The benign and gentle aspect of Devi Shakti – Parvati – is presented in a gorgeous ‘panchaloha’ bronze sculpture, created at Swamimalai. Poised elegantly in the ‘abhanga’ posture on a raised square pedestal, Parvati manifests the virtues of goodwill, nourishment, devotion, motherhood, and power. As the principal Hindu goddess, she completes the incarnation of the Adi Parashakti, becoming the divine conduit of energy for Shiva. Moreover, as Mahadevi, Parvati is also one of the principal deities of Shaktism.
As the Kamrupa and Kameshwari – the one who shapes desire and the one who fulfils them – Parvati’s iconic image here is presented with two arms, the right hand in the ‘katakamukha’ gesture of fascination and enchantment (which holds an attribute like the lotus flower) and the left hand in the ‘katyavalambita’ gesture. Parvati’s active agency as the (albeit gentle) embodiment of Shakti presents her under a fiery ‘prabhamandala’ (similar to what the Nataraja imagery provides us). The sprouting flames, moreover, represent divine energy as well as the fire that cleanses the soul of her devotees.
Interestingly, the bronze colour of this sculpture also alludes to the golden complexion of Parvati as Gauri, denoting her blessings over the harvest season.
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