Nagapooshani Amman (mother or Amman who wears Abhushana or ornaments of Nagas-serpents) is the form in which the Hindu mother goddess Parvati resides in the temple town of Nainativu (Sri Lanka). The shrine is one of the 64 Shakti Peetham (places of Shakti or goddess) as described in the Shakti Peetha Strotra of the Brahamanda Purana where Devi Parvati is worshipped as Nagapooshani or Bhuvaneshwari (queen of the world) alongside Shiva as Nayinaar.
According to the legends, when Devi Sati’s celestial form was scattered all over the earth, her anklet fell in Nayinaar, creating a divine spot that was visited by Indra, Ravana, and Adi Shankaracharya. The enchanting bronze Nagapooshani Amman with Shiva Lingam and Ravana icon you see here is a reproduction of an idol located in the auspicious stepwell of the Nagapooshani Amman temple which in Hindu art tradition is categorized as “Ravananugraha-murti”( a benevolent aspect of Shiva-Shakti, where they are showing “Anugraha” or compassion to Ravana, who was one of the greatest worshipers of Shiva Mahadeva).
In this Nagapooshani Amman with Shiva Lingam and Ravana Swamimalai bronze, the episode of Ravana’s attempt to lift the mount Kailash is depicted with intricate detailing. One day as Ravana was traveling in his Pushpaka Vimana, he was about to pass the abode of Shiva and Parvati- Kailasha, when he came across Nandi (Shiva’s bull and attendant) who warned him to not pass over Kailasha, as Shiva and Parvati were immersed in each other’s divine company.
Paying no heed to the warning and filled with pride, Raavana not only entered the boundary of Kailasha but attempted to displace the entire mountain. The mighty king of demons was a powerful being, and soon the mountain began to tremble, leading goddess Uma to worry. Pacifying his beloved Uma-Parvati, Shiva lightly pressed the ground of Kailasha with his foot causing Ravana to get trapped under the gigantic mountain and putting an end to his false pride.
With this, Ravana realized his mistake and, filled with guilt, took one of his heads and arm and thus invented the ethereal Rudra-Veena (the stringed instrument or Veena of Rudra or Shiva). Dedicated to the greatness of Shiva and Parvati and the sacrifice of Ravana who sang praises of Shiva on the Veena fashioned out of his limbs, this Swamimalai bronze of Nagapooshani Amman is a symbol of the popularity of Hindu beliefs that transcend boundaries.
On a vertically sculpted bronze platform, based on the coils of a five-headed serpent, the main image consists of Nagapooshani Amman with the Shiva Lingam, an aniconic representation of Shiva. Draped in a beautiful sari and ornaments, Amman has one hand lovingly placed on the Shiva Lingam while with the other hand she makes the gesture of fearlessness or “Abhaya Mudra”. The sacred space occupied by the divine mother and father of all beings is marked by the hood of the serpent or Naga and a Kirtimukha (face of glory) aureole.
Underneath the bronze images of Nagapooshani Amman and Lingam sits the ten-faced and twenty-armed Ravana, with a bizarre-looking Rudra-Veena in his primary hands. In his secondary arms, Ravana carries various weapons used on the battlefield, highlighting his potencies as a great warrior. On the sides of the bronze, one can observe incised lines forming modest circular shapes, used to represent the rocks of Mount Kailasha.
A visually stunning and complex image, this bronze Nagapooshani Amman with Shiva Lingam and Ravana is a commanding retelling of the powers of Shiva and Shakti and a moving reminder of a devotee’s self-surrender that immortalized him as the greatest Shaiva (one who follows Shiva).
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