Saraswati is the goddess of both wisdom and music in the Hindu Pantheon. She is venerated alike by the Buddhists and Jains. Seated here on a three-layered high lotus, she plays the veena with her main hands, while the third and fourth hold a book and rosary respectively. The veena is scrolled with vegetative motifs. The name Saraswati comes from "saras" (meaning "flow") and "wati" (meaning "a woman"). So, Saraswati is symbol of knowledge, whose flow (or growth) is like a river. She wears a high, towering crown typical to South Indian aesthetics. It is known as ‘karandamukuta.’ Such a headgear symbolizes the supreme status the deity enjoys in the Hindu Pantheon. This statue was carved in the city of Salem, Tamil Nadu.
