Carved Gaja Lakshmi Wall Panel with Elephants

Lakshmi sits in the centre on an open lotus, crowned, 4 arms, the upper 2 holding a lotus bud each and the lower 2 doing the 2 things her hands always do, one raised flat to say do not be afraid and one open and turned down to give. On either side an elephant stands with it's trunk up holding a kalash and the 2 elephants bathing her are the reason this one is called Gaja Lakshmi, gaja being elephant.

Behind each elephant the corners fill with creeper scrolls so no plain wood is left showing, and a single flower sits between each elephant and the goddess. The whole thing is cut in relief from one board, the figures standing a good finger's depth off the ground, inside a plain moulded frame.

Above The Door

This panel is made for the lintel over the main door, the same spot the toran hangs at, facing into the house so you see it every time you come in. In a shop it goes above the gaddi where the owner sits and in a house without a separate puja room it goes on the wall behind the diya that gets lit on Friday. It is solid wood and heavy for its size, so it hangs on 2 screws into wall plugs, a nail will not hold it and it wants a wall that does not get the rain.