Indian Chandella-Period Jain Pink Sandstone Fragment

This pink sandstone fragment shows a pair of deities or perhaps a male and a female spirit being (a yakshini and a yakshi) along with a smaller attendant being between them. Both wear cords and waist decorations. The figure on the left holds a ceremonial water vessel (kundika), and that on the right holds a stemmed flower. A makara lurks beneath the trio.

This fragment very much is in the style of sandstone reliefs found at the Maladevi Temple, a Jain temple that is also the largest and finest temple at Gyaraspur in Madhya Pradesh.

It dates to around the 9th century during the time the region was ruled by the Chandella Dynasty.

The Chandella (Chandela) Dynasty ruled much of central India, especially the Bundelkhana region between the 9th and the 13th centuries. The Chandellas belonged a Rajput clan. The power rose and fell based on their prospects on the battlefield.  They became well-known for the  art and architecture, most notably for the temples at their original capital Khajuraho. (Later, their capital moved to Mahoba.)

Almost certainly this fragment came to the UK during the colonial era, and has been in the UK many decades and possibly longer.

It is mounted on a black, wooden stand.