Lage Size Goddess Lakshmi as Padmavati

Slender as the lotus-fiber,
Lotus-eyed,
In the lotus posture,
Pollen dusting her lotus-feet,
She dwells
In the pendant lotus of the heart.

In poetic speculation, Lakshmi is said to have sprouted like a lotus in the heart of Vishnu (Padma Purana). She has thus been attributed the name Padmavati, or the one who emerged like a 'padma' or lotus. In visual representations, Padmavati has been, hence, conceived holding in two of her four hands blooming lotuses, as in this present manifestation. Not content however with these two attributes, the skilled sculptor has not merely seated her on a high double-layered lotus pedestal but also given the halo behind her head petal-like flames illuminating her divinity.

Sumptuously ornamented, as the goddess of prosperity and abundance should be, with two karnphools (floral-earrings) adorning her long ears, numerous collars (chokers) and a long necklace cascading down her bosom, the goddess here sits in the lotus posture, with the legs tucked in (padmasana). She is endowed with an elongated form and slender limbs and an overall lithe disposition of the body. The lower right hand makes the gesture of fearlessness (Abhaya), while the left arm is in the boon-granting posture (Varada Mudra). Both palms are incised with auspicious marks.

On the delicate head of the goddess is placed a tall, towering crown, known in iconographical texts as the 'Kiritamukuta.' This is literally and metaphorically the highest of all crowns. The shape is that of a rather conical cylinder, similar to a mitre, ending in a knot or point. When worn by a goddess, this signifies that she has a rank among the highest of all deities.

The sculpture was cast in Aligarh, a small town situated in the heart of India.