A Shaiva devotee of the highest order, Karaikkal Ammaiyar or the mother of Karaikkal (a territory of the Chola kingdom of yore) was the well-off wife of a significant merchant of their time.
She is known for her profound, devotional poetry and is one of the Nayanmars, of which only three are women (there are sixty-three).
In the bronze sculpture that you see on this page, She has the keen appearance of “female ghoul/has shriveled breasts/bulging veins/hollowed eyes/bared teeth/a bloated belly/copper-colored hair/fangs/knobby ankles and elongated shanks.
These lines are famously Hers and, while She was a great beauty of Her time, She willingly disposed of it in order to be one with the ghoulish creatures that inhabit the sacred feet of Shiva. She is seated with Her legs folded, feet gathered afore Her, rudimentary cymbals in Her hands that lend music to Her poetry.
There is very little about Her face or figure that is markedly feminine or so in a pleasing way; indeed She is known to have risen above the norms of Her time that applied to women and taken to a path - of bhakti - almost exclusively reserved for men.
An elongated quadrilateral pedestal supports the seated figure of Karaikkal Ammaiyar. The upper tier is a simplistic one, while the slanting edges of the lower one is engraved with large lotus petals. Fashioned from pure bronze, the style of the work is distinctively Chola - from the long limbs, the androgynous facial features, and the washed-out colour of rose gold.
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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