Two Yoginis

The yoginis of Kanchipuram have mystified scholars for years. Inspired by the research ofPadma Kaimal (Scattered Goddesses: Travels with the yoginis, Association for Asian Studies,2012), Dr. Brenda Beck has found a close connection between two of those mysteriousgoddess sculptures and two of the female characters in the Annanmar Kathai, an ancientTamil epic she herself has been studying for half a century.Now an animated series titled "The Legend of Ponnivala," Annanmar Kathai is a...
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The yoginis of Kanchipuram have mystified scholars for years. Inspired by the research ofPadma Kaimal (Scattered Goddesses: Travels with the yoginis, Association for Asian Studies,2012), Dr. Brenda Beck has found a close connection between two of those mysteriousgoddess sculptures and two of the female characters in the Annanmar Kathai, an ancientTamil epic she herself has been studying for half a century.Now an animated series titled "The Legend of Ponnivala," Annanmar Kathai is a heroic taleset in medieval South India, at the very time when the yogini sculptures of Kanchipuram were created. The female characters, the great heroine Tamarai and her daughter Tangal, are said to have been great yoginis themselves. Tamarai, born of a gift from the gods, sits in meditation for twenty one years, patiently awaiting an audience with Lord Shiva himself. Tangal, herself a gift from Shiva, possesses the gift of clairvoyance, and of tremendous destructive power.The implements with which they are associated--a pot or jar for the mother, and a winnowingfan for the daughter--are likewise held by two of the remarkable yogini statues. In an intriguingtwist on an ancient tale, Dr. Beck shows how it is very possible to see a common thread between these two folk heroines and the mysterious goddess figures of Kanchipuram.