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NEW INTERPRETATION ON GAJ- LAKSHMI FIGURES OF SANCHI (AND OTHER SRAMANICAL SITES) nn DR. J. MANUEL THE BACK GROUND • INDRA RULED THE ROOST IN THE RGVEDIC AGE • OTHER GODS LIKE AGNI, SOMA, VARUN, SURYA BESIDES ASHVINIKUMARS, MARUTS WERE ALSO SPOKEN VERY HIGH IN THE LITERATURE • VISHNU IS ALSO KNOWN WITH INCREASING PROMINENCE SO MUCH SO IN THE LATE MANDALA 1 SUKT 22 A STRETCH OF SIX VERSES MENTION HIS POWER AND EFFECT • EVIDENTLY HIS GLORY WAS BEING FELT MORE AND MORE AS TIME PASSED • Mandal I Sukt 22 Richa 19 • Vishnu ki kripa say …….. Vishnu kay karyon ko dekho. Vay Indra kay upyukt sakha hai EVIDENTLY HIS GLORY WAS BEING FELT MORE AND MORE AS TIME PASSED AND HERO-GODS LIKE BALARAM AND VASUDEVA WERE ACCEPTED AS HIS INCARNATIONS • CHILAS IN PAKISTAN • AGATHOCLEUS COINS • TIKLA NEAR GWALIOR • ARE SOME EVIDENCE OF HERO-GODS BUT NOT VEDIC VISHNU IN SECOND CENTURY BC • There is the Kheri-Gujjar Figure also of the Therio anthropomorphic copper image BUT • FOR A LONG TIME INDRA CONTINUED TO HOLD THE FORT OF DOMINANCE • THIS IS SEEN IN EARLY SACRED LITERATURE AND ART ANTHROPOMORPHIC FIGURES • OF THE COPPER HOARD CULTURES ARE SAID TO BE INDRA FIGURES OF ABOUT 4000 YEARS OLD • THERE ARE MANY TENS OF FIGURES IN SRAMANICAL SITE OF INDRA INCLUDING AT SANCHI (MORE THAN 6) DATABLE TO 1ST CENTURY BCE • BUT NOT A SINGLE ONE OF VISHNU INDRA 5TH CENT. CE, SARNATH PARADOXICALLY • THERE ARE 100S OF REFERENCES OF VISHNU IN THE VEDAS AND EVEN MORE SO IN THE PURANIC PERIOD • WHILE THE REFERENCE OF LAKSHMI IS VERY FEW AND FAR IN BETWEEN • CURIOUSLY THE ART OF THE SUPPOSED LAXMI FIGURES ARE MANY TIMES MORE IN EARLY HISTORIC CONTEXT EVEN IN NON VAISHNAVA CONTEXT AND IN SUCH AREAS AS THE DECCAN AND AS SOUTH AS SRI- LANKA WHICH WAS THEN UNTOUCHED BY VAISHNAVISM NW INDIA TO SRI LANKA AZILISES COIN SHOWING GAJLAKSHMI IMAGERY 70-56 ADVENT OF VAISHNAVISM VISHNU HAD BY THE STARTING OF THE COMMON ERA BEGAN TO BECOME LARGER THAN INDRA BUT FOR THE BUDDHISTS INDRA CONTINUED TO BE DEPICTED IN RELATED STORIES CONTINUED FROM EARLIER TIMES; FROM BUDDHA. HOWEVER, LAKSHMI WAS NOT IN PROMINENCE NEITHER IN BRAHMANISM NOR VAISHNAVISM ATLEAST TILL THE GUPTA PERIOD THEREFORE THE SAID GAJLAKSHMI AND LAKSHMI FIGURES ARE ACTUALLY OF BHUDEVI/ PRITHVI / VASUDHARA ALL BOUNTIES OF NATURE COME UPWARDS FROM THE WOMB OF THE EARTH HARAPPAN DEITY WITH VEGETATION SPRINGING FORTH FROM THE UTERUS. Mackay 1938, in his report on Mohejodaro also pointed out the presence of naked figures or partly clad figures, he described as Mother Goddess/Mother Earth. On the nudity aspect of some female figures, Mackay tells that it should not surprise anyone as it is one characteristic of Earth or Mother-goddess Mackay, E.J.H. 1938 Further Excavations at Mohenjo-daro. Manager of Publications, Delhi pp,: 259,260, 265,272,279, 337,338,642,654 • THEIR PROMINENT HIPS, THEIR NUDITY AND THEIR PLACEMENT AMONG RICH FOLIAGE INDICATE THAT THE FIGURE REPRESENTS FERTILITY GODDESS and COULD BE TRACED FROM THE TRADITIONS OF THE HARAPPAN PERIOD AS FERTILITY OF EARTH AND THEREFORE EARTH GODDESS HERSELF GODDESS IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF FLORA AND FAUNA WITHIN RING STONES THE FEMALE DEITY HOLDING STALKS OF FLOWER AND BUD VEGETATION in RINGSTONE IS NUDE AND WITH LARGE HIPS SP GUPTA 1982 FIG 28 A IMPORTANTLY • RINGSTONE WITH WOMAN STANDING NAKED AMIDST VARIED FLORA AND FAUNA HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS PRITHVI BY D CHAKRAVARTI P301 • Chakravarti D.K 2005 Archaeology of The Deccan Routes, M.M. Publishers Pvt Ltd., Delhi. According to V.S.AGRAWAL • ‘Vasudhara may ultimately be found to have been identical with the Earth Goddess Vasundhara whom the Atharvaveda calls hiranya-vaksha, the golden bossomed who conceals within her womb the treasures’. The two verses (Atharva. Prithvi Sukta, XII.1.6 and 44) gives us a vivid picture of the :- ‘Earth goddess as the presiding goddess of wealth’. • V S AGRAWALA 1965 STUDIES IN INDIAN ART P 106 • According to Shaw (2006:258) ‘Vasudhara inherits the mantle of mother earth as a “bearer of treasure” (Vasundhara) and “font of maternal sustenance”. Further that Vajravali elucidates that “ Vasudhara and Prithvi are one and the same.” • Banerjea (2002:560) tells that Vasudhara is another name for Vasundhara, Bhumi or Prithvi, the mother Earth. Acording to Buddhist texts compiled later she holds a ear of corn in her hand and HAS A VESSEL or showing gems and is seated on a double lotus, with the right hand depicted in the varada mudra (Bhattacharya, 1993: 117, 118). • MUCH OF THE BUDDHIST AND HINDU ICONOGRAPHY WAS IN ITS FORMATIVE STAGE DURING THE EARLY EPOCH AND DETAILS HAD NOT YET BECOME CRYSTALLISED. • IT THEREFORE DOES NOT MUCH MATTER IF THE VARADA POSE AND THE DHANYAMANJARI OF THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD ARE MISSING AT AN EARLIER PERIOD, OR MORE CORRECTLY SPEAKING HAD NOT BEEN PERFECTED AS EMBLEMS OF THIS GODDESS (VASUDHARA) • V S AGRAWALA 1965 STUDIES IN INDIAN ART P 105 THOUGH VASES ARE PART AND PARCEL OF VASUDHARA ICONOGRAPHY OF POST GUPTA PERIOD THESE ARE NOT SEEN IN EARLY PERIOD BUT VASES WITH ABUNDANT FLORA ARE SEEN CONSPICUOUSLY AT SANCHI AND DEFINITELY SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN SYMBOLICALLY REPRESENTING VASUDHARA/PRITHVI AT OTHER SITES AS LIKE BHARHUT THE IMAGE OF THE DEVI IS STANDING ON LOTUS EMERGING FROM A VASE. • ABUNDANT FLORA IN VASE, AN ATTRIBUTE OF VASUDHARA/ BHUDEVI VASE IN RIGHT HAND Figure of Gajabhishikta devi on Lotus emerging from a Vase (Bharhut) • WHY SO MANY IMAGES OF VASES WITH LUXURIANT FLORA AT SANCHI • IN LATER TIMES VASES WERE TO BE HELD BY VASUDHARA AS AN ATTRIBUTE BY WHICH SHE IS IDENTIFIED. • VASES THEREFORE PERHAPS ARE REPRESENTING THE MOTHER GODDESS EARTH HERSELF IN EARLY ART. EARTH GODDESS WITH VASE, PALA 10TH CENTURY CE, BIHAR SANCHI SHOWS THAT THERE ARE MANY IMAGES OF GODDESS WHICH ANTICIPATES ELABORATIONS MENTIONED IN THE LATTER BUDDHIST TEXTS. FURTHER, IF THE LUXURIANT LOTUS PORTRAYAL EMERGING FROM THE VESSEL - SYMBOL OF VASUDHARA - AT SANCHI, IS ALSO TAKEN AS REPRESENTING HER, THEN THE OBVIOUS IMPORTANCE GIVEN TO PRITHVI, THE CORNUCOPIA OF ALL ABUNDANCE CANNOT BE NEGATED. SHE IS ALSO SHOWN SEATED OR STANDING ON LOTUS, WITH SOME FIGURES SHOWING THE FEMALE ORGAN EXPLICITLY DEPICTED, EVEN THOUGH WELL CLOTHED IN DEPICTION WITH OR WITHOUT ELEPHANTS, AS AT SANCHI ALLUDING TO HER AS MOTHER AND VERILY THE MOTHER EARTH; THE DISPENSER OF ALL PROSPERITY. THE COMPULSION TO SHOW THE FEMALE ORGAN EVEN THOUGH SHE IS VERY WELL DRAPED WITH THE LOWER GARMENT SHOWS THAT THE ARTISTS WANTED TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT THE DEPICTED GODDESS IS A GODDESS OF FERTILITY, AND WITH ABUNDANT FLORA SHE IS NOT JUST A MOTHER BUT THE MOTHER EARTH GIVER OF ALL GOODS FOR HUMAN BEINGS. STUPA NO 1 SANCHI (WG )GODDESS SHOWING FERTILITY SYMBOL STUPA NO 1 SANCHI SG STUPA NO 1, SANCHI, (NG) SANCHI STUPA NO 1 NORTH GATE STUPA NO 1, NORTHERN GATE STUPA NO 2 SANCHI SCHOLARS HAVE IDENTIFIED IT AS MOTHER OF GAUTAM BUDDHA DUE TO THE ROYAL INSIGNIA OF PARASOL OVER ONE ELEPHANT HOWEVER OTHER IMAGES OF SANCHI ALSO HAS THE PARASOL FURTHER TO IDENTIFY THE IMAGE OF GAJABHISHIKTA DEVI AS MAYA IS ERRONEOUS AS SUCH FIGURE IS ALSO FOUND AT JAINA SITE KHANDAGIRI (Mitra 1974:28) WHERE MAYA THE MOTHER OF BUDDHA HAS NO USE STUPA NO 2 SANCHI • STUPA NO 3 GODDESS SEATED ON LOTUS HOLDING LOTUS STALK AND A SMALL VASE. STUPA NO 1 SOUTH GATE • WHY SO MANY FIGURES OF VASES AND OF GODDESS AT SANCHI STANDING OR SEATED ON LOTUS WITH OR WITHOUT ELEPHANTS ANNOINTING HER? • IT IS DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE SAME IS REPRESENTING GODDESS EARTH WHO CAME ON BEING INVOKED BY GAUTAM BUDDHA AND MARA HAD TO FLEE • BUDDHIST OF THE EARLY PERIOD HAVE HAD PROFOUND RESPECT FOR BHU-DEVI ACCORDING TO K. KUMAR • LIKE THE HARAPPAN SEALING AND THE TERRACOTTA PORTRAYING THE VULVA AND LEGS OF THE MOTHER GODDESS FROM PERIANO GHUNDAI THE FIGURES FROM THE EARLY HISTORIC PERIOD (2ND -3RD CENTURIES ONWARDS) WITH LEGS SPREAD APART, LOTUS HEAD AND CARRYING LOTUSES SERVED AS RITUALISTIC OBJECTS OF THE FERTILITY CULT IN WHICH THE FERTILITY OF MOTHER EARTH IS IDENTIFIED. Krishna Kumar 2007 The cult of Aditi Uttanapada in Indo-Pak subcontinent: An assessment in the light of New Discoveries, Pragdhara No-17 pp 151-161 OUT OF THE LOTUS CAME BRAHMA WHO CREATED THE UNIVERSE DEFINITELY THE MEDIUM OF FERTILITY/ CREATION IS APPARENT IN LOTUS EARTH GODDESS ALSO KNOWN AS LAJJA GAURI AND ALSO AS ADITI UTTANAPADA AND PARVATI UTTANAHASTA AND SHAME LESS WOMAN BESIDES MANY OTHER NAMES LOCALLY. THESE TRULY REPRESENTS THE GREAT MOTHER EARTH AND SHARES THE NUDITY AND LOTUS AS LIKE SANCHI FIGURES IN COMMON K KUMAR PRAGDHARA 17 P 160 STUPA NO 3 STUPA NO 1 NORTH GATE STUPA NO 3 BHUDEVI/ VASUDHARA STUPA NO 1 WEST GATE SHOWING FERTILITY STUPA NO 1 SOUTH GATE GODDESS LAKSHMI IS NEVER SHOWN WITH FERTILITY SYMBOL EARTH GODDESS IS SHOWN WITH FERTILITY SYMBOL MOST OFTEN AS ALSO IN RING STONES, SO CALLED LAJJAGAURI FIGURES AND SEVERAL DEPICTIONS AT SANCHI. • Agrawala (2003-2004: 8) to caution that “devi icons other than Lakshmi also present the anointing by elephants and one should therefore be very cautious in their proper identification” LAKSHMI IS NOT KNOWN ASSOCIATED WITH LIONS • According to Suresh (1999:107) “the Gupta inscriptions are the first epigraphic record which mentions Lakshmi’s union with Vishnu” and that “the earliest references of the Sri Lakshmi and Gaja Lakshmi found on coins and seals are of Gupta period”. DASHAVATARA TEMPLE , DEOGADH 6TH CENTURY CE THE EARLIEST KNOWN IMAGE OF THE GAJABHISHIKTA DEVI IN CLEARLY VAISHNAVA CONTEXT IT IS CLOSELY REPLICATING THE SANCHI FIGURES WITH HAND IN ABHAYA MUDRA RATHER THAN VARAD MUDRA AS IS CONVENTIONAL IN LAKSHMI FIGURES • PERTINENTLY, THE LESS NUMBERS OF VEDIC GODDESSES, EVEN AS SPOUSES WAS A CLEARLY VISIBLE PHENOMENON CARRIED DOWN TO THE BRAHMANICAL RELIGIOUS IMAGERY.

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