Gajalakshmi (Folk)

This is Gajalakshmi. Instead of the usual four arms here she is shown with o two arms. The hands are in Varada and Abhaya (Boon bestowing and protection) mudra.

The stems of lotuses are attached to her shoulders and in traditional bronzes, Gajalakshmi will hold lotus stalks in her rear hands. The Lotuses, in turn, will support the elephants. Here the elephants are supported by the side pilasters. The elephants are holding upturned Kalasas, water containers, and pouring water on her.

The abstract nature of the elephants is delightful and you do not see such portrayals in traditional bronzes. That merits featuring on this blog site.

The idol is about 6.5 cm in height. It shows wear from ritual use. Going by the three-pronged tiara and circular base, this idol may be from Orissa.

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