Added one more Mahalakshmi to my collection. Her attributes a fruit, a mace, a shield and a patra that identify her.

Several features caught my attention. It is made using the Ganga Jamuna technique, and the Linga on the crown is by far the clearest depiction I have seen.

The Lingam on the crown is a feature I have seen in bronzes of other deities as well. In my collection, there are Mardhini, Vittala, Sadashiva, and Annapurna, each with a Linga on their crowns. This iconographic detail does initiate sectarian discussions. My interest is in documenting them to understand the thoughts behind this unusual depiction. Interestingly, all the examples I have seen are from the South Maharashtra/North Karnataka region.

Regarding the Linga on her head, the best explanation I have got so far is from Ameet. “With regards to Mahalaxmi of Kolhapur, it is one of the 52 Shakti peetha, which explains her association with Shiva. In the Kolhapur temple itself, there is a small Shivalinga shrine exactly above the main garbhagriha, which is opened for devotees once a year. In my opinion, this is represented in Mahalaxmi’s iconography by showing a Shivalinga above her head/crown.”

While bidding/buying online and later, while exchanging notes with my collector friends, the Ganga Jamuna aspect stood out. The ‘smudgy’ look of brass, in some places, caused doubts. So did the black spots on the brass part, her front garment. I got it and cleaned it (Ultrasonic tank). Examined it using magnification and by scratching the surface ( Yes, I did it). The Padmapeetha is definitely brass, and the darker portion looks to be a patinated copper-rich alloy. Despite the unexplained smudgy patches, I will go with the Ganga-Jamuna attribution.

The picture on our right is a Sitarama (Ganga Jamuna) with me. In that I see similar smudges. The Sitarama looks worn, see Sita’s thighs, suggesting some age. It looks like we still have not identified all the techniques used in making the Ganga-Jamuna vigrahas. The more I look, the more I find and the less I know.

This Mahalakshmi vigraha is about 13 cm tall and may be dated to the nineteenth century.