Dating: 7th–8th century CE

Provenance: My Son, Quang Nam Province

Inventory No.: BTC 25

Material: Sandstone

This decorative pediment carving originally adorned the tympanum above the doorway of the My Son E1 tower and was brought to the Museum in 1935. The relief depicts a familiar theme in Hindu mythology—the cosmic legend of the creation of the universe.

The scene illustrates Lord Vishnu reclining upon the vast, dark cosmic ocean, supported by the seven-headed serpent Shesha. The deity rests his right hand beneath his head while his left hand holds the stem of a lotus emerging from his navel. Atop the lotus bloom, Lord Brahma is born in a meditative pose, who subsequently creates the cosmos. At Vishnu’s feet stands an ascetic monk bestowing blessings upon the cosmic birth—a position traditionally occupied by Vishnu’s consort, the goddess Lakshmi, in Indian art. At both ends of the relief are mythical Garuda birds portrayed with human torsos and avian legs, an iconographic motif widely prevalent in the Mon–Dvaravati art of Thailand.

A carving featuring the same iconographic theme is also currently on display in the Quang Ngai Gallery (Inventory No. BTC 164).