VILLUPURAM: A sculpture of Goddess Moothadevi, purportedly dating back to the Pallava era, and a Vinayagar sculpture, believed to be from the Chola period, have been found by a team of history enthusiasts during a field study on the banks of a pond near Koralur Irular settlement, close to Kanjanur in Villupuram on Thursday.
The Moothadevi sculpture, carved on a large stone slab, is estimated to be around 1,200 years old, said C Immanuel, the team leader and a research scholar of the Department of History at Arignar Anna Government Arts College in Villupuram.
The sculpture, measuring about 3.5 ft in height and 2.5 ft in width, is depicted wearing a karandamakuta (crown), makara kundalas (ear ornaments) and a necklace known as sarappani. Immanuel said, “Her son, Manthan, depicted with a bull-like face, is shown on her right side and her daughter, Mandhini, on the left. A crow -- the symbol associated with Moothadevi -- is depicted in the upper right portion of the sculpture, while a broom is seen in the upper left portion. Her right hand rests on the head of an attendant, while her left hand rests on her thigh. She is seated on a pedestal, with anklets depicted on both legs.”
Traditionally, the residents of the area had worshipped the sculpture as Goddess Kotravai, he said. Moothadevi was worshipped in villages as a deity associated with the protection of waterbodies, he said, adding that sculptures of the deity were typically established near ponds, lakes, streams, rivers, and farmland. The worship of Moothadevi continued among the people until the 15th century and gradually declined thereafter, he said.
“Moothadevi is believed to have appeared before Lakshmi, and hence is referred to as Moothadevi or Moothaal. The name later evolved into ‘Moodevi’. Jyeshta Devi is the Sanskrit name, with ‘Jyeshta’ meaning the first. She is also known as Pazhaiyol and Kaakkaik Kodiyol. The crow is her emblem, the donkey her vehicle, and the broom her weapon,” he said. The members of the team that conducted the field study included postgraduate history students P Rahul, M Senthamizh Selvan, V Senthamizh Maran and T Tamilarasan, and undergraduate student P Krishnamoorthy of Sri Rangapoopathi College of Education in Gingee.