The gentle son of Shiva-Parvati is seated in lalitasana on a gigantic lotus throne. Such a Ganesha idol is a fine example of the traditional iconography of the boy-deity. The Ganpati statue that you see on this page is made from pancaloha, a bronze made from a blend of five (‘panca’) different iron-based (‘loha’) alloys.
The pancaloha medium, and the skill required for madhuchista vidhana (the term in the shastras for lost-wax metalcasting), belong to the great sculptural tradition of South India. This Lord Ganesha statue bears the wealth of detail and the metallic colour finish with overtones of earth and green, both of which are characteristic of Swamimalai pancaloha murtis.
For example, the uniformly spaced serrations on the Ganpati statue trunk and the lifelike grip of its end around the amrtakalasha. The hyper-realistic feet and hands of the Lord as they grasp the broken tusk and the laddoo and the cosmic implements. Finally, the solemn expression on the divine elephant-face.
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