The Thief Who Stole My Heart : The Material Life of Sacred Bronzes from Chola India, 855-1280

The primary ebook to place the sacred and sensuous bronze statues from India’s Chola dynasty in social context

From the ninth by the thirteenth century, the Chola dynasty of southern India produced hundreds of statues of Hindu deities, whose bodily perfection was meant to replicate religious magnificence and divine transcendence. Throughout festivals, these bronze sculptures-including Shiva, referred to in a saintly imaginative and prescient as “the thief who stole my coronary heart”-were adorned with jewels and flowers and paraded by cities as energetic contributors in Chola worship. On this richly illustrated ebook, main artwork historian Vidya Dehejia introduces the bronzes inside the full context of Chola historical past, tradition, and faith. In doing so, she brings the bronzes and Chola society to life earlier than our very eyes.

Dehejia presents the bronzes as materials objects that interacted in significant methods with the individuals and practices of their period. Describing the position of the statues in on a regular basis actions, she reveals not solely the significance of the bronzes for the empire, but in addition little-known sides of Chola life. She considers the supply of the copper and jewels used for the deities, proposing that the necessity for such assets might have influenced the Chola empire’s political engagement with Sri Lanka. She additionally investigates the position of ladies patrons in bronze commissions and discusses the huge public data, many showing right here in translation for the primary time, inscribed on temple partitions.

From the Cholas’ spiritual customs to their agriculture, politics, and even meals, The Thief Who Stole My Coronary heart affords an expansive and full immersion in a neighborhood nonetheless accessible to us by its beautiful sacred artwork.

Revealed in affiliation with the Nationwide Gallery of Artwork, Washington, DC