Goddess Saraswati without veena: Sculptures of Pallava, Chola era reveal an earlier iconography

Published 8 July 2026 · india

At the Arthamandapam of the Gangaikondacholapuram Temple, just outside the sanctum sanctorum, stands an unusual image of Goddess Saraswati—one that is notably without the veena

At the Arthamandapam of the Gangaikondacholapuram Temple, just outside the sanctum sanctorum, stands an unusual image of Goddess Saraswati—one that is notably without the veena, the musical instrument now regarded as her defining attribute. Seated in padmasana with four arms, the deity is identified as Saraswati by the suvadi (manuscript) she holds in one hand and the akka mala (rudraksha rosary) in another. The remaining two hands hold an ankusha (goad) and a pasha (noose), iconographic features rarely associated with conventional representations of the Goddess. “She is one of the war trophies brought to Tamil Nadu following the Cholas’ northern campaign. The image originally belonged to the Pala dynasty,” according to R. Komagan, chairman of the Gangaikondacholapuram Development Council Trust. Historian Kudavasal Balasubramanian, in his book Rajendra Cholan – Victories, Capital and Temples, also identifies the sculpture as belonging to the artistic tradition of North India. “She wears a crown, kundalams in her ears and ornaments on her neck, chest, shoulders, arms and legs. She is entirely different from the Saraswati images sculpted in Tamil Nadu and represents the north Indian style. It could be one of the war trophies brought by the Chola kings,” he writes. The Pala Saraswati is not the only veena-less depiction of the Goddess at Gangaikondacholapuram.

The temple is also home to the celebrated Gnanasaraswati, one of the masterpieces of Chola sculpture, located on the walls near the steps leading to the Arthamandapam. Like the Pala image, this sculpture too portrays the Goddess without a veena, suggesting that the instrument became a standard attribute of Saraswati only in a later phase of iconographic evolution. According to Lalitharam of Visamayam, an organisation that creates replicas of outstanding Pallava and Chola sculptures, the Chola-era Gnanasaraswati is seated on a lotus with her hair arranged in an elaborate jata makuta. She is richly adorned with necklaces, shoulder ornaments, bangles and makara kundalams. Instead of a veena, she holds a suvadi in one hand and an akka mala in another, underscoring her identity as the embodiment of learning and spiritual wisdom. Of the remaining two hands, one carries a kundigai (kamandalu), while the other is shown in tarjani mudra—a rare and striking gesture in Saraswati iconography. While Mr. Komagan believes the Pala Saraswati may have inspired the Chola sculptors who created the Gnanasaraswati, there is no epigraphic or archaeological evidence to conclusively establish such a connection. The absence of the veena, however, is not unique to Gangaikondacholapuram. R. Kalaikovan, founder of the Dr. Rajamanickanar Centre for Historical Research, points out that Pallava-period and Chola-period Saraswati sculptures also lack the instrument.