One of the most ancient of the iconographic images of Shri Lakshmi is the Gajalakshmi.The Goddess and the the elephants both symbolise strength, prosperity and forbearance, all that is noble and good in life. Shri Lakshmi is exalted in this form and becomes abundance personified.Gaja-Lakshmi or the Goddess of the elephants symbolizes royal powers. Many pictures depict the Goddess with two white elephants on her either side showering her with water from their trunks.

These elephants represent two of the eight elephants who are believed to hold up the sky from the eight corners of the cosmos. They are called ‘dig-gajas’ and are usually one male and another female.

The elephants came when Goddess Lakshmi emerged from the ocean and they sprayed water on her like the ritual of consecration or ‘abhishek’. This act depicted the divine acknowledgement of Lakshmi’s powers and capacity to make the world rich and vibrant