Sculptural Representation of Yoga on Mahuḍī Gate at Dabhoī in Gujarāt

‘Yoga on Stone’: Sculptural Representation of Yoga on Mahuḍī Gate at Dabhoī in Gujarāt Vijay Sarde 1 1. Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology, Deccan College Post Graduate and Research Institute, Deemed to be University, Pune – 411 006, Maharashtra, India (Email: [email protected]) Received: 04 July 2017; Revised: 02 September 2017; Accepted: 11 October 2017 Heritage: Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Archaeology 5 (2017):656‐675 Abstract: The United Nations General Assembly approved and declared June 21st as the ‘International Yoga Day’. In present times yoga is accepted commonly by almost all the nations of the world. Yoga tradition has evolved over thousands of years having its origins in India. There are many textual references for yoga in the past such as yogasūtra of Patañjali, Haṭhayogapradīpikā, Gherānḍ Saṃhitā, śiva Saṃhitā etc. These texts throw detailed light on the yoga practices. However, there is less work done from archaeological perspectives. Dabhoī is situated 34 kilometer southeast of Vaḍodarā. It has been a medieval fort town of Gujarāt. The four magnificent gates of the fort are located in four directions. One of them is called Mahuḍī gate. It is of the Vāghelā period and has elaborate sculptural embellishments of rare yoga practices done by the Nātha‐Siddhas. It seems that, the earlier scholars did not pay much attention to these sculptures. These sculptural representations need to be examined vis‐à‐vis the rules and methods of traditional yoga. These depictions of yogic postures also throw light on the beliefs and religious life and their importance in contemporary society. The present research paper is an attempt to document and analyze yogic postures depicted on the Mahuḍī gate. In addition, the paper will also elucidate on the Nātha‐Siddha tradition in the contemporary society. Keywords: Yoga, Dabhoī, Mahuḍī Gate, Nātha‐Siddhas, Gujarat, Images, Āsanas Introduction Dabhoī (22° 08ʹ N., 73° 25ʹ E.) is situated 34 kilometers southeast of Vaḍodarā, has been a medieval walled town of Gujarāt. Dabhoī, variously called Darbhavatī, Darbhāvatī, Darbhavātīpura, Darbhikāgrāma etc. was founded earlier than the medieval time is almost established. The four gates at Dabhoī, located in four directions, are known respectively as the Hirā (East), Nāndodi (South), Vaḍodari (West) and Mahuḍī or Champānerī (North) gates. The Vāghelā came into existence under the parasol of Solankī dynasty. The entire administration came under the control of Vāghelā dynasty when the Solankīs (Chālukyās) declined in mid of the 13th century C.E. By 1243 C.E., the Vāghelās were become a powerful ruling class in Gujarāt. They restored the political, social and Sarde 2017: 656‐675 economic stability of Gujarāt in the latter half of the 13th century C.E., and their kings and officials were patrons of arts and temple‐buildings. There is a temple, close to the Hira gate, called Kalikāmāta. The long eulogy (praśastī) by Someśwara is engraved on two stone slabs built into the niches of Hirā gate. The praśastī bears the date of 1311 V.S. (1255 C.E.). This gives support that gates and fortification of town were built or repaired by Vāghelā King Visaldeva. He was of the Vāghelā dynasty ruling from Anahilvāda‐Pātan and son of king Vīradhavala of Ḍholkā, under whom Vastupāla, the patron of Someśwara, was working as the minister. The accounts given in the Vastupālcharita which was written in saṃvat 1365 (1308 C.E.), as has been stated above, would also corroborate it (Shastri, 1940: 04). Figure 1: General View of the Mahuḍī Gate There is a similar fortified town and gates like Dabhoī in Jhiṅjhuvādā (presently located in Surendranagar district) located at the southern edge of the little Rann of Kutch. Inscription bears on fortification of Mahānshrī Uḍdal, who is said to be the minister of Siddharāj Jaysiṃha gives the date of the 12th century C.E. (Gazetteer of 657 ISSN 2347 – 5463 Heritage: Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Archaeology 5: 2017 India, Surendranagar district, 1977: 729‐730). The architecture of these gateways bears a close resemblance to Dabhoī gates (Gadre, 1947: 13).There is another inscription written in Marāthī which is engraved on the white marble slabs and belongs to the reign of Mahārāja Dāmājirāo Gāekwād a Marāthā ruler; the illustrious son of Mahārāja Pilājīrāo Gāekwād dated 1734 C.E. (Shastri, 1940: 18). It throws light on magnificent art and architectures of Dabhoī. Figure 02: Interior of the Mahuḍī Gate 658 Sarde 2017: 656‐675 However, all these gates are double with the inner ones being more elaborate in sculptural embellishments. The sculptures at Dabhoī gates show a number of figures of the deities of Śaiva‐Śākta pantheon. Mahuḍī Gate Mahuḍī or Champāner gate is situated at the north side of the town (Figure 1). This was completed or repaired in the vikrama year 1344 (1286 C.E.) as mentioned in the inscription on the wall, i.e., some thirty‐three years after the date of the Hirā gate praśastī of Someśvara. This date belongs to the reign of Śaraṅgdeva (1274 to 1296 C.E.) (Shastri, 1940: 27). This record gives the names of masons who were, apparently, engaged in building or reconstructing the gate. We do not have inscriptional evidence about the construction of gate before 1286 C.E. According to the Jinaharshaganī, these gates, the rampart were built in the time of Vīrdhavala. But Someśwar eulogy seems to be more trustworthy. The date of the fort would be the middle of the 13th century C.E. (Shastri, 1940: 26‐27). Hence the gate repaired or constructed during the second half period of the 13th century C.E. The interior of the gate bears magnificent sculptures and other carvings. There are six pilasters on each side of it. The brackets, the pilasters and the various figures connected with the Hindu pantheon are beautiful chiseled out. Three of them supported the corbelled brackets of the roof. The middle pair of these pilasters accommodated the massive doors when flung open (Figure 2). The sculptures at Dabhoī revel that the site has been a stronghold of the Śākta cult with tantric influence (Giri, 1986: 181‐191). The most peculiar feature of the gate is the representation of the figures of Nātha‐ yogīs/Siddhās and their yoga practices with definite iconographic details. Images of Nātha‐Siddhās There are three rows of various sculptures have been depicted in interior part of the both sides of the gate. Upper most rows represent Shaiva sculpture; middle represents the Goddesses/yogīnīs (like Brahmanī, Chamunḍa, Saraswatī, Dakṣa) and lower one represents the sculptures of Nātha‐Siddhas. U. P. Shah has thrown light on these sculptures of Nātha‐Siddhas depicted on Mahuḍī gate. There are thirteen images of Nātha‐yogīs in the third row. There are six images of Nātha yogīs starting from the south to north corner of the western wall of the gate and seven images are on the eastern wall. Out of thirteen images, Ādinātha, Matsyendranātha, Gorakṣanātha and Chauraṅginātha are clearly identified by U. P. Shāh (Shah, 1957: 174‐202). Remaining images are difficult to identify clearly because of the unknown iconography of Nātha cult (Figure 3). There are some names have been carved near the head of Nātha‐yogīs but they seem names of masons who carved particular images. There are some images of yoga on corbelled brackets of the roof supported by pilasters. These images are less studied by scholars. Because of identification of some Nātha‐yogīs we are sure that others images 659 ISSN 2347 – 5463 Heritage: Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Archaeology 5: 2017 carved here belong to the Nātha cult. Yoga practices are the major part of the Nātha cult, hence this cult sometimes called as ‘Yoga cult’ too. According to U. P. Shah, these sculptures have been carved between 1200 to 1250 C.E., but the inscription on Hira and Mahuḍī gates suggest that these sculptures should be carved around 1255 to 1286 C.E. Figure 3: Images of Matsyendranātha and Chauraṅginātha Texts of the Nātha Cult on Yoga Nātha ascetics are generally known as yogīs and they are famous for their Haṭha yoga (enormous practices of yoga) even today. The word ‘Haṭha’ is used to denote a particular school of yoga. There is a long tradition of Haṭha yoga practices in India and an ample of traditional work on Haṭha yoga or yoga apart from the Nātha cult. Patañjali yoga is one of the earliest texts on the yoga. Other earlier texts predate the Haṭhapradīpikā are Amṛtasiddhi (11th century C.E.), Dattātreyayogashāstra (13th century C.E.), Vasiṣṭha Saṃhitā, Yogayajnavālkya and other texts (rather than Nātha cult’s texts) and the Vivekamārtaṇda, Gorakṣaśataka and Khecarīvidyā (texts of Nātha cult) are taught only mudrās, bandhas, kuṇdalinī but none of these texts calls its techniques of Haṭha yoga. The only other texts older than the Haṭhapradīpikā to teach Haṭha yoga mudrās are the Śivasaṃhitā, Yogabīja, Amaraughaprabodha and Śarangdharpaddhati (1363 C.E), Noteworthy among the latter are the Amanaskayoga, Vasiṣṭha Saṃhitā and 660 Sarde 2017: 656‐675 Candrāvalokana. The Haṭhapradīpikā is the first text that explicitly sets out to teach Haṭha yoga. The Haṭhapradīpikā became the root text of Haṭha yoga. All subsequent Sanskrit Haṭha yoga anthologies and commentaries refer to it, and most take its definition of the practices of Haṭha yoga to be authoritative. It teaches 15 āsanas. Eight are varieties of sitting (or lying) positions suitable for meditation, and seven are non‐seated positions (Mallinson, 2011: 772). The curriculum of Haṭha consisting of āsana (posture), praṇāyāma (breath retention), mudrā and nādānusaṅdhāna (concentration on the internal sound) has been clearly mentioned in the Haṭhapradīpikā. These four types of practice are found in most subsequent descriptions of Haṭha yoga.

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