An ivory luxurious Indian statue

An ivory luxurious Indian statue (1st century CE), found in the ruins of Pompeii ( Italy) (destroyed in an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE). 2000-Years Link Between India & the Roman Empire!

Some expert said this is Yakshinis or yakshis, Dancing girl, Laxmi.

It is crammed with luxurious Indian commodities, suggesting that Romans in the first century CE had a fascination with antiquities not just from Greece but also from remote cultures, and that Romans had a desire to acquire objects they considered exotic.

 Standing at 0.25 m. high the statuette is nearly naked apart from her narrow girdle and lavish jewels as well as an elaborate coiffure. She has two female attendants, one facing outward on each side, holding cosmetics containers. The statuette has a hole bored down from the top of her head. There is the theory that its purpose may have been a mirror handle.

 The existence of this statuette in Pompeii by 79 CE, when Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried the city, testifies to the intensity of Indo-Roman trade relations during the 1st century CE.This statuette has been dated by the Naples National Archaeological Museum as having been created in India in the first half of that century.

✍️ Krishnendu Mitra