Producer unknown to us
Ritual vessel
Asia, India
Prior to 1991
Terracotta, fired
Donation to the museum by the Indian embassy in 1992
SAs 16326 a, b
The worship of snakes (nagas), usually cobras, is among the oldest cults ever, especially in rural India. Snakes are the protective genii of waterholes, rivers, and fields. By shedding their skin, they represent renewal, fertility, and, thus, the eternal cycle of life.
Their character is ambivalent, their living world unites the upper and lower worlds. They are considered to be the guardians of the earth's treasures. In the myths, their counterparts are usually birds in the form of eagles.
In divided Bengal, present-day West Bengal on the Indian side and Bangladesh in the east, people also worship the goddess of cobras, Manasa. By making offerings to her, they ask for protection from snakebites, disease, and other dangers, especially during the rainy season.
The clay chalis used in the rituals are made in the workshops of the potters, who also make other representations of gods for the seasonal festivals, as well as earthen household vessels.
The vessel is part of a donation of 250 objects to the museum by the Indian government in 1992. The museum received the vessel after the 1991 Festival of India in Germany, organized by the Indian Embassy and the Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin.
Carola Krebs