Delightful miniature bronze of a goddess sitting with a ladle in her right hand and a bowl/container in her left hand. She is sitting in Padmasana.

She is supported by a rectangular Bhadrapeetha. There are holes in front and back of the pedestal’s verticals. Not sure as to the purpose. In larger processional bronzes, such holes are provided to tie the bronze to the chariot or to an open palanquin.

It is quite likely this is Annapurna. The more common iconography of Annapurna is her sitting holding a ladle across her body, running from right hand to left hand. See other examples on this site, Annapurna and Standing Annapurna.

The back view shows her wearing Yajnopavita, the sacred thread. There is a circular halo behind her head. An unusual feature.

This bronze is about 5 cm in height. It shows significant ritual wear and may date to the 19th century or a bit earlier than that. It is quite likely it is from Tamil Nadu, going by the high copper content of the bronze and styling.

H K Sastri, in his book on South Indian Images of Gods and Goddesses, page 220, describes Tulaja Bhavani, who, like Annapurna, holds in one hand a vessel of delicious food and in another a spoon for distributing the same. So far, I have not come across any such bronzes or pictures of bronzes identified as Tulaja Bhavani.