Two Nakshatras of Hanuman
Two Nakshatras of Hanuman

INDIA, 19TH CENTURY

Details
Two Nakshatras of Hanuman
India, 19th century
The first with the god as a five-headed animal god trodding over a female figure and a rat, holding various weapons and auspicious implements in his ten arms; the second depicting Hanuman striding forward; both filled with and surrounded by extensive annotations
17¼ x 12 5/8 in. (43.8 x 32 cm.), the first
14¾ x 11¾ in. (37.4 x 29.8 cm.), the second (2)

Lot Essay

Nakshatras are Vedic horoscope charts, usually generated prior to arranging a marriage to ensure compatibility between the potential partners, or at the birth of a child to assist in the naming ceremony. They were generated by a yati, a kind of gurus who lived in Jain monasteries and maintained records of births, marriages and deaths within Jain communities, but did not necessarily subscribe to the philosophy and would often incorporate figures that typically associated with Hinduism into these charts.

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