A Double Sided Mottled Red Sandstone Railing Pillar with Shalabhanjikas, India, Kushan style

The double sided pillar depicting a Shalabhanjika on both sides of the pillar holding a branch of the asoka above her head.  The driads or tree goddesses, known in Indian art as Shalabhanjika are very popular in the Kushan period.  The voluptuous female by touch alone causes the tree to flower, thus symbolizing the transfer of the woman's fertile energy to the tree. The sculpture represents the traditional Indian ideal of feminine beauty, an ideal that perceives women as symbols of fecundity.