Lord Ganesha In The Lap Of A Lotus

In addition to the deity in the garbhagriha (the central deity of the temple), the typical South Indian period temple features a plethora of ancillary iconographies. These may be sculpted on walls and pillars and ceilings, both interior and exterior, adding to the beauty of the architecture. The sculpture that you see on this page is an example of this kind of temple sculpture. It is the wise and all-encompassing Lord Ganesha, son of Shiva-Parvati, adored by devotees all over ihaloka.

He is seated in lalitasana, upon the bed of a gigantic young lotus. From the tints of pastel pink to the serrations on each petal, it is a realistic bloom of great beauty. The chubby child’s body of the Lord is clad in a green silk dhoti and bedecked with gorgeous gold shringar, fit for a parlokiya prince. In His posterior hands He holds a conch and a lotus; one anterior hand He raises in blessing, while with the other He obviously cradles a laddoo.

Lord Ganesha’ love of laddoos adds to His childlike demeanour and endears Him to devotees. Together with His adorably plump form, His wisdom and innocence, and the unassuming elephant head, He is the baby that is subject to the maternal attention of all. Given the elements of His ionography brought out in this work, it is a fine example of India’s inspired sculptural tradition.