The sacred Indian basil plant, immortalised in silver. Locally known as tulsi, this plant is enshrined as a Devi in the yards of almost every Indian home. In Sanskrt, Her name means ‘the matchless one’. She is considered a Lakshmiroopa (form of Devi Lakshmi) and the wife of Lord Vishnu. The work of art that you see on this page depicts a few sprigs of tulsi growing from a masonry structure, which is exactly how She is grown and worshipped in Hindu homes.
On a flat, almost paper-thin structure is a raised quadrilateral mound. An engraved masonry is poised upon the same, its body a fine example of intricate workmanship. The shimmering silver colour of the body of the masonry is superimposed with jewel-tones in red and green. It is as if the same is studded with the finest rubies and jewels, symbolic of the transcendental glamour of this seemingly humble plant.
Long silver stems gather to make a glimmering green canopy. The slender shoots have been so carved as to imitate their natural shape and bend, a detail that is proof of the sculptor’s skill of observation and reproduction. A flower of the tulsi plant emerges from the canopy, the delicate ochre blossoms having been reproduced with superbly lifelike detail. Such a compact holy basil could be carried about and installed anywhere the devotee wishes.
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