The devotee whose only wish was to assume a ghoulish form so that she could unwaveringly devote herself to her Shiva, Karaikal Ammaiyar is an unparalleled Nayanar saint.
In the bronzes from Swamimalai, Karaikal Ammaiyar appears as an emaciated, otherworldly female, with a cackling expression on her face, marked by Tripunda, shaven head, elongated earlobes (a sign of jeweled earrings given up by the ascetic), holding the cymbals.
The deified devotee is placed on a two-tiered lotus pedestal, reserved in traditional iconography for divine beings, highlighting her elevated status in Tamil Shaiva culture.
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