Vishnu with Shridevi and Bhudevi

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This group of three resplendent images, cast in brass but excelling in its fine craftsmanship, quality of casting and rare lustre a bronze-like tougher alloy capable of being softened to reveal a gold ornament like precision, minuteness of details and overall sophistication, represents Lord Vishnu with his consorts Shridevi, goddess Lakshmi’s other name, and Bhudevi, the Earth Goddess. The images – each independently as also conjointly, a perfect iconography and well-proportioned anatomy, have been endowed with the same level of perfection and classicism as, matured over long centuries through generations of metal-casters, reflecting in South Indian bronzes, especially the Chola bronzes or those from Swamimalai, a small town near Chennai in Tamilnadu, a centre of bronze casting still pursuing the early classical standards. The three images, every millimeter of space conceived with a jeweler’s eye, breathe a kind of classicism, divine aura, rare distinction and beauty par excellence.

Represented in his usual commanding posture, the four-armed image of Lord Vishnu, as also the images of his consorts Shridevi and Bhudevi, are formal and votive. While Lord Vishnu abounds in great splendour, majesty and divine authority : a monarch’s bearing, the images of his consorts, as suggests their anatomical modeling with well swelled breasts : their ability to feed and nourish, blend into their votive forms the incessant motherhood – the essential feminine principle under Indian tradition. The normal two-armed goddesses : Shridevi with a lotus in her left hand, on Lord Vishnu’s right, and Bhudevi with the lotus in her right hand, on his left, are the models of complete dedication and absolute submission. Apart extending their lotuses towards Lord Vishnu – the token of their worship and dedication, the Shridevi’s right hand, and Bhudevi’s left, portray release : the gesture that reveals that they have completely shed their ego or identity and have now merged in absoluteness with their Lord.

In Indian theology and thought, Lord Vishnu, one of the Great Trinity – the three aspected manifestation of the Formless Supreme Divine Principle, the other two being Brahma and Shiva, represents sustenance preserving the cosmos and maintaining cosmic order. Both Shridevi and Bhudevi, sometimes considered as two aspects of one divine entity, are Lord Vishnu’s most effective tools to help him sustain the world. Though variously contended, Shridevi’s origin from Samudra-manthana – ocean-churning, has greater unanimity. Once when death and decay imperiled the very existence of both, gods and demons, they made peace and decided to jointly discover means of defeating them. In ‘amrita’ – nectar, lying in the depth of Kshirasagara – ocean of milk, they found its source. They hence decided to jointly churn ocean and discover nectar. Shridevi or Lakshmi was one among the fourteen rare jewels obtained from the ocean-churning. Shridevi was owned by Lord Vishnu. Similarly, Lord Vishnu had rescued Bhudevi, the Earth Goddess from the hold of demon Hiranyaksha who had uprooted her from her place and taken away to ‘Patalaloka’ – the netherworld. Vishnu incarnated as the mighty Boar and killing Hiranyaksha brought her back and installed her into her place. Later Bhudevi too joined Vishnu as his consort.

As visualized in iconic traditions Lord Vishnu has been represented in this metal cast as four-armed though not carrying in them his four most usual attributes : ‘chakra’ – disc, ‘shankha’ – conch, ‘padma’ – lotus, and ‘gada’ – mace; he is carrying just two of them, ‘shankha’ and ‘chakra’, while one of the other two, the normal right, is held in ‘abhaya’ and the normal left, in the gesture of granting the desired, and assurance. His figure, as of the universe’s supreme monarch, has been conceived with a robust build. His figure has been conceived as wearing a towering and magnificently bedecked crown, a set of brilliant necklaces on his breast, makara kundalas – a pair of crocodile like styled ear-ornaments, armlets and bangles, most elaborately conceived waist ornaments comprising multiple decorative laces and beaded frills and a Shrimukha buckle, and a long decorative lace trailing down to ankles. His ensemble comprises a loincloth which seems to consist entirely of gold laces, chains and pendants, a most artistic sash suspending from the girdle and unfurling on either side and a most ornate decorative ‘patta’ suspending down along the parting of legs.

This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of ancient Indian literature. Dr Daljeet is the chief curator of the Visual Arts Gallery at the National Museum of India, New Delhi. They have both collaborated on numerous books on Indian art and culture.