Venerated by Jains, Hindus, and Buddhists alike, Sarasvati is the goddess of knowledge, learning, speech, poetry, and music. The originally four-armed figure is richly ornamented with multiple strands of pearls and jewelry. Each of her upper two hands holds a lotus stem encircling a pair of geese. Her upper left hand also holds a rosary. Although now-missing, her lower left hand presumably held a sacred text and the lower right likely displayed the gift-giving gesture or carried an ascetic's water flask. She is flanked by two attendants bearing flywhisks and two small figures with musical instruments that allude to her role as the preceptress of music. The sculpture’s donor sits beside her right foot. A gander, her now-headless mount, stands near the left.
The inscription on the base states that in April-May 1069, an image of Sarasvati was commissioned by the minister Sanmukha, the son of the officer Varanaga. It was damaged in February-March 1152. Subsequently, in April-May 1153 the officer Parashurama had a copy made by the master sculptor Jagadeva who “aspired for fame.” The image was consecrated by the [Shvetambara Jain] pontiff Evamdevacharya and installed in the temple by the pundit Dhiman. (Translation by Gouriswar Bhattacharya.)
The inscription’s claim that it is a copy of an 11th-century image is stylistically corroborated by its restrained decoration and serene countenance. Representations of Sarasvati from the 12th century are typically more extravagantly ornamented.
See Stephen Markel, "A Marble Sculpture of Sarasvati by Jagadeva," Orientations 19:5 (May 1988): pp. 73-75.
