Yaksha Couple

Cave 3, Badami

This pair is (mis)identified by Zimmer, Vol 2 Plate 129, as "Kama and Rati," although Zimmer did hedge his bet ("...said to represent...") in the plate's index entry (Vol 1, p. 406).

Kama, the god of love, rides a parrot, but the small companion in this sculpture is a horse-headed dwarf, a gana. Given their gana companion and vegetal setting, this couple is much more likely to be simply a pair of Yakshas (nature spirits), like the other bracket figures (previous page and next page) in the cave.