Devi Meenakshi is one of those rare Hindu deities who, from being the queen of the ancient Pandya kingdom, was elevated to devi-hood. The murti of Her that you see on this page depicts Her in Her traditional iconography. Tall and slender and unspeakably beautiful, She stands with all the grace of the feminine being with a parrot perched on Her right hand.
This Meenakshi murti has been made from panchaloha, a bronze made from five (‘pancha’) different iron-based (‘loha’) alloys. This medium gives the composition its resplendent gold colour. Note how the monotone is broken only by texture - the pleats of Meenakshi’s saree wound tightly around Her figure, the bold lines of Her handsome face, and the ornate crown.
Panchaloha is an exceptionally difficult medium to work with. The metalcasting method used here is madhuchista vidhana (lost wax metalcasting). Both the medium and the method are a heritage of the great South Indian sculptural tradition. Its hallmarks lie in the tall crown and the slender figure, each accentuating the other’s sharp beauty.
Eternal Brilliance Unveiled: The Mystique of Panchaloha Bronze and Artful Maintenance Rituals
Bronze is a metal alloy that has the primary composition of Copper and Tin. There is also an addition of other metals such as Manganese, Aluminium, Nickel, and some non-metals such as Phosphorus. This composition of several metals and non-metals makes Bronze an extremely durable and strong metal alloy. It is for this reason that Bronze is extensively used for casting sculptures and statues. Since Bronze has a low melting point, it usually tends to fill in the finest details of a mould and when it cools down, it shrinks a little that makes it easier to separate from the mould.
" If you happen to have a bronze statue, simply use a cotton cloth with some coconut oil or any other natural oil to clean the statue. "
A village named Swamimalai in South India is especially known for exceptionally well-crafted Bronze icons of Hindu Gods and Goddesses. The skilled artisans of this place use Panchaloha Bronze for casting the icons. Panchaloha Bronze is made of five metals; Copper, Zinc, Lead, and small quantities of Gold and Silver. Zinc gives a golden hue to the finished figure and Lead makes the alloy softer for the easy application of a chisel and hammer. The common technique for producing these statues and sculptures is the “Lost-wax” method. Because of the high durability of bronze sculptures and statues, less maintenance is required, and can still last up to many decades.
Exotic India takes great pride in its collection of hand-picked Panchaloha Statues. You will find the murtis of Gods (Krishna, Hanuman, Narasimha, Ganesha, Nataraja, and Kartikeya) and Goddesses (Saraswati, Lakshmi, Durga, and Parvati), and Buddha statues. You can also buy Ritual paraphernalia (Wicks lamp, Puja Kalash, Cymbals, and Puja Flag) on the website. All these statues and items have been made with a lot of care and attention, giving them a flawless finish. Their fine carving detail represents the rich tradition of India.
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