Idumban is an asura who became one of the most devoted followers of Kartikeya (Murugan; see lot 245). According to legend, the sage Agastya tasked him with carrying two sacred hills southwards, suspended from either end of a pole borne across his shoulders, as depicted here. Upon reaching Palani, he found himself unable to lift his burden again: Murugan, in the guise of a child, had settled upon one of the hills. Defeated by the god and subsequently restored to life, Idumban became his guardian.