Description
"Yakshis" (goddesses) and their male counterparts, "yakshas," are an ancient type of divinity in South Asia with close connections to nature. Ancient communities looked to "yakshis" and "yakshas" as protectors of the earth’s bounty. These nature-spirit deities were later adopted into the religious traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.
This goddess, festooned with necklaces, armlets, and bracelets, and holding a ripe fruit, would have been an object of worship, possibly at an outdoor shrine associated with a sacred tree or another feature in the landscape. The fruit, together with the goddess’s voluptuous breasts and thighs, signals the "yakshi’s" association with fertility.
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