Bronze Meenakshi of Madurai Statue 11"
- Meenakshi is the Hindu goddess associated with the temple city of Madurai
- She is the wife of Lord Shiva
- Meenakshi holds a parrot in her uplifted right hand
- She is a hand made, one of a kind, bronze sculpture cast by the artists of South India using the lost wax process, a skill passed on for generations since the Chola period
- Meenaksi ships the same day from our California showroom
About Meenakshi of Madurai: The legend of Meenakshi of Madurai goes back to the days of Malayadwaja Pandya. The king was childless and wanted the help of the gods to ensure him an heir to the throne. To win the favor of the gods, he performed an elaborate yagna, which is a sacrificial rite before a sacred fire. To the wonder of all, a three-year-old girl emerged from the fire, ran to Queen Kanchanamala and sat on her lap. The king and queen were happy. The girl had one abnormality; she had three nipples. A divine voice assured the king that the abnormality would disappear as soon as she met her consort. The girl grew into a beautiful princess, heroic on the battlefield as well. Setting out on a digvijayam (career on conquest) she overcame all adversaries and, after a sequence of victories, proceeded towards the Himalayas. In Kailash, when she met Lord Shiva on the battlefield, her third breast disappeared.
The princess was Parvati, Shiva's heavenly consort. Kanachanamala (the wife of the King), as Vidyavathi in a previous birth, had received for her penance a boon from the goddess whereby Parvati would one day be brought up as her daughter. The goddess Parvati thus fulfilled Vidyavathi's wish in the form of Meenakshi.
She impels full control over kama
Devi is the Sanskrit word for "Goddess". She is the core aspect of every Hindu Goddess. Devi is synonymous with Shakti, the female aspect of the divine, as conceptualized by the Shakta tradition of Hinduism. She is the female counterpart without whom the male aspect, which represents consciousness or discrimination, remains impotent and void.
Devi has many different names depending on where in India she is worshipped. In Madurai she is referred to as Meenakshi, in Chidambaram Shivakami, and in Kanchipuram she is revered as Kamatchi. In each city her likeness takes on different aspects as you can see by the variety of poses of Devi. As Meenakshi she stands holding a parrot. As Shivakami she stands next to her husband as Lord Nataraja and as Kamatchi holding fertility symbols.
Kamatchi is Devi in her creative manifestation bearing fertility symbols such as sugarcane, conch shell and parrot. As Prakriti she balances out the male aspect of the divine.
Bronze is an extremely durable metal made from a combination of 5 metals; copper, iron, tin, with minute additions of silver and gold. This combination is called Panchaloha bronze and is the basis for making the sacred Hindu temple statues of India and the world. Copper is the most prevalent metal in the alloy. Copper also gives the metal a softer composition that allows the bronze artisans to carve the details that are prevalent in each piece.
All the South Indian bronze sculpture Lotus Sculpture carries are Panchaloham and thus suited for any home altar or community temple.
Because of the durability of the metal not much is needed to maintain a bronze sculpture. Many of our customers purchase a bronze statue and perform daily puja and abhisheka consisting of bathing the Hindu deity in ghee, milk, coconut milk or other liquids. In this case nothing is needed to keep the statue clean as it will be bathed daily. If the sculpture is used for "darshan" or simply viewing the sculpture it is best to dust the statue as needed so no dirt collects in the details of the sculpture. For both polished golden bronzes and antique patina bronze statues if you would like the sculpture to shine use a cotton cloth with some coconut oil or other natural oil to wipe down the piece as needed.
Many of our bronze Hindu statues have been placed in outdoor temples. Bronze's durability makes it perfect for cold winters and hot summers of any climate. We suggest you bathe the sculpture every couple of months so that dirt does not collect on the sculpture and then use a cotton cloth with some natural oil to give the statue a shine. Both indoors and outdoors a bronze statue can be left alone which, overtime, will give the bronze an antique patina.
On some bronze statues you can see small hints of lime green, verde-gris patina. Some people prize this color for its age others want to remove it. If you would like to remove the verde-gris use a tooth brush with some coconut oil or other natural oil and lightly go over the verde-gris. This should remove the unwanted patina from the sculpture.
If you have any questions concerning your bronze statue please email us at [email protected] or call us at 1(760) 994-4455.
Bangladeshi Bronze is an extremely durable metal made from a combination of 5 metals; copper, iron, tin, with minute additions of silver and gold. This combination is called Panchaloha bronze and is the basis for making the sacred Hindu temple statues around the world. Copper is the most prevalent metal in the alloy. Copper also gives the metal a softer composition that allows the bronze artisans to carve the details that are prevalent in each piece. All the Bangleshi bronze sculpture Lotus Sculpture carries are Panchaloham and thus suited for any home altar or community temple.
Because of the durability of the metal not much is needed to maintain a bronze sculpture. Many of our customers purchase a bronze statue and perform daily puja and abhisheka consisting of bathing the Hindu deity in ghee, milk, coconut milk or other liquids. In this case nothing is needed to keep the statue clean as it will be bathed daily. If the sculpture is used for "darshan" or simply viewing the sculpture it is best to dust the statue as needed so no dirt collects in the details of the sculpture. For Bangladeshi bronze statues if you would like the sculpture to shine, use a cotton cloth with some coconut oil or other natural oil to wipe down the piece as needed.
If you have any questions concerning your bronze statue please email us at [email protected] or call us at 1(760) 994-4455.
USA Shipping
This sculpture is in our Oceanside, California store and ready for immediate shipping. The shipping charge is automatically calculated by UPS for shipping within the United States. Each sculpture is usually shipped within 24 hours of the order with the exception of the weekend.
You can obtain a shipping quote for any statue by clicking the link, Calculate Shipping beneath to the Add To Cart button on every statues' page. Besides the shipping price, the results will also display the date the statue will arrive at your home. Lotus Sculpture uses Instapak foam injection packing system or bubble wrap and recycled peanuts to ensure that all our pieces arrive undamaged. Click here to learn more about Lotus Sculptures packing.
International Shipping
This sculpture is in our Oceanside, California store and ready for immediate shipping to anywhere in the world. International shipping charges will be calculated automatically upon checkout.
You can obtain a shipping quote for any statue by clicking the link, Calculate Shipping beneath to the Add To Cart button on every statues' page. Or you can email [email protected] or call us 760-994-4455 to receive a shipping quote. Please include the item number of the statue you are interested in purchasing as well as your country and postal code. Lotus Sculpture uses Instapak foam injection packing system or bubble wrap and recycled peanuts to ensure that all our pieces arrive undamaged. Click here to learn more about Lotus Sculptures packing.