Ayodhyapati- the Lord (Pati) of Ayodhya Sri Rama in Hindu tradition- the ideal son, husband, and a king is not just seen as one of the incarnations of Sri Vishnu, but is also believed to be the ideal for mortal men-Purushottama. In this hard granite stone Sri Rama statue, the sculptor has strived to represent the princely glory of the scion of Raghu in the most divinely magnificent form.
Sri Rama in this large granite statue wears a conical Kiritamukuta crown with fine patterns embellishing its surface. Under the bejeweled crown, a Vaishnava tilak adorns Sri Rama’s forehead marking the middle spot between his tastefully arched eyebrows. The visage of the granite Sri Rama statue rivals the beauty of the full moon, the reason why the divine god is called Rama Chandra (Chandra-moon) endearingly by his devotees across India.
In his ears, Rama wears a stylistically designed Makara kundala, an attribute that represents celestial beauty and royalty, which he shares with Sri Krishna. The dark allure of Ayodhyapati is best underlined in the torso of this granite Sri Rama statue- broad and muscular shoulder and a delicateness that adds grace to the warrior form of the son of Kaushalya. A broad necklace with ethnic patterns sits close to the elegant neck of Sri Rama, tassels of Skandha-abhushana (shoulder ornaments) fall finely over his shoulders, Udarbandha (stomach belt) with lotus petal designs clasps the belly and a soft Yajnopavita (sacred thread) constituting of multiple finer strands, each of them perfectly distinguishable in the granite statue, runs diagonally on his chest. In the lower half of this Rama statue, the sculptor has carved a dhoti (lower body garment) with appreciable dexterity, its folds highlighted by curving lines that mark the spots where the fine dhoti clings to the well-built legs of the great warrior of Raghu Kula (clan). Holding the dhoti in place is an ornate waist belt worn over the Kayabandha (waist cloth) whose tassels knotted graciously hangs from the sides of the Sri Rama murti.
This icon of Sri Rama represents his two-armed form, holding a bow known as Sharanga, Saranga (name of Vishnu’s bow), or Kodanda (bow). Owing to his appearance with the bow in his two-armed icons, Sri Rama is called Kodanda- Rama (Rama the wielder of the bow) or Saranga-Pani (who holds the bow Saranga in his hand or Pani), especially in his South Indian shrine at Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, one of the 108 Divya Deshama (divine country) dedicated to Sri Vishnu in the writings of the Alavaras. Complementing the bow, in his left hand, Sri Rama carries an arrow with its point placed on the ground and its crescent moon-ended neck facing the sky. On his back, Rama carries a Tarkasha (quiver), full of arrows ready to attack the armies of his opponents. Placed on a magnificent platform befitting his stature, this large granite Sri Rama icon is a revered symbol of absolute sovereignty as a ruler and incomprehensible compassion as the Lord of his devotees. With a mesmeric smile swept across his face, this icon of Kodanda Rama makes one forget the difficulty with which the Shilpi (craftsman) cuts the hard granite stone.
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