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Kalasha - India
This perfectly executed & very heavy (1,2 kilo) brass pot with beautiful patine is called a "Kalasha".
The Kalasha is used both as a ceremonial object, a decorative motif in Indian art and is an auspicious object in Jainism.
Used in Hindu rites it is filled with water and topped with a coronet of mango leaves + a husked coconut. The coconut is sometimes wrapped with a red cloth and red thread & a sacred thread is tied around the metal pot. The complete arrangement is variably called "purna-kalasha", "purna-kumbha" or "purna-ghata", all literally meaning "full or complete vessel". Sometimes the Kalasha is filled with coins, grain, gems, gold, or a combination of these items instead of water.
Measurements 15 cm in height + diameter. India, 18th century.
Kalasha - India
This perfectly executed & very heavy (1,2 kilo) brass pot with beautiful patine is called a "Kalasha".
The Kalasha is used both as a ceremonial object, a decorative motif in Indian art and is an auspicious object in Jainism.
Used in Hindu rites it is filled with water and topped with a coronet of mango leaves + a husked coconut. The coconut is sometimes wrapped with a red cloth and red thread & a sacred thread is tied around the metal pot. The complete arrangement is variably called "purna-kalasha", "purna-kumbha" or "purna-ghata", all literally meaning "full or complete vessel". Sometimes the Kalasha is filled with coins, grain, gems, gold, or a combination of these items instead of water.
Measurements 15 cm in height + diameter. India, 18th century.