A compactly carved figure of Devi Lakshmi. Poised within a makeshift temple on a double-layered lotus-bloom plinth.
From the iconography to the style of the surrounding temple structure, this composition borrows heavily from Hoysala aesthetics.
It is the name given to the art and architecture that flourished under the patronage of the Hoysala rulers in South India.
The tradition dates back to the 11th through the 14th centuries, but has been kept alive by the finest South Indian artisans of today.
The elaborate sculpture that you see on this page is a fine example of the same. Handpicked for its iconographical consistency and the precision of the handiwork, it depicts the popular Devi Lakshmi seated in ardha-padmasana. From Her long limbs and Her svelte torso to the features of Her fine face, there is life and beauty and an otherworldly quality to Her presence.
Her straight-gazed, almost ferocious composure of countenance adds to the gravity of the composition. A latticeworked platform, down the frontal midline of which is a pair of gaja (elephants) balanced on a wildly curving sprig of vine. Legs the shape of thickly curving vine, found in the walls and templetops of many ancient structures in India.
Densely carved pillars of considerable girth, from the tops of which emerge a layered Kirtimukham arch. Ornate as it is, the arch itself counts as a standalone work of art. Note the miniature Kirtimukham motif on the front of the Devi’s tapering crown.
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