In the sculptural iconography of this ‘panchaloha’ bronze image, we see the image of Mariamman – the deity as part of one of the oldest proto-Mother Goddess cults from Tamil Nadu. This pre-Vedic goddess is said to be the bringer of rain (‘mari’ – rain, ‘am’ – water, ‘an’ – lack of; or ‘mari’ – rain and ‘amman’ – mother) during times of distress, which ties her worship during the summer festival of Mulaikottu, calling for her auspicious presence to bless the coming year’s harvest.
Mostly worshipped as a ‘gramadevatai,’ or the presiding deity of South Indian villages, Mariamman’s worship is also part of the (growing and) larger pantheon of contagion goddess – that is, her worship is performed to ward off evil spirits, and diseases like cholera, smallpox, and chicken pox (making her manifestation remarkably similar in function to that of Parvati’s form of Shitaladevi). Her emblematic duties of taking care of the rain, fighting diseases, securing familial welfare and fertility, manifest her forms in a benevolent as well as fearsome manner. We witness her pious devotion and ascetic primitivism in the manner of her hand extending the empty bowl or ‘kapala’ for alms, and the ‘damru’ from which emanates the sound of the universe (and in this case, the coming of rain). In her fierce embodiment, we see her carrying the sword and the noose, along with the iconic five-headed cobra rearing from her crown along with tongues of flame surrounding her ‘mukuta.’ She is seated in a relaxed yet royally poised ‘lalitasana’ over a lotus pedestal and is surrounded by a paisley-designed arch carrying a fearsome ‘kirtimukha.’
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