Sri Vaishnavi Devi

Krishnamurthy Mama had asked me to make a voice recording of my experience with Sri Vaishnavi Devi. But I would like to pen my thoughts than speak about it.

The pertinent questions here are whom am I, who is this Devi and who is Krishnamurthy mama.

The readers of this blog know that I am Anuradha Harish. A tanjore artist with a quirky USP.

Tanjore painting is a traditional art where Hindu Gods and Goddesses are painted on wood with semi precious stones and gold foil used as decorations. I call my working style ‘quirky’ as I do not follow the usual method adapted by those who sell their art by volume. I do my paintings following the designated ‘shudhi’ (traditional way of not doing the art work during periods, without a bath and after sleeping on a bed) as I see each of my paintings as an invocation of the depicted God. So I take time and the number of art pieces are few.

Krishnamurthy mama had commissioned a Venkitachalapathy – Alamelumanga Tanjore painting from me years ago and we met for the first time at Hanuman temple in Ernakulathappan Temple Complex while passing on the painting to him with the required pooja. We lost contact, but one day he called me up and said that this very painting had been the centrepiece of his daughter’s marriage! What a surprise and honour!!

Since that day we have kept in touch off and on. He finds time to call me whenever he visits a new temple and explains in detail the temple’s significance and his personal experiences there. A treat to my ears.

So when he called me one evening, I was expecting to have a long conversation about another temple, but the call was short and it left me feeling quizzical.

He said he had ‘made’ a 3-D image of an idol and he wanted me to colour it. What?

He arrived home soon with some literature and told me about his younger days in Chennai and how his dad used to take him to a temple in Avadi, the suburbs of Chennai - Thirumullaivayil Sri Vaishnavi Devi Temple. The Devi had been etched in his mind and even after shifting to Cochin, his daily prayers involved Her invocation.

Then he explained his grand plan. His friend’s son had bought a 3-D model generator and he had innovatively used it to make an image of his Vaishnavi!

And what he expected of me was quote-unquote, ‘Simple’!

He just wanted me to paint the idol and decorate Her.

I was shocked and started protesting. I said I was unskilled to work on an idol and incapable of doing this task.

But persistence seems to be Krishnamurthy mama’s middle name. He gave me some time to ‘think’ and came home one day with ‘Her’.

And I fell in love. So white. Looked so fragile, but eminating energy. I thought She looked curiously at me. As curious as I was of Her!

(The material used to make the 3D rendering of the image was made from specially imported natural high quality corn powder, making it super light, but unbreakable. It could withstand upto 35 degree centigrade temperature. It's biodegradable.)

The amount of confidence mama had in me is amazing. He said, you can and you will decorate Her for me. And he left!

Over the phone I told him that he must give me time to get acquainted with Her.

This is another of my many quirks. I believe that each painting, in this case, the idol has it’s own character. And they want to be represented in a certain style. And my work as an artist is to channelise their energy to the board / idol. I am merely the hand that holds the brush. The colours, the strokes, the ornaments, the designs are all decided by the higher forces.

So, She sat inside my pooja room for more than a month. Every morning and evening while lighting the lamp and offering prayers, I would beseech Her to allow me to be Her instrument.

And one day, She agreed.

I had decided to use Acrylic colours as they are thicker. But I work mostly with poster colours and water colours. Acrylic always haunts me!

She said one day that She wanted a green sari with gold border. (This might sound eerie/cheesy to the readers but I truly believe my Gods speak to me!)

So the first task was to accentuate her sari border and pleats with my tanjore painting chalk slurry. The I applied a patch test under the idol (where no one can see) to know how many coats of paint would be necessary.

Then I stuck the gold foils on Her sari border, pallu, hands, legs, Shangu, chakru and crown. Next I coloured Her sari in the darkest green. But I got the desired colour only after 4 coats. Her blouse was painted a muted red. Her tresses jet black. The floral ‘mala’ She wore was decorated with tulasi, pink (paneer) rose and manjal jamandi.

Mama wanted Her to be look like a ‘nithya-sumangali’ and therefore I painted her face a pale yellow.

She started guiding me to place (semi precious) rubies and emeralds as decorative pieces on her crown, earrings and hands. Then she advised me to put giant gold blobs as polka dots on Her sari.

The 3D image had 2 neck pieces. So, I turned the smaller one into a simple gold chain with a red stoned gold pendant. But I did not know what to do with the larger chain.

“Pearls, diamonds and ruby,” She said.

“I do not have such a big red stone which will enhance the look of the beautiful chain”, I protested.

“Oh! Yes, you do”, She replied before waking me up from my night’s sleep.

That afternoon She guided me to an ornament I had bought years ago and forgotten about!!

Krishnamurthy mama had been keeping in touch with me all those months and one day I told him, “I think I have to stop now as She seems to be an ‘alankaara-priya’ and I keep decorating Her more and more with ornaments. What else to expect of Goddess Lakshmi?!”

The ‘netra-unmeelanam’ was to be done by mama on a sacred day as Hindu art practitioners (be it a sculptor, painter or carpenter) believe that the day the eye of the image/idol is drawn, is the day the image/idol comes to life.

When I dropped Her off at Her home, I did feel sad; but I was elated too. I had never worked on an idol before and She looked stunning.

The next part of the story is about Her antics at mama’s home which he kindly called and regaled me with. She made him redo their entire pooja room, got Herself a glass cubicle, a decorative 'vyali mukham' to surround her, a peedhom and made his wife ‘want’ gold ornaments, so that She could adorn them. Like the navaratna maala, which was bought during last navaratri. This is in addition to all the other new gold chains and precious pieces mama had bought specially for Her !

And there have been instances where She has been ignored by some people who were taught the price to pay for such antics is large but easily reversible with a simple apology and seeking of Her blessings.

She now resides in Panampilly Nagar, Ernakulam, Cochin but mama sends me Her photos off and on. She looks resplendent decorated with many ornaments and flowers.

I do wonder at times, when I see Her aiswaryam if Krishnamurthy mama has uprooted Sri Vaishnavi Devi's Chaithanya from Thirumullaivayil temple in Avadi, Chennai and brought Her to his home.

I am forever grateful for mama’s confidence in me and to Goddess Sri Vaishnavi Devi for allowing me to hold Her, scold Her, dress Her and treat Her like my child.

Mahadeiyai Namaha.