This tiny bronze-cast from Swamimalai, one of a few celebrated centres of bronze-casting in India, represents goddess Pratyangira also spelt as Prathyangira. Swamimalai, the seat of Lord Muruga, worshipped as Swaminatha, and the fourth of the Six Sacred Shrines, is a small village situated on the banks of a river tributary to Cauvery in Thanjavura district in Tamil Nadu some seven-eight kilometers fromKumbakonam. Karttikeya, Shiva’s eldest son, worshipped in South as Muruga, is as celebrated a god as Shiva and Subramanya or Vishnu. As has a legendary tradition, Swamimalai – the hill that Swami, that is, Muruga, enshrined, was fixed as his seat by Lord Shiva himself after Muruga had expounded to him the meaning of Pranava Om. Swamimalai still has an old temple dedicated to Muruga. It is said that it was for the temple dedicated to Muruga that his first image was cast and thus the tradition of bronze casting was begun in the village and is still live after many generations, and about twelve hundred artisans, known as sthapathis, following the same norms of bronze casting as laid down in the Shilpa-shashtra, are still engaged in the profession. Pratyangira, though a goddess of Shakti group manifesting eternal energy, the source of entire creation as also the instrument of dissolution, is the South Indian transform of Narasimhi, the consort of Vishnu in his Narasimha incarnation and thus is a goddess in Vaishnava line. However, as Narasimhi or otherwise, Pratyangira is more often venerated as a manifestation of Kali. Besides her iconographic vision : awful masculine appearance with a lion-like face or rather the entire anatomy conceived on masculine line, prominent cheek-bones and muscles, wide open mouth, horrible fangs, lolling tongue, flames of fire rising from behind with ears-like appearance … the attributes her image has been conceived with – ferocious serpent, flames of fire, bowl and even noose are more akin to Kali’s imagery. While the goddess has the seven-hooded serpent Shesha covering her umbrella-like from behind and she has a tall Vaishnava crown over her head, she also has on her forehead a prominent ‘tri-netra’ – third eye, making her belong also to Shaivite line.
The image of the goddess along her mount lion has been installed on a rectangular platform with a larger base moulding that tapers in its upward rise to align with a smaller upper which is a plain elevation topped by a plain graded moulding. The duly saddled lion, her seat, is a static figure but with a ferocious look that its wide open mouth inspires. It has a typically rounded tail, rather taller than usual. In the level of perfection the image is characteristic to skilled craftsmen of Swamimalai who matured the art over centuries through many generations of them. An alloy blending as many as five metals bronze is the toughest medium for casting images; however, the hands of artisans of Swamimalai make every centimeter of its space breathe, as in this tiny piece, a kind of classicism, divine aura, and beauty par excellence.
For privacy concerns, please view our Privacy Policy
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Manage Wishlist