Ear plugs for deities

Title
Ear plugs for deities
Year/Period
19th-20th centuries
Region
South India
Accession No.
2006-00208

This pair of gold peacock earrings studded with rubies and diamonds was probably used to decorate the Subrahmanya icon. It belongs to a group of ritual objects that would have received royal or noble patronage and was donated to temples and matts (monastries) of Vaishnavas (devotees of Vishnu) in Tamilnadu or Karanataka or Kerala. They make excellent examples of workmanship sponsored by the then rulers who generously donated to the temples.