Nine Celestial Bodies (Navagraha)
Unknown Artist
700s
Medium
Sandstone
Dimensions
44.4 × 158.6 × 18.2 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Doris and Ed Wiener
Accession Number
1971.61
About this artwork
Near temple entrances, the nine celestial bodies were depicted in an orderly row, often in figural form. From left to right they are: Sun with a tall crown and the female Dawn in front of him. The next five figures are nearly identical: Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter. As a portent of doom, Saturn was wounded by a goddess to prevent him from moving swiftly, so he stands on one leg. The bodiless head is Rahu, the eclipse, who swallows the moon until it falls out his neck. The serpent-tail...