By any chance - the AMBAL would have been CAUVERY !! ??
Just thinking aloud.
Following is the latest Article by Dr. Nagaswamy re Tamil Dance Dramas in about 1700 Ad the Maratta ruler Shaji..
What interested me is this imagination by the Maratta Ruler ::
" ... Of these five dramas natakas one was composed by Shaji himself and interestingly he composed a creative theme in which he conceived the river Kaveri as a beautiful girl who falls in love with the Samudra raja, the Ocean with whom she unites at the end. Other dramas of his time are conventional, composed by others who made him the hero of the drama and some imaginary girls falling in love with him and marrying him at the end. Again in an interesting manner these fictitious girls belonged to different dynasties, one was a daughter of the king of Cambodia, another a Princess of Malava country, the third Princess of Kalinga country while the fourth was a Kuravanci dance drama... ""
We are aware of Kalki's description of Kaveri while reaching the Samudrarajan !!
Either these dance dramas were famous during his period too... Or as greatmen think like - he also should have thought on similar lines..
Imagine RRC also thinking on these lines and putting a statue of KAVERI near his Dream Temple !!
( did not notice the idol in detail. If 4 arms it is Goddess. If 2 arms .. there scope for imagination)
regards / sps
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Tamil Dance dramas in 1700 R.Nagaswamy
Five Dance dramas were composed in Tamil in the time of the Maratta ruler Shaji of Tanjore around 1700. Shaji (1684-1712) was the son of Ekoji I (the brother of Shivaji) who established the Maratta rule at Tanjore around 1675. Shaji was the first Maratta ruler to be coronated in Tanjore. He was a great patron of music and dance and within a short time he learnt Tamil. He was already proficient in Telugu and Sanskrit and also his mother tongue Maratti. Of these five dramas natakas one was composed by Shaji himself and interestingly he composed a creative theme in which he conceived the river Kaveri as a beautiful girl who falls in love with the Samudra raja, the Ocean with whom she unites at the end. Other dramas of his time are conventional, composed by others who made him the hero of the drama and some imaginary girls falling in love with him and marrying him at the end. Again in an interesting manner these fictitious girls belonged to different dynasties, one was a daughter of the king of Cambodia, another a Princess of Malava country, the third Princess of Kalinga country while the fourth was a Kuravanci dance drama. One of the dramas was composed by one Muttu kavi while the names of other poems are not known. All the dramas are in Tamil language. However what is interesting all these Tamil compositions are found preserved in Telugu script in the Tanjore Saraswati Mahal library.
Interesting. One of our readers has pointed out another sculpture in the same photo, which is even more beautiful. Have updated the earlier post with that as well. Hope and pray that these are still adorning the moat walls!!