Goddess Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth, fortune, prosperity, and luxury and Lord Ganesha is the remover of obstacles and the patron of arts and sciences. These deities are mostly worshipped together as there is no wealth without prosperity and no money without wisdom. This superfine sculpture hand-carved with Kadam Wood of Rajasthan shows Goddess Lakshmi towards the right of Ganesha, signifying

The irresistibly beautiful Lakshmi is seated on a blooming pink lotus. She is clad in a scarlet-colored saree, densely embroidered with gold. With streams of emeralds and rubies about Her, every curve - neck and hip and wrists - the wife of Vishnu is the most sumptuously dressed Devi of the Hindu pantheon, as depicted in this Thanjavur painting. This is because She is the presiding deity over plen