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This gracefully modelled sculpture from the
Chola dynasty shows Saint Manikkavachakar,
the famed 9
th
century Shaivite Tamil poet,
with his right hand held up in a gesture of
teaching. In his left hand, he holds a palm‒leaf
manuscript symbolic of his devotion to Lord
Shiva. He has matted hair and is modestly
dressed, with a sacred thread around his
torso, a necklace, an arm ornament and a
bangle. A short cloth is wrapped around
his waist. “Manikkavachakar wrote a large
and varied body of poems, which constitute
the
Tiruvachakam
, the eighth book of the
Tamil sacred canon, and the esteem in
which his verses are held is attested by his
title, ‘He whose words are rubies’. Shiva
temples generally possess two images of
Manikkavachakar, one being placed before
the temple’s image of Shiva as Nataraja
(Lord of Dance). The second stands as part
of the
nalvar
or ‘Revered Four’ poet‒saints,
alongside child saint Sambandar, saint Appar
and saint Sundarar.” (Vidya Dehejia,
Chola:
Sacred Bronzes of South India
,
London: Royal
Academy Books, 2007, p. 104)
“The bronze deities created between the
ninth and thirteenth centuries in the Tamil
region of South India under the Chola
dynasty are among India’s most celebrated
sculpted figures, hailed as exquisite artistic
creations.” (Dehejia, p. 26)
65
SAINT MANIKKAVACHAKAR
TAMIL NADU, CIRCA 12
TH
CENTURY
Bronze
19.25 in (49 cm) high
Rs 60,00,000 ‒ 80,00,000
$ 89,555 - 119,405
NON‒EXPORTABLE
REGISTERED ANTIQUITY
PROVENANCE
Property from a Royal Collection
Manikkavachakar – he whose words are rubies.