Apparatus for Filtering Liquid Opium

This brass apparatus comprises a tripod on which a Shaivaite shrine is mounted with images of a snake, Nandi, the bull vehicle of Shiva, and linga, the phallus symbol of Shiva. The central miniature shrine is flanked by two brass rings adorned with ornate peacocks. These rings hold cone-shaped cloth filters for filtering liquid opiums which are now missing.
It was customary among the Rajput chiefs of Rajasthan and Gujarat to consume and offer to guests liquid opium to be sipped directly from the palm of the host. Before the advent of the colonial rule, opium was locally grown and consumed in Bihar and Bengal as well as in the Malwa region of Central India. The British developed a vast opium trade with China which became a source of major revenue over the 19th century.