Saraswati without a veena: Early South Indian temple art offers a different vision of the Goddess

[00:00:00]Saraswati Namostude Sarade Vidya Prathe Saraswati Namostude Sarade Vidyarade Saraswati Namostude Devi Saraswati The Goddess of Knowledge Learning Wisdom and the Arts As Inpire DevvionAss for curies When we think of Kasa Saraswati one instantly comes to m gods seated on lotus in ser holding avana but what is that familar image we see in popular culture was an always the way she was imagine the temple of south india tell a very different story of saraswathi saraswathi the god of knowledge is an important god in the hindu path in almost all the images that you see she is depicted holding of but the sculpt of both the pallav cholas tell you a compley diffent story journey begins at the aivatavaramle in tharasuram kumbakonam in tamilnadu thanjavur distk built by the cho emperor rajaraja 2 in the 12th curri the temple is one of the finest example of chola architecture and is recognized today as a unesco world heritéage site this is the saraswathi that is present at the ivath temple as you can clearly see she doesn't have a vner she has a mutra and the other hand is slightly damage she might be holding a manuscript she has a கமனடலம் and also கமாளலை in both of her hands our next stop is the big temple another unesco world heritage site and one of the greatest aவement of chola architecture hர the saraswathi which is on the templeவா is once again depicted without the instமெஞ்சாவ பிக டிக்காவ and right now really cr and this சரஸ்வதிஹர் is without aவன and you can see that you know one of hand is broken and in one of the other hand she is holding a manuscript காலிமகள் அடுன்னு நமான்னு ஸோல்ற்றும் சல்ற்றும் சல்றும் சல்றும் சல்றும் There are two sculptures in the Kailasanathar Temple in Kanchipuram. In both sculptures, they are not shown holding a veena. They have a garland in one hand, a scythe in the other, and both hands are missing. In another sculpture in the same temple, they have a kundigai (a garland of four faces) in one hand. The kundigai (a garland of four faces) is usually shown to the artists.

[00:02:46]Sculptures of Saraswati were created during the Chola period following these sculptures.

[00:02:50]There is a beautiful sculpture of Kalaimaka in the Valanjuzhi temple. Here, just like we see in our Thanjavur Rajarajeswaram Kanju Kunda Choleswaram, there too, on both sides, one side shows the goddess Thiruma and the other side shows the goddess Kalaima. If you have seen these three Kalaimagal sculptures, there is no scene of her holding a veena. In contrast, this Kalaimagal sculpture has a garland, a kundigai or a protective arm, in that kind of arrangement. The Gangaikonda Cholapuram Temple in Ariyalur district was built by Rajendra Chola 1 after hisvictorious camping in the Ganga at the Artha Mandapam of the Gangaikonda Cholapuram Temple just outside the sanctum 2 stands an annual image of Goddess Saraswati. We are now looking at the Gnanasaraswati that Rajendra Chola brought from the Pala government as a symbol of victory. This Saraswati can also be given as a symbol of their victory on the other side of the Ganges.

[00:03:50]Wherever Rajendra Chola went, he would bring back many sculptures like this as symbols of victory from the conquered areas.

[00:03:58]This sculpture must have been in his style. This is a subtle difference between South Indian tradition and North Indian tradition.

[00:04:06]This one has come, specifically, Gnanas Saraswati, holding in her hands that rosary, the svadi, the wisdom amulet, that rope, all this.

[00:04:15]This may have come from a different South Indian tradition. It is in keeping with this that Rajendra Chola installed a Gnanaswati Saraswati, in keeping with our South Indian tradition, on the right side of a step descending north from the Artha Mandapam in Gangakonda Cholapuram.

[00:04:33]Opposite it, there is a famous sculpture of Chandikeswara, symbolizing the Gangakonda Cholapuram. They would have worshipped the goddess of knowledge, Saraswati, opposite that sculpture. If you ask what was the basis for the construction of the Gnanasaraswati, this sculpture brought from the Pala Empire provided the basis for it.

[00:05:00]we are right now at Gangaikonda Cholapuram and Mr. Gomakan has already explained the concept behind the Gnanasaraswathi the Gnanasaraswathi you see right now stands to the test of chola's culture like a couner parts in bot Thanjavur Big Temple and Aivat Temple she is also dep without avena in hand Gangaikunda Cholaswaram Kalaimagal Shettum is very special because it has that hint of showing one hand. Look at the terrifying scene of the darshan.

[00:05:34]Generally Kalaimagal does not need to have that terrifying hand but Gangaikunda Cholaswaram has shown it like that.

[00:05:39]Rajarajeswaram Thanjavur has red hands so we do not know what the front hands of that mother are like but one thing is certain that Kalaimagal holding a veena is not seen in Tamil Nadu temples during the Pallava period or the Chola period.

[00:05:56]Saraswathi Temple of the Payu Temples is exclusively dedicated to Saraswathi [Music] is also without the instrument of the Goddess Amman Temple in Koothanur Thiruvarur this is only deic to the Goddess Saraswathi also the god is depicted without the in Tamil anncient icon bot the Pallava and the Cholas depicted Saraswathi without avana accing tools of Indian art and icon the addition of the to Saraswathi is something that happened over the years showing that there has been an evolution in the image of the cury according to the temple inciption the shrine was renovated during the rain of Chola 2 and is traditionally associated with the Tamil village name Saraswathi with the book of Akshamalai Thandi and the lotus seated on the lotus. In many Shiva temples, there is a Koshta idol. The standing figure there holds the veena as a seated figure. It is a later form of music, and is also revered here as the original form of Gnana Saraswati.

[00:07:17]The images of Saraswati present a markedly different conception of the goddess from the one familiar today from the domesticated and exclusively be figure of popular imagination of the Sola Pallava period. Saraswati is depicted with a classical presupposition that she embodies so and self-effacingly that there is a qu power in these images that suggest that the goddess was not gentleness and refinement but as a potent and transgressive being.