THE GOA STATE MUSEUM - PART 3

THE GAJALAXMI PANEL

The third of my many posts on the Goa State Museum is the Gajalaxmi panel that are displayed on the ground floor. As the name suggests, the stone slabs were commissioned in the honor of Laxmi - the Hindu Goddess of Wealth.

Gajalaxmi - 14th-15th century AD

The first of the two slabs, the one displayed in the above picture belongs to the 14 ^th - 15 ^the century and was found at Gulle in Sattari taluka in the north-east part of the state. This rectangular structure has an image of the Goddess in the centre, flanked by attendants and a pair of elephants with mahouts. The image of Laxmi is separated from rest of the slab by two small pillars. The lowest panel has people praying to the goddess with two mythical, yali like creatures in the middle, facing each other. In the two sections that make up the middle panel, one can see people playing instruments in the honor of the Goddess whereas the topmost panel has horses at the extreme ends.

Gajalaxmi - 17th century AD

The other basalt stone slab, belonging to the 17^th century found at Dharbandoda in Sanguem consists of the Goddess sitting atop a pedestal, holding lotus buds in her hand. She is flanked by attendants fanning her, two ornate elephants and two warriors in full military gear who are bowing before Her. The middle panel depicts cavalrymen whereas the panel at the bottom shows people dancing and singing hymns in the praise of the goddess. On a closer inspection, one can see two strangely dressed men, perhaps in Persian attire in the lower section.

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More from the series: GOA STATE MUSEUM

(1) An Introduction (Link)

(2) The Hero Stones (Link)

(3) The Sati Stones (Link)

(4) The Gajalaxmi Stones (Link)

(5) The Cult of Mahishasura Mardini (Link)

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Reference: Catalogue of the Remarkable Sculptures in the Goa State Museum