Horse Bracket on Pillar

This is an exquisite old Chettinad horse bracket carved in Burma teak wood, and mounted on a pillar. An intricately carved rider is seated on the horse.
Brackets are architectural elements projected from a wall, usually to carry weight or to strengthen an angle. Intricately carved and painted, brackets were often found in Indian palaces and temples. Horse brackets used to be part of the main entrance door in old Chettinad buildings.
Two birds have most likely been added on later on two sides of the pillar roof, for ornamentation.