Shankha Nidhi

Virupaksha Temple, Pattadakal

Although having the dwarfish form of a gana, this figure is a personified nidhi, one of the treasures of Kubera. Nidhis include auspicious objects such as moneybags, flowers, coins, or - as here - a conch shell (shankha).

The nidhi is richly dressed, and seated "at ease" upon a lion platform. His right hand holds the conch, from which a garland issues forth and passes above the nidhi's head. The garland's carving seems to resemble the body of a snake, a creature frequently associated with the underground and its treasures.

Many thanks to Dr. Ellen M. Raven, of the University of Leiden, for the identification of this figure.