The bronze statues of Polonnaruwa

When you visit a museum, you will see many statues. Today, we give you details of some bronze statues from the Polonnaruwa era that you may come across at the various museums in the country. See how fascinating they are.

Ganapati statue

The statue of Ganesha or Ganapati on a lotus pedestal is about the finest image of the God yet found anywhere in the world. It is 23 inches in height and with the pedestal, goes upto 32 inches. The God holds in his front left hand, a mango, as described in Sinhala mythology.

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Sikivahana-Skandha statue

The figure riding on a peacock, which is 4 5/16 inches with the pedestal, is believed to be a representation of Sikivahana-Skandha, son of Siva. Here we find one head and four hands, as against the six heads and twelve hands of Mahasena or the God of Kataragama.

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Nataraja statue

This is one of the finest statues that had ever been discovered and is also the largest bronze Nataraja statue so far known. This is 55 3/4 inches in height. A special feature of the statue is the shape of its Prabha (flames around the God).

Statues of this style are, however, rarely found elsewhere. The other notable feature is the group of musicians in the frieze (sculpture or decoration round the top of a wall) of pilasters (columns) and lions.

The frieze of musicians has been superimposed on it. The musicians from right to left are: a woman beating a pair of cymbals, a conch-blower, a reed-flute player, a woman beating a kettle drum (Kumba) and another cymbalist. No other Siva-Nataraja bronze statue with a similar frieze of musicians is known.

There are few South Indian examples of Siva-Nataraja statues in stone where his dance is supported by musicians.

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Parvati (Sivakamasundari) statue

The complete height of this statue including the pedestal is 38 inches. The proportions of the various parts of the body are very well maintained.

In certain respects, the drapery resembles that of the so called Statue of Parakramabahu at Polonnaruwa, and the bronze statue of Tara, which is now housed in the British Museum.

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Statue of seated goddess

The seated figure in Lalitasana, due to its complete height of 2 5/8 inches, has posed difficulties in the identification process. It is really difficult to identify the power of gods, as their individual characteristics are not clearly depicted. The graceful posture of the figure, however, is worthy of attention.

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Sarasvati statue

The first find which has been identified as a statue of Sarasvati is the only figure that is said to belong to the group of Brahma. Sarasvati is the consort of Mahabrahma and the goddess of learning and speech. She is said to be holding a parrot in her hand, according to Sinhala literature.

Pix and facts courtesy: Polonnaruwa Bronzes, C.E. Godakumbura, Department of Archaeology

Compiled by Janani Amarasekarara