Title
Threshold
Year/Period
11th century
Region
Madhya Pradesh, India
Material
Technique
Dimension
Object size: L87 x W11 cm
Accession No.
1995-03902
Collection of
The udumbara (threshold) is suffused with images from Nature: a makara (crocodile) and aquatic plants like lotuses and scrolls intertwined with a small pair of geese seated on the leaf. The makara appears like a sea monster, a combination of crocodile and rhino with a kirtimukha (face of victory or glory) head and a foliate tail. A devotee crosses many thresholds in a Hindu or Jain temple before reaching the sanctum doorway. The sanctum itself is seldom crossed as only priests are allowed to enter the sanctum.
