OBJECTS OF RELIGIOUS CEREMONIAL 101 



33. Gohinath (Krishna). — Statuette of white marble. Represented 

 standing within an arch, head diademed, the right hand in the atti- 

 tude of granting protection (ahhaya) ; the left arm is around the neck 

 of a female figure. 



Gobinath (or Govinda) is one of the names of Krishna, signifying 

 "Lord of the Milkmaids." The adventures of Krishna during his 

 life among the shepherds and his loves with the shepherdesses 

 (gopis), especially with Radha, are the objects of many popular 

 legends and songs among the Hindus, and some sects worship him 

 under these aspects, to which a m.ystical significance is given. Height, 

 1 1 % inches. India. (Cat. No. 1 54876, U.S.N.M.) 



34. Krishna in a lotus flower. — The lotus is constructed of paper on 

 a frame. When opened by drawing up the cords attached to the 

 petals it discloses the figure of Krishna. 



The lotus flower is sacred to the Hindus and Buddhists as the sym- 

 bol of purity and eternity. It is the attribute of many divinities, 

 and the images of the gods frequently rest on an open lotus flower as 

 their base. In Hindu mythology Brahma, according to one version, 

 emerged from a lotus flower which sprang from the navel of Vishnu. 

 Also Avalokitesvara or Padmapani, who is revered bj^ the Northern 

 Buddhists as the spirit of Buddha present in the church, is invoked as 

 "the lotus born." Ceylon. (Cat. No. 154976, U.S.N.M.) 



35. Buddha incarnation of Vishnu. — Statuette of marble, painted 

 and gilded. Represented seated on lotus throne in meditation. 

 Against the center of the base is a 4-petaled flov.er in the form of a 

 cross, which may be mtended to represent the Buddhist "wheel of 

 the lav/." 



In this ninth and last incarnation Vishnu is said to have assumed 

 the form of Buddha, the adversary of Brahmanism, to mislead the 

 enemies of the true religion until the tenth or final descent of Vishnu 

 (the Kalki Incarnation) on the white horse, v.dth a flaming sword 

 like a comet in his hand, for the destruction of the wicked and the 

 vivification of the world. Height, 10)2 inches. India. (Cat. No. 

 154905, U.S.N.M.) 



36. Ganga (Ganges). — Statuette of marble, painted and gilded. 

 Represented standing. In the upper hands she holds a dish and a 

 vase of fruit; in the lower, a chaplet and waterpot. On the base are 

 small figures of a hare (?) and a tiger or leopard. 



Ganga is in Hindu mythology the goddess personifying the river 

 Ganges, which rises in the Himalayas and falls into the Baj^ of Bengal. 

 All rivers, as sources of fertilitj" and purification, are invested b}' 

 the Hindus with a sacred character. But the Ganges, or "Mother 

 Ganga," as the devout Hindus call it, is revered as the holiest of all. 

 Its waters are believed to cleanse any sin and moral contamination. 

 Its banks are lined with temples and pilgrimage places, of which Sagar 



