Panchala and Hariti
Gandhar School , 1st Century AD
Panchala was the god of wealth; his wife, Hariti was the goddess of food and later on she became the goddess of children and child bearing. Here the couple is shown as a Greek couple. While he holds a cup of wine, and is offered a purse of money, she holds a cornucopia, a basket which supplies endless food. We see two children (one of them broken off) spilling water or milk from pots.
These dieties will find their way into Buddhist and Hindu iconography. In Buddhism they are Kuber and his wife Hariti. In Hinduism Hariti becomes either Annapurna--the goddess of food, or Bal-Lakshmi, the goddess of children.
This sculpture is a fine example of our ability to assimilate different cultures. We grow only when we learn from others.
These dieties will find their way into Buddhist and Hindu iconography. In Buddhism they are Kuber and his wife Hariti. In Hinduism Hariti becomes either Annapurna--the goddess of food, or Bal-Lakshmi, the goddess of children.
This sculpture is a fine example of our ability to assimilate different cultures. We grow only when we learn from others.
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