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Raghavendra Swamy, Bronze, Possibly Karnataka, Southern India, ca 1890.

REGISTERED ANTIQUITY – NON-EXPORTABLE ITEM.

 

Object Detail

 

This small bronze depicts Sri Raghavendra Swamy (1595–1671), the philosopher-saint of the Dvaita Vedanta tradition and spiritual head of the Uttaradi Matha. He is also known as Raghavendra Tirtha. It is 7 cm tall and weighing 182.4 grams, it was cast in South India during the nineteenth century for domestic worship, occupying a central place in household shrines where devotees could maintain a daily connection with the saint through offerings of flowers, incense, and light.

 

The figure was made using the lost-wax process, a casting technique refined by South Indian bronze smiths across many centuries. A wax model was built up in careful detail, encased in clay, and fired so the wax melted away, leaving a hollow mould into which molten bronze was poured. After cooling, the surface was worked further by hand — the tilak marks engraved with precision, the prayer beads defined, the decorative patterns of the throne-back chased and refined. This combination of casting and hand-finishing is characteristic of the South Indian devotional bronze tradition, one rooted in the achievements of the Chola dynasty and carried forward through centuries of Vijayanagara and Nayaka rule.

 

Raghavendra Swamy is shown seated in dhyanasana, the cross-legged posture of meditation, his body composed and still. His right hand is raised in abhaya mudra — palm facing outward, fingers pointing upward — the gesture understood across Hindu tradition as an assurance of protection and grace. Within his devotional tradition this gesture carries particular meaning. His followers hold that the saint entered his brindavana at Mantralayam in 1671 not in death but in a state of living samadhi, from which he continues to offer blessings to those who approach him. The raised hand expresses not a gesture once made but something understood to be ongoing.

 

Rising behind the figure is an ornate throne-back decorated with medallions, floral motifs, and beaded borders — a setting reserved in Hindu religious art for figures of the highest spiritual authority. His Vaishnava identity is marked by the vertical tilak on the forehead, the recognised sign of a Vishnu devotee, and by the strands of prayer beads at his neck. The beard and moustache follow a standardised visual portrait of this saint, allowing devotees to identify him immediately.

 

Together, these elements depict Raghavendra Swamy not as a teacher remembered but as a spiritual guide whose presence and blessings continue to be felt by devotees, connecting them to the divine.

 

 

Provenance

 

From a Private Collection in Mumbai, India.

 

Condition

 

Good condition with minor wear, the back slightly warped, small nicks, light scratches, and casting flaws.

 

Dimension

 

Height – 7 cm.

Weight – 182.4 grams.

 

Literature Comparison

 

1.Hindu Janajagruti Samiti. “Shiva.” Hindu Janajagruti Samiti. Accessed June 8, 2026. https://www.hindujagruti.org/articles/48.html

 

2.Asia Society Museum. “Art for the Mughal and Rajput Courts.” The Collection in Context. Accessed June 8, 2026. https://www.asiasocietymuseum.com/region_results.asp?RegionID=1&CountryID=1&ChapterID=7

 

3. Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Lost-Wax Process.” Accessed June 9, 2026. https://www.britannica.com/technology/lost-wax-process

 

4.Huntington, John C. Mudra in Pan-Asian Buddhism, Part 1: Primary Mudras of the Major Buddhas. Columbus: Huntington Archive of Buddhist and Related Art, n.d. Accessed June 9, 2026. https://huntingtonarchive.org/resources/downloads/webPresentations/mudraInAsianBuddhism.pdf

 

5.Nagarajan, Rajaraman, and Namratha Joshi. Guru Raghavendra for Novices: Life and Teachings of Guru Raghavendra Swamy. Edited by Veena. 2009. https://www.gururaghavendra.net/rayaruforyouthfinal.pdf

 

6.“Guru Raghavendra’s Magnificence and Glory,” Dharmayana, accessed June 9, 2026, https://dharmayana.in/articles/guru-raghavendra-s-magnificence-and-glory-9d66b379-9ca5-4ae1-87b9-796ce288a9e1

 

7.“Hare Krishna Society.” “Guru Raghavendra.” Accessed June 8, 2026. https://harekrishnasociety.org/?p=29924.

 

 

 

 

 

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