A BRONZE ‘SURABHI’ LINGAM DRIPPING VESSEL, THARA PATHIRAM, 18TH-19TH CENTURY

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A BRONZE ‘SURABHI’ LINGAM DRIPPING VESSEL, THARA PATHIRAM, 18TH-19TH CENTURY Expert’s note Vessels such as the present lot are used in rituals where they are suspended with the cow head pointing down over a lingam, a phallus-shaped representation of Shiva. It would have been filled with milk which would then drip, drop by drop, from the cow’s mouth over the lingam. Lingams are regarded as ‘hot’ and require regular cooling as an act of worship. The constant dripping from such a vessel is described as Abhisheka, an act of reverence for Shiva. Thara Pathiram is a South Indian term for a ritual vessel or bowl, with Pathiram meaning “receptacle.” Surabhi, also known as Kamadhenu, is the divine “cow of plenty” in Hindu tradition, embodying abundance, fertility, nourishment, and prosperity. Regarded as the progenitrix of all cattle and possessing the power to grant wishes, she occupies an important place in Hindu mythology and ritual culture. Her imagery therefore carries an auspicious meaning, invoking inexhaustible abundance and divine beneficence. Southern India. Finely cast, the compressed globular vessel rising from a short spreading foot and fitted with a wide trumpet-form mouth. The opposite end is modeled as the projecting head and neck of Surabhi, the cow of plenty, with alert eyes, short curved horns, and flaring ears, the pierced mouth serving as the outlet. The neck is encircled by an elaborate beaded collar and further enriched with incised geometric bands around the vessel. Dimensions: Height 11 cm Literature comparison: Compare two closely related holy water sprinklers with lota bowls and cow-head spouts used for anointing the images of gods, illustrated by Robert F. Bussabarger in The Everyday Art of India, New York, 1968, p. 80.

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