Gaja Lakshmi

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This excellent painting in Tanjore art style by a known artist Hemlata Kumawat rendered using 24 Karat gold represents the Gaja Lakshmi form of the lotus goddess, patron deity of riches, prosperity and fertility. Scriptures revere her as the consort of Vishnu, the sustainer of the universe. The dually auspicious Gaja Lakshmi manifests in her being the supreme good as also the supreme beauty. Metaphysically, Lakshmi or Mahalakshmi, transforming as Padmavati, Shri or Gaja Lakshmi, is one of the manifest forms of the primordial female energy which is fertility and growth oriented, generative, creative, sustaining and blissful. It is for such reasons that sage Markandeya has invoked her, in the Devi-Mahatmya as an aspect of the Omnipresent Devi, the Great Goddess. Besides Vak who transformed as Saraswati Lakshmi is another divine power who as Sri has a respectable place in the Rig-Veda. The Rig-Veda has devoted three independent Suktas to Sri.

In visual tradition, Lakshmi, flanked by two or more elephants, sometimes bathing her with milk carried by them in their trunks or in pots carried in them, is known as Gaja Lakshmi. This is one of her earliest forms becoming available from the third century B. C. itself. This initial form incorporates lotuses carried in her hands as also around her figure as another essential feature of her iconography. As elephants symbolise stability, wealth and prosperity, this form of Lakshmi is considered more sacred. This lavishly bejeweled and richly costumed four-armed form of the Goddess has been painted as carrying in her two upper ones lotuses while the lower ones are held in abhay and varad granting fearlessness and bliss respectively. The crown, made of gold foils and conceived as studded with precious stones, is typical to the 19th century Tanjore model of a Vaishnava crown. She is putting on a large garland of fresh lotus flowers trailing down to the ankle height, another characteristic feature of South Indian Vaishnava iconography.

The pair of elephants, essentially the white ones, flanking her image in this painting, or broadly in any of the Gaja-Lakshmi images, are supposed to be the elephants from the clan of Erawata , the mount of Indra, the king of gods. The image has been installed on a fully blown large lotus laid over a golden throne with an elegantly carpeted floor under it. The throne has been placed under an arched canopy consisting of shallow gold arches which are further beautified by marooned curtains with elaborately worked golden frills. On the floor towards her right lay a tray carrying sweets. The deep blue background has been decked with tiny floral patterns. In all artistic traditions, Tanjore in particular, in her Gaja Lakshmi manifestation the goddess is represented as an independent image without a consort, or a male attendant. Lakshmi is sometimes represented, especially when engaged in serving her consort Vishnu, also with normal two arms, but as Gaja Lakshmi she is essentially four-armed. 

This image of Lakshmi, with two celestial white elephants flanking her image on either side is also known as Mahalakshmi besides as Gajalakshmi.. Though this form – elephants bathing or flanking her image and multiple lotuses around, is merely an art perception which first revealed in the third century B C in the sculptures of Sanchi and Bharhut, in her votive iconography this is her most popular image. The four-armed image is the essence of Lakshmi’s initial Mahalakshmi iconography.  The painting has been rendered on a hard boar using 24 Karat gold foils, pigments and other material. The architrave has been wondrously beautified and serves as both, the frame for the shrine as also the border of the painting. The corner spaces above the arches are decorated with various design motifs, a large circular flower in particular.

This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr. Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of literature and is the author of numerous books on Indian art and culture. Dr. Daljeet is the curator of the Miniature Painting Gallery, National Museum, New Delhi. They have both collaborated together on a number of books.

Gilded Elegance: Unraveling the Artistry of Tanjore Paintings

Tanjore painting is a traditional form of art in the South Indian style and was started by the inhabitants of a small town known as Thanjavur of Tamil Nadu. This gives it another name called “Thanjavur painting”. This painting draws its figures, designs, and inspiration from the time when Vedic culture was prevalent in India. Certain remarkable features of a Tanjore painting distinguish it from other paintings. Some of these are pure gold or gold foil coating on gesso work, the use of rich and vivid colors, and the inlay of cut-glass or semi-precious and precious stones. The subjects of most of the Tanjore paintings are Hindu Gods, Goddesses, and saints. The main devotional figure is portrayed in the central portion of the painting and is usually surrounded by various secondary figures.

The process of making a Tanjore painting

The classic Tanjore paintings are done on wooden planks and hence are also referred to as Palagai Padam in South India (Palagai = Wooden plank, Padam = Picture). Creating a masterpiece is never an easy task but the skilled artists of Thanjavur have been following the tradition of making timeless Tanjore paintings for decades.

The making process begins with preparing the wooden board or canvas. The size of the board depends upon the choice of the patron. The next step is to paste cardboard over the wooden board and then a cotton fabric is stretched and pasted upon it using Arabic gum.

Now that the cloth is attached to the wooden panel, a rough sketch of the motifs and figure is drawn onto the fabric. After this, a paste of chalk powder and water-soluble adhesive is evenly applied over the base and smoothed.

Thereafter, the outlines which were made or traced using a stencil are now ready to be beautified and decked with various add-ons. The usual materials for decoration are cut-glass, pearls, semi-precious and precious gems, gold leaf, and laces. 22 or 18 Karat Gold leaves and gems of varied hues are especially inlaid in areas like pillars, arches, walls, thrones, and dresses. In the final step, the rest of the painting is filled with rich and striking colors such as shades of red, blue, and green. Formerly, the artists used natural colors like vegetable and mineral dyes instead of chemical paints. The entire painting is then cleaned and refined to give a flawless finished look.

Since the making of a single piece of Tanjore painting requires a complex and elaborate process, the artists usually take at least one or two months to complete it. The use of pure gold foil and gems for beautification is a characteristic of an authentic Tanjore painting. Due to this, Tanjore paintings last for generations without getting tarnished and are much more expensive than general paintings. Though the art form has undergone various changes and technique modifications over the years, it continues to attract the hearts of art lovers.