Brahma from Mirpur-Khas

The Brahma from Mirpur Khas is an important 5th or 6th century bronze or brass statue of the Hindu god Brahma made during the Gupta period in Sindh, in modern Pakistan.[1] It is the earliest known metallic image of Brahma,[2] and the only known representative of the school it represents.[3] It has been described as "an immense artistic creation" of the Gupta period.[4]

Brahma from Mirpur Khas
Brahma from Mirpur Khas on display in the National Museum of Pakistan, Karachi
MaterialBronze/Copper
SizeHeight: 95 cm

Width: 53 cm

Depth: 24 cm
Period/culturec. 5th or 6th century
Placefound in Sindh

It was found in a field near Mirpur-Khas as first reported by Henry Cousens in 1929.[5][6] Some report it as having been found at Brahmanabad.[7] It is now displayed at The National Museum of Pakistan in Karachi.

Few metal statues this large have survived from Gupta art, and even fewer with a Hindu subject. Descriptions of the material vary, as is often the case with copper alloy objects; it is variously called bronze, brass, copper and gilt bronze. If it was gilded, little of this remains.

Description
Brahma from Mirpur-Khas on the cover of South Asian Archaeology 1975 proceedings

The four-headed Brahma bronze statue has a height over 3 feet. Brahma is normally four-headed in free-standing sculpture, but often three-headed in reliefs. He is shown standing with two hands, wearing a dhoti and a yajnopavita but without any ornaments.[8] Vasudeva Sharana Agrawala calls it "an exceptionally good specimen of the art of metal-casting in this period".[9] Śrīrāma and Śaṅkara Goyala term is "true memorial of Gupta metalsmith's artistic genius".[10] It is said to the best example of Gupta art in Sindh.[11]

The object suggests that Sindh was a major centre of metalworking.[12] The Brahma from Mirpur Khas has been widely used by art historians for comparison with other artwork of historical significance.[13]

See also

References
  1. Indian Art of the Gupta Age: From Pre-classical Roots to the Emergence of Medieval Trends, Editors Śrīrāma Goyala, Śaṅkara Goyala, Kusumanjali Book World, 2000, p. 85
  2. Essays on Buddhist, Hindu, Jain Iconography & Epigraphy, Gouriswar Bhattacharya, International Centre for Study of Bengal Art, 2000, p. 236
  3. "Early Brass Image of Bodhisattva", J.C. Harle, in South Asian Archaeology 1975: Papers from the Third International Conference of the Association of South Asian Archaeologists in Western Europe Held in Paris, J. E. Van Lohuizen-De Leeuw, BRILL, 1979, p. 134
  4. Arts of Asia, Volume 4, Publisher Arts of Asia, 1974, p. 110, "The immense artistic creation of the period was distinguished by the exercise of greater restraint, elegance of form and spiritual expression".
  5. The Antiquities of Sind: With Historical Outline, Henry Cousens, Bhartiya Publishing House, 1929 - Sindh (Pakistan) p.10
  6. Sind Quarterly, Volume 8, Contributor Shah Abdul Latif Cultural Society, Publisher Mazhar Yusuf, 1980, p.24 "absolutely magnificent brass image of Brahma (7i) from the neighbourhood of Mirpur Khas".
  7. Five deities of Panchopasana, G. Bhattacharya, in Studies in Hindu and Buddhist Art edited by P. K. Mishra, p. 199-200
  8. Indian Costume, Govind Sadashiv Ghurye, Popular Prakashan, 1966, Figure 100.
  9. Indian Art - Volume 2, Vasudeva Sharana Agrawala, Prithivi Prakashan, 1977, Page 43
  10. Indian Art of the Gupta Age: From Pre-classical Roots to the Emergence of Medieval Trends, Editors Śrīrāma Goyala, Śaṅkara Goyala, Kusumanjali Book World, 2000, p. 85
  11. Vakataka - Gupta Age Circa 200-550 A.D., Ramesh Chandra Majumdar, Anant Sadashiv Altekar, Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1967, p. 435
  12. Objects of Translation: Material Culture and Medieval "Hindu-Muslim" Encounter, Finbarr Barry Flood, Princeton University Press, 2009, p. 50
  13. South Asian Archaeology 1975: Papers from the Third International Conference of the Association of South Asian Archaeologists in Western Europe Held in Paris, J. E. Van Lohuizen-De Leeuw BRILL, 1979. The image of the Brahma from Mirpur Khas is on the cover. link
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