Indian Plaque Amulet Depicting Durga on Lion

Round plaque with a rider and a lion-like mount, tucked in like a small coin.

This plaque amulet depicting Durga on a lion is Hindu, from Rajasthan, India. It is coin silver. Her festival, Durga Puja, is observed widely in India, and the goddess on her lion is among the most familiar images of the Hindu devotional tradition. Disc-shaped plaque with a plain raised rim and a short loop at the top. A figure with several arms sits sideways on a prowling animal, and the gray surface is softened by long handling. It is 0.5 inches long and 0.5 high.

A whole procession, shrunk to the size of a cookie.