Gaja Lakshmi, Goddess of Fortune

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The enthroned goddess holds a lotus in her left hand and a lotus cornucopia in her right, while two elephants bathe her with life-giving water. Two female attendants hold flywhisks at either side, and two lions flank her feet. A pair of donor figures holds upturned vessels, pouring riches bestowed by Lakshmi, evoking the river of fortune that flows from the goddess. Gaja Lakshmi first appears in this form in the first century B.C., making her one of the earliest recognizable goddess in southern Asia.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art