Salabhanjika (Tree-Spirit or Yakshi Figure)

This 10th-century sculpture from Gyaraspur shows a Salabhanjika—a yakshi or nature spirit—gracefully posed against a sala tree. Her tribhanga stance, intricate jewelry, and flowing garment radiate beauty and auspiciousness. Found in the Vidisha region, a hub of post-Gupta art, she symbolizes fertility and divine femininity. Such figures, carved on temple facades across India, were more than decoration—they embodied prosperity, natural abundance, and the sacred energy of womanhood in temple aesthetics.