Lintel from entrance to a Vishnu or a Durga temple

This lintel comes from a temple in Madhya Pradesh region of India. It is part of a doorway which separates the sanctum from the antarala (link area like a corridor) and the mandapam (hall). The central panel of the lower tier contains an image of four-armed Vishnu seated on Garuda. In the centre of the upper tier is a six-armed Durga flanked by her sons Ganesha and Kartikeya. The lintel is the most ornate part of a temple doorway, housing the navagraha (nine planetary deities) and the image of the main deity. It also denotes the difference between sacred and profane spaces which are very important in a temple.

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Vishnu