Indonesian Lingam with Narasimha Motif

Round eyes, bared fangs, and hands gripping the bottom of the frame.

This lingam with Narasimha motif is carved lava stone from East Java, Indonesia. Narasimha, the man-lion form of Vishnu, is a fierce protector in Hindu tradition. Here the face fills the square lower section in relief, with bulging round eyes, curled forms above the brow, tusks and clawed hands at either side. Above it rises a plain faceted shaft. The stone is brown-grey and coarse. Forty-seven inches high and 14 wide.

Few stones look back this directly.