the eyebrows,
the serene and aesthetically pleasing
countenance, the artistically curved full lips
breaking into a gentle smile, the confident
aristocratic tilt of the face towards one side, the
extreme naturalness and confidence with which
naked breasts are carried by the sculpture, the
three auspicious skin creases on the neck- all
point to the sculpture being modelled as per
ancient sculpturing pattern (i.e., Gupta period
(4th C.E and perhaps a little after that) (Photo

 
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Plates of the Ikkas sculpture labeled 1-

7). Interestingly, a veil over the head is not seen
in female deity sculptures from that period and
not until after the end of medieval time period
(personal observation). As per the author’s
knowledge, female deities from ancient India are
never shown with a veil-covered head except
Parvati and that also only when she is shown in
a marriage scene along with Shiva.

While researching, the author came across a

stone sculpture obtained from village
Gujjarkhedi, Rohtak, Haryana (district Rohtak
and Jind are geographically adjacent) which
shows goddess Parvati wearing a similarly
designed crown and wearing sarp kundals (photo
provided in Plates 8-11). This Gujjarkhedi
sculpture is housed in the National Museum,
New Delhi. This particular design of the crown

 
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of the Ikkas sculpture is the hallmark of Parvati

from the Pratihara period of Haryana (10th
C.E). Due to striking similarity of the crown
design of the Ikkas and Gujjarkhedi sculptures,
it was used to date and identify the Ikkas
sculpture.

Art historians have used presence and design of

crown to demarcate eras. For example, before
10th C.E, Buddha images are not shown with a
crown. But a few Buddha images dated to
beyond 10th C.E are shown with an elaborate
crown (reference: Buddha sculptures displayed
in the National Museum, New Delhi). Hence for
academic purpose, a Buddha sculpture when
shown with a crown, is likely to be dated to11th
C.E. and later and certainly not before
that. Similarly, Shiva Parvati sculptures of the
late Gupta and Pratihara period look very

 
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different both in their dress sense, expression,

and the execution of the image by the sculptor as
compared to their sculptural images from
medieval period obtained from the same
geographical region.

Specifically, for the Pratihara age sculptures,

when Parvati is shown with a head veil, it
invariably is her marriage scene i.e.,
Kalyansundara. The Shiva-Parvati marriage
scenes are always standing poses. Many such
Kalyansundara sculptures from the Pratihara era
(obtained from North Rajasthan, Central India,
Haryana etc.) show Parvati with a head veil. No
other female deity from that age and up to
almost 18th C.E or so appears with a head
covering veil. For this report, two sculptures
from Bharatpur, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh
(Pratihara, 9th-10th C.E) have been photographed

 
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to highlight the acceptable custom of showing

Parvati with a head veil in her marriage scene
(Photo Plates 12-15). The Ikkas sculpture
(proposed to be that of Parvati) is also seen with
a head covering veil. Thus on various stylistic
grounds, the Ikkas sculpture is that of goddess
Parvati and was sculpted not later than the
Pratiharas rein (10th C.E). The Ikkas sculpture
was part of a larger scene depicting Shiva-
Parvati marriage. The rest of the marriage scene
has broken off from the Ikkas sculpture and
cannot be seen. The tilt of Parvati's face in all
Kalyansundara scenes is invariably towards
Shiva. In the Ikkas sculpture too, Shiva must be
shown standing in the direction of the tilt of
Parvati’s face.

 
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The Ikkas sculpture of Parvati stands out for

possessing high degree of sculptural clarity in
various parts of its crown, for showing the
intricately fashioned high hair bun and in its
aesthetically pleasing decorations. It is indeed a
beautifully sculpted work.

As per the account of the villagers of Ikkas, the

village has ancient roots from the time of
Mahabharata. Before it was called Ikkas (i.e., a
twisted pronounciation of the prakrit word ikkis
i.e., twenty one), the villagers say it was known
as Ajitpur. It is quite likely that an ancient
Shavite temple existed in the village and it got
destroyed as is the case with some ancient Hindu
temples. But by luck, some of the temple
sculptures may have found their way into the
pond and the recovered sculpture is one of
them. It is thus possible that the remaining

 
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Kalyansundara scene may also be found in the

same pond. The Kalyansundara scene are
carved on temple walls and are rarely installed
as the presiding deity structure. The presence of
a broken Kalyansundara scene is likely to mean
that a temple wall existed. Evidence of any
remains of ancient temple must be collected if
available, to better highlight the historical
importance of the Ikkas village. Even today, a
small, modern Shiva temple exists on the banks
of the village pond. Whether it was built on the
remains of an old temple needs to be
investigated. The historical importance of Jind
area from the point of view of ancient India has
been well documented and highlighted by the
Haryana government
(http://jind.nic.in/history.htm). A nearby village
('Pandu Pindara') has a well-known temple and

 
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as the name suggests, it has connection to

Mahabharata.

Conclusion: In conclusion, the identification of

goddess Parvati was made on the basis of
1. Crown design, 2. High Hairdo, 3. Sarp
Kundalas, 4. Head Covering Veil. These
stylistic features of Goddess Parvati have been
retained through many ages and over a vast
geographical area. On stylistic grounds, it is
proposed that the Ikkas village sculpture
recovered from the village pond

is that of goddess Parvati.

was sculpted not later than the Pratihara's rein
in the region (10 C.E).

 
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was part of a larger scene depicting Shiva-

Parvati marriage. The rest of the marriage scene
has broken off and cannot be seen.
had both Shiva and Parvati in standing pose as
is the case in Kalyansundara scenes.
had Shiva standing on the side in which Parvati's
face tilt points.

Acknowledgement: The author wishes to thank

the Archaeological Survey of India (Delhi)
through Dr. S.K Mittra (Director, Archaeology)

Photo Plate 1: Ikkas sculpture (Angle 1).

 
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Photo Plate 2 (Ikkas sculpture. Angle 2)

 
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Photo Plate 3:

 
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Photo Plate 4 (Ikkas sculpture. Angle 4)

 
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Photo Plate 5 (Ikkas sculpture. Angle 5)

 
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Photo Plate 6 (Ikkas sculpture. Angle 6)

 
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Gujjarkhedi sculpture photos of goddess

Parvati. Plates 7-8.

Photo Plate 7 (Gujjarkhedi sculpture showing

Parvati's head crown similar to Ikkas
sculpture). Angle 1.

 
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Photo Plate 8 (Gujjarkhedi sculpture showing

Parvati's head crown similar to the Ikkas
sculpture). Angle 2.

 
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Kalyansundara sculptures from Pratihara

period. (Plate 9-12) Two photos from
Bharatpur area and one from Madhya
Pradesh)

Photo Plate 9, (Parvati in Kalyansundra scene

with a head covering veil. Pratihara, 9th C.E,
Bharatpur, Rajasthan. Angle 1)

 
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Photo Plate 10 (Parvati in Kalyansundra scene

with a head covering veil. Pratihara, 9th C.E,
Bharatpur, Rajasthan. Angle 2)

 
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Photo Plate 11, 12. Parvati in Kalyansundra

scene with a head covering veil. Pratihara, 10th
C.E, Madhya Pradesh). Angle 1.

 
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