In the following discussion an attempt has

been made to throw some light on the technical aspect of

the different icons foiand in abundance in Marathwada. The

caves in this area were carved in the period spanning the

2nd cent,B.C. and 10th cent.A.D. , whereas structural tem-

plea, save those at Ter (District Osmanabad) , were built

in the medieval period. The discussion of carved images naturally precedes that of the images in structural tem­

ples a peculiarity of Marathwada demanding special atten­

tion.

The icons found in this area resolve them­

selves into the following groups.

Brahmanical

1 . ^aiva : Gods and Goddesses 2. . Vaisnava : Gods and Goddesses 3. Icons of Brahma, Sarasvati and others.

4. Icons of Surya, his consorts and attendants.

5. Miscellaneous (Brahmanical) Saptamatrkas,

River goddesses etc. 18

Jains

1. Icons of Jlnas. 2 . Images of Yaksas, Yaksinis and others,

Buddhist

1. Icons of Buddha. 2. Bodhisattavas, Bodhlsaktis and others.

Various caves and temples mentioned In the foregoing chapter bear ample testimony to the existence of majority of the Images mentioned above. This does not In any way mean that loose sculptures scattered all over Marathwada are overlooked. They are Included under various heads according to stylistic considerations,

^alva Icons In Marathwada are overwhelming In number as compared to those of Valsnava group. Siva here is represented in various forms and attitudes. These come from the Brahmanical caves as well as from the structural temples. Thus they fall between the 6th cent,A.D. to the 13th cent,A. D.

MukhallAea

The earliest Siva image is found lying in 310

the bed of the Godavari river at Paithan. It is a Caturmukhalinga^, originally richly carved but now defaced. This is the only mukhalinga^ found in thi; region.

Lingodbhavamurti Siva

/ The Saiva icons of this type are few in this region. So far Lingodbhavamurti Siva icons are

Imown only from Elura. Of these, one is from Cave XV and two from Kaliasa. Thus they fall between 8th cent, and the 10th cent. A, D,

That from Cave XV at Elura^ is the earlier / / representation of this form of Siva. Here Candrasekhara / 4 Siva is carved in an elliptical cavity in a long slen­ der and blazing pillar of fire. He is in abhaya and

1 . The four faces in a Caturmukhalinga typify the Sadjrojata, Vamadeva, Aghora ar^ Tatpurusa forms of Siva. The 5th face on top, viz. Isana, is Invi sibl e.

2. This is noticed here for the first time.

3. Burgess, GECT. p.35.

4. Amsumadbhedagama says tl^at the figure of Siva in the aspect of C^drasekharamurti should be in front of the linga. See, Rao, EHI, V o l.II, P t .I, p .107. 2 0

katyavalambitamudra holding parasu and an antelooe in his hands.^ To the right of this linga two figures of Brahma can be seen. The one above is shown flying while the other is standing below. Its hands are in the namaskiramudri. Both of them have three visible faces. To the left, two more figures are seen. Below, 2 Visnu is seen thrusting his head into the earth. The • • other Visnu figure is seen in the anjalimudra. (P i .V I I I ,4)

Two more icons of this type of ^iva are found in the back corridor of Kailasa and on the south 3 wall of the mukhamandapa , facing west. No icon of

Lingodbhava from the medieval period has yet come to light.

• / The Lineetara icons of Siva may be grouped as (i) Siminya and (ii) Visista murtis. The first group

1. This description is according to the one^given in the ^ilparatna, 22, 17. But here Candrasekhara is in the Lingodbhava form.

2. These images of Brahma and Visnu are according to the description in Karanagama. ‘ * For details, see, Rao, EHI, II, I, p.lll;‘piate XIV, Fig.l.

3. Naik locates this in the north corridor of Kailasa; infact no such figure is carved there. AD, p.738. Also Burgess, GECT, p .42; and ASWI, V, p .31, Plate XXIV, Fig.2. 321

consists of Candrasekhara and Kevala Siva, The icon of Candrasekhara is available only from the Sabharaandapa of the cave at Amba Jogai (Bid district). It is in the back wall of the mandapa of this cave and might • • ■1 belong to the 8th cent. A. D.Siva is shown standing and has four hands, the upper right hand holds the trisula, while the rest of the hands are weathered. 2 The crescent is shown placed to the left in his jata.

Siva with the crescent in his jata can be seen in the

Kailasa and the Dasavatara caves at Elura but both of them are Visistamurtis^ of Siva.

/ Kevala Siva

/ Kevala Siva icons can be found not only in the cave temples but also in the structural temples of the medieval period. So far, the icons of Kevala

Siva are known from the Kailasa, Elura, and from the

1 . Naik, A. V., oD. cit. . p.738.

2. Burgess, ASWI. I l l , p .51.

3. Ibid. , p .51.

4. Here Siva is dancing Lalita Nrtya in Lankesvara, Kailasa and in Lingodbhavamurti panel in Cave XV. Rao, EHI? n , I, p. 1 0 7 ; Gupte, R. S . , AEjPP* 185-186. 325

Kailasa, Elura, and from the temples of Aiindha Niganatha

(Parbhani district), Kankalesvara (Bid district), Nila-

kanthesvara (Osmanabad district), and Kumargudi ( from

Nanded district). They can be assigned to the period from 8th cent. A.D. to circa 13th cent, A. D.

Eastern gallery of the Kailasa contains the ' 1 ^ earliest icon of Kevala Siva , Here Siva has four hands.

One of his right hands holds a serpent, while the other is in abhayaraudra. One of his left hands is in the katyavalambita pose and the other holds probably a flower.

He wears a jatamukuta. Four more images of Kevala Siva

are available from the Kailasa and still more on the exterior of the main shrine of the first storey. But they all are alike.

On the door Jamb of Nilakanthesvara temple, / Nilanga, appears four-armed Siva holding drum, skull, and

1 , Burgess does not mention it as Kevala ^iva, however Gupte R, S, refers to this ( ^ , p,195),

2 , Gupte appears to have wrongly taken Lakulisa Siva in eastern gallery of Kailasa as Kevala Siva. In fact he is holding Laguda in his right hand. See Gupte,R,S,, OP. cit. , p. 198, o 2:1

sakti. The front right hand is in abhayamudri. Such A * Kevala Slvas are also to be found on the exterior walls

of the Naganatha temple, Aundha, and Kahkalesvara at

Bid. They are shown with very little change in the

ayudhas.^ In the Kumargudi temple two-armed Kevala

^iva is seen. He is holding a drum in the right and a

trident in the left hand. He is nude and yet with orna­ ments like earrings, necklaces, bracelets, garland of

skulls etc,

SUKHASANA MURTIS

i All the four forms of Siva in sukhasana are

available in Marathwada. The first of these, that is

Kevala Sukhasana and the fourth known as Somaskanda- murti are available only from the structural temple and from the Elura cave respectively. The other two forms namely Uma-sahita and Umamahelvara-Alinganamurti are

available both from the caves and the structural temples.

1 . The Kevala ^iva icons in Naganatha temple are according to the desdescriptions given in Abtyl- tasitartha cintamani (3,' I. p .760) and Amsumad- bhedagama, (48.106). o 2 4

Thus the latter two types of icons fall between 8th cent,

A. D, to the 13th cent. A. D ., while the first one can be ascribed to the medieval period and the fourth to the 8th cent. A. D.

The Kevala-sukhasana-murtis are available in the structural temples only, as these are not illustrated in any of the caves of this area. Siva in this form is carved out on the exterior wall of the Naganatha temple,

Aundha. Here seated Siva (sukhasana) is seen with four hands. He holds khatvanga in the upper right hand and naga in upper left hand. Both the lower hands are in the varadamudra. At another place in the same temple, he is shown seated in savyalalitasana with sakti in the upper right hand and decapitated human head on the knee of the pendent leg. Two more icons of Siva of this type with little difference in the ayudhas are found in the same 2 temple. As this temple is of medieval period the images of Kevala ^iva in sukhasana can also be assigned to the

12th cent. A. D.

1 . This icon cannot be of Bhairava as there are no other cognizances except that of the decapitated head. More­ over, seated Bhairava figures are not known as yet. Gopinath Rao also does not speak of such seated Bhairava.

2. Yazdani assigns the temple at Aundha to the l2th cent. A. D. He takes this temple to be contemporary with the temple of Alampur the date of which is fixed with the help of an epigraph. See, EHI,p.740. 325

The second form of Sukhasana 6iva i .e . Uma-MahesVaramurti is fomd in the rock-cut caves in good number. The third panel in the northern gallery ^ f of Kailasa contains this form of Siva. Here Mahesvara is seen in the savyalalitasana. One of his hands is in the abhayamudra. He has on his person a jataraukuta, earrings, a rich necklace and a garland. On his left is Uma, seated in the ardhaparyankasana with her left hand resting on her left lap. She has on her person earrings, a necklace and baligles. Both of them hold linga with the altar. Nandi is shown below in the same panel. A few more figures of such type are seen on the wall below the pillars of the cloister around the main

shrine of Kailasa. In the structural temple at Aupdha,

Umasahita ^iva is found. Here both of them are seated / in the lalitasana. Siva is in savyalalitasana while

Parvati in varaalalitasana. One of his hands holds a t r i v i a while the other is in varadamudra. Elsewhere in the same temple, Siva is shown seated with Parvati

standing to his left.^

1 . Gopinath Rao does not mention this form. Here ^iva is in sukhasana and is with the standing Um a.

A. o 2(?

Uraa-mahes'vara-alingana-murtis are found in a good number in the caves as well as in the temples.

This form of Siva is seen in the northern and eastern / gallery of Kailasa, In one of the panels, Siva is in the ardhaparyankasana. He has four hands. With one of his left hands he is embracing Uma who in turn res­ ponds by entwining her consort with her right hand.

Identical is the figure in the other panel, Mahesvara is seated in the savyalalitasana. One of his hands holds a cobra, while the other rests on the knee of his right leg. One of the left hands is on the head of Uma who in turn has clasped her lord with her right hand.^

In the eastern gallery of Kailasa a beautiful figure of Umamahesvara is carved out. In this case, Mahes­ vara is seen seated in the ardhaparyankasana. The upper right hand holds a damaru, while the other is in the varadamudra. The upper left hand holds the trident and the other embraces Uma. Uma is seated in Savyalalitasana with her right hand resting on the left lap of her lord.

Her face is upturned towards her Lord, Her hair is tied

1 . Rupamandana referred to by Gopinath Rao,’ E H I ,I I ,I , p.133. 327

in' a big knot behind her head. Similar is the figure from

Naganatha temple, Aundha, wherein also tSna is shown looking towards Siva. Siva is four-handed, holding trisula and naga in the back hands. The lower right hand is in the abhayamudra. He places one of his left hands on Uina's shoulder,^ She holds a lotus.

Another figure of this type from this temple, is also worth noting, ^iva is seated and Uma is standing and yet diva's left hand is round Uma's waist.^ All the other three hands are broken. From the same place comes the third icon. It shows both of them standing in the / alingana posture. Both of them are four-armed. Siva's lower left hand is on the plaits of Uma* s sari. Other

_ / hands are broken. One of Uma's hands is around Siva. 3 In the other hand she holds a mirror.'^

Another figure of Itoa-mahesvara is in the

third shrine of the triple-shrined Nilakanthesvara temple,

at Nilanga. In this, both Siva and Tina wear ornaments

such as kundalas, haras, udarabandhas, keyiiras, etc. This

1 . The description in the Rupamandana given by Gopinath Rao exactly tallies with thisi* See R a o «E H I.II,I.p .133.

2. Rao does not describe this.

3. Rao; refers to such standing alinganamurtis. E H I ,I I ,I , p. 134. 328

is really a remarkable piece of artistic work, parti­

cularly for the excellence of its execution. The basal

panel shows Gane^a with his vahana and Karttikeya with

mayura along with the camaradharinis. Nandi is shown

seated in the centre below. ^

Other icons

All the images described below come from

the Elura Caves only and thus fall between the 7th cent.

A. D. and the 10th cent. A. D.

- 2 The panels depicting aksakrida are to be

found in Cave numbers XIV and XVI (twice) and XXI etc.

A certain amount of affinity could be noticed in these

pieces of elaborately carved panels. In the panel in

Cave No.XIV^ diva has four arms, the left one of which

is holding the right hand of Uma. While the other is 4 placed on the seat. The lower right hand was probably

holding dice but this and the upper right hand is broken,

/ _ ^ 1 Between Siva and Uma stands Kumara, who keeps both his

1 . Rupamandana describes this form. See Rao ibid. 2. Rao treats these as Alingana-murtis,hence the des­ cription is given here, EHI.II.I.pp.i39 to 141. 3. Sivaramamurti puts it to 5th cent,A,D. and assigns it to the Vakataka period. This is obviously not correct. See.Indian Sculpture^ p. 138.PI.Ko.XVI. 4. This is broken. But ^iva is such a pose in other panel is shown carrying dice in this hand. Rao suspects that this might be empty. He might have relied on the photographs and thus could not detect the ^ i p a ^ carved therein. 320

hands crossed on the chest. Ganes'a is standing near

Siva. ^

The one in Cave XXIX at Elura is almost O similar to the one in Gave XIV, Herein however, are sculptured a number of deities, shown flying in the sky carrying different kinds of offerings in their hands'i’3

These may probably be the Vidyadharas. In Cave XXI^ Siva is holding in one of his left hands the upper part of the garment of his consort and keeps one of his right hands in the suci pose. In the other he appears to hold the dice.^ The same theme has been treated by the sculptor in Kailasa also.^

The fourth form of Sukhasana Siva, as Somis- 7 kanda, is found only in the Kailasa at Elura. It is on the right side wall of the antarala. Uma and Mahesvara

1. Hao, Ibid. pl.No.XXVII.

2. In Cave XIV, Siva is shown playing chaucer, while here the subject is thoroughly different. It appears that Rao has taken both of them to be identical.

3. As described in the Rupamandana and the Vippudhar- mottariyam, referred to by‘ ftao; EHI. I I , I , p .140.

4. Hao, Ibid. . pi.XXIX, p .141. i 5. Rao mentions that in the lower right hand Siva is hold­ ing a book for giving it to Uma. In fact, in other panels,treating the same subject, Siva holds dice in that hand, 6. In the northern ^gallery, and in the antarala, as well as in the Lankesvara.

7. Gupte has not identified this as such. AE.p,205, 33'^

are seated on the Nandi in the alingana posture. Mahes-

vara is in the savyalalitasana and Uma in the vamalali-

tasana , Skanda is on Siva's right thigh in the tarJani- — 2 •“ ^ mudra. This is the only Somaskandamurti of Siva found 3 in this region belonging to the period of the present

study.

VISESA MUHTIS

Marathwada as a vAiole presents several icons

depicting the visesa attitudes of Siva. These can be

broadly divided into the following three groups,

1. Anugrahamurtis 2. Samharamurtis 3. Daksinafflurtis • •

Out of the various visesa attitudes of Siva

falling in one of the above three groups, the Arjunanugraha,

the Kalari, the Tripurantaka and Vinadharamurtis are avail­

able only from the caves. Thus they fall between the 7th

cent. A. D. and the 10th cent. A. D. The Ravananugraha, Gajaha, Yoga, Nrtta and the Andhakasuravadhamurtis are depicted in

the caves as wellvas in the temples in this region. The

1 . Her head is destroyed now. 2 . He is defaced. 3 . Usually Skanda is to be fox«id in between ^iva and Parvati. Here he is on theright side of Siva. 331

Andhakavadhamurtls are overwhelming in number as compared to the other Vis'esamurtis in Marathwada. All the above icons can be ascribed to the period from the 7th cent. A.D, to the 13th cent.A.D.

Ravananugrahamurtl

The artists of Elura appear to be very much A fond of carving the Ravananugrahamurti of Siva. These appear in Caves XIV, XT, XVI, XXI, XXIX and in the struc­ tural temple at Aundha. They can be ascribed to the period ranging from 7 th cent.A.D. to the 13th cent.A.D. But as we find it only in one temple, it appears that it was not a favourite theme with the artists of the medieval period.

Moreover, the one in the temple is of inferior workmanship.

In this type, Havana is shown lifting the • I Kailasa. These sculptures are portrayals of Havananugraha.

The earliest figure of this type is of course found in the

Dasavatara cave, Elura.^

Next in chronology is the one in the Hamesvara cave (No.XXI). Every aspect of this icon is as usual. The unique element is the head of an ass shown on the head dress of Havana? In Gave numbers XIV and XXIX^ also the same

1 . Hao, EHI, I I , I , P l.L III. 2. The word Havana is derived from sk.Vru= to raoK Havana with the head‘of an ass emerging from his crown also' is depicted in the Kharusa cave in Osmanabad dist. ASWI.ilI.p.18. 3. Hao, opicit. . I I , I , Pl.LIV. 33?

subject is depicted. Then in order of chronology comes

the depiction in the Kailasa. This is the best of a ll,

and deserves to be noted in detail. On the plinth of

the Rangamahal ( Kailasa ) , facing south, is a huge panel

containing Ravananugrahamurti. This is one of the finest pieces of sculptures in India.^ 4 va'appears almost in full relief. His body is well proportioned and well built. He has four arms.^ One of these is in the vismaya- mudra and the other holding a parasu is broken."^ Third hand is on Uma's back in a mode of reassurance to her.

Fourth he places firmly on the asana. His face is now 4 defaced, I5na is seen on his left. She clings to her lord.

She is frightened and has placed her left hand on Siva's left arm. Her right hand rests on the right shoulder of

Siva. Her entire posture is very eloquently expressive of the raging fear in her heart. To the left, a maid t servant is seen running away in panic. Siva and the — - ' dvarapalas appear undisturbed. Siva is seen pressing his foot firmly down to imprison Ravana under the Kailasa.

Havana is shown with twenty hands all of which are not

1 . Sarasvati, S.K., A Survey of Indian Sculpture.(1957). pp.162-64, 2, Gupte has wrongly counted them as two only,’ AE,p,201. 3, The hand is broken but the para^ is still visible. 4. Sivaramamurti, describing this panel, concludes that this is an excellent panel of sdl at Elura. JGJRI. Vol.8 , (1950-51) ,p, 133. 0 9 0 O O

visible. Though shown tired, his posture is suggestive of the display of his strong muscular energy. The rea­ listic proportion of each image in the group, the great realism in their moulding and the expression on the face of many a figure in it , are admirably worked out.

The only icon of the Ravananugrahamurti in the structural temples of the 11 th cent.A,D. comes from the Naganatha temple, Aundha. It is on the exterior wall facing south. It is serverely plain, ^iva and Parvati are shown seated together and are being lifted up by twenty armed Havana.

Ar.junanugrahamurti ^

Only the Kailasa at Elura presents an Arjuna- nugraha^ form of hlva. It may, therefore, be ascribed to the 9th cent.A.D.^

1 . This has not been included in the special number of JISOA on Kiratarjuniyam; Vol.XVIII, (1950-51).

2. Gupte has identified another figure in the second panel in the northern gallery of the Kailasa as of Ar^un^ugrahamurti of ^iva, but no cognizances are there to take it as such; see in p. 195.

3. Work of the Kailasa started, no doubt in the 8th cent.A.D. but stylistically it appears that the part of the Kailasa containing these images is of somewhat later period. 33/.

On the northern wall of the Sabharaandapa

of the Kailasa, near the staircase, are depicted some

scenes from the Mahahharata. In the first panel, beginn­ ing from the top of the seven panels containing these

Scenes, the scene of Arjuna's penance, his fight with

Siva^ in the guise of Kirita and his defeat and the boar are depicted. In the middle of the panel Arjuna / is shown bowing down in veneration at the feet of Siva while receiving the Pa^patastra.^

SAMHARA - MURTIS

Among the images portraying Siva's terrific nature, mention may be made of Italari, Gajaha, Tripurin- taka and Andhakavadhamurti, Excepting the first the three others portray the destruction of the different demons. Of the aforementioned four forms, the first and the third have not been depicted in the structural temples in Marathwada, They can thus be assigned to the early

1 , Mto, Vana, XXXIX, VV, 8-53. 2, The whole story as described in the Vanaparva of the Mahabharata is_carved out here. But the image of Arjunanugraha-murti-siva as described by Gopi- nath Rao is not sculptured. See, Rao, EHI, II,I pp.214-15. 3 3."

medieval period. The second and the fourth are to be met with in the caves as well as in the temples. Thus they fall between the 7th cent. A. D, and the l3th cent,

A,D.

Kalari-murti

This form is as stated above available only in the Caves XV and XVI at Elura, which are of the early medieval period. This in fact is seldom represented in medieval art.^

The earliest representation of this form of

Siva is in the Dasavatara cave, Elura,^ This image is carved out on the wall facing west, Siva is shown here emerging from the linga to protect his devotee Markandeya.

In order to do that he has kicked with his left leg Yama who has thrown his noose round the neck of Markandeya. * • Thus Siva is seen keeping Yama (Kala) away from his devotee.

He has thrust his stout handled trident into Kala's stomach.

He is shown surrendering to Siva, He bends down on his knees

1, Majumdar and Pusalkar, The Imperial Kanaui. p.309.

2, Rao, OD. clt. II,I, pp. 161-62, PI.XXXIV: and Burgess, GECT. p. 865 ASWI. V, p,24, pi,XXIV, fig .l. 33fi

and begs pardon of his Lord. Siva has four hands with two of which he is thrusting trisula (trident) into

Yama* s abdomen. The third is katihasta and the fourth is raised upwards.^ He is adorned with candrakala over his head. (P l .I X .I).

/ Two such images of Siva are shown in the

Kailasa. One is in the extreme right of the northern 2 - gallery and another on the front wall of the sabha- 3 mandapa. These are almost similar in their details • • to the panel described above, the only difference being 4 that Yama is shown standing erect in the latter.

Ga.laha-murtls

This form of Siva is met with at Elura and in the temples of Naganatha and Kumargudi.

1. Rao explains the pose of the hand to be in vismaya- mudra. In fact, it is not so. see: EHI,II,I,p.l62.

2. A3WI. V, pi.XXIV, fig.2.

3. Rao, oo.cit. . p .162, pi,XXXV, f i g .l . Naik wrongly locates this in the northern gallery of the Kailasa. In fact this is the one which is not described by Rao. see, Naik, A. V., p.739.

4. Burgess mentions both these figures as if from the Kailasa; GECT. p.43. The one in the Kailasa, is of early- medieval age and the latter two are of medieval period.

These have been found so far from the Aurangabad, Par-

bhani and the Nanded Districts of Marathwada,

That from the Kailasa is the earliest, and

the only representation in the caves of this region.^

Behind the GajalakCTi panel in the portico are two huge / figures of Siva facing each other. The one on the

western wall is of the Gajahamurti.- - 2 Siva ' has ten

hands. He holds the elephant's skin over his own head

with two hands. The other hands hold damaru, trii^la,

kapala and the fourth, a tusk of the elephant demon.

A serpent is coiled round his forehead. He wears patra-

kundalas , three necklaces, a garland of skulls, armlets,

wristlets etc. He stands in a pratyalidhisana, looking

1. Naik says "Gajaha murtis are not known to have been found in the early medieval cave temples",’ AD, p.743.

2, Naik finds it difficult to distinguish between Andhaka vadhamurti and Gajahamurti as the textual descriptions are very much alike. Ibid.. p.743; Gupte wrongly takes it as of Bhairava. 6p . c i t .. p. 119. 338

formidable. This is the only figure in the Kailasa of asta-tala measurements,^ Gajasura is in the corner to the right of ^iva who has uprooted one of his tusks. In between diva's legs, the horned Srngi is shown dancing with joy, and Bhrfigi walks with a

stick in his hands. Below are seen the seated Sapta- matrkas with their vahanas- 2 in front of them. Parvati - “ is seated on a raised platform on the left side of ^iva.

She is afraid of this dreadful aspect of 6iva; so Siva is caressing her chin with one hand. (P I.IX ,2 ).

The Naganatha temple, Aundha, also has the Gajahamurti ^iva, in the niche in the exterior wall.

r Siva is eight-armed, holding sword, trisula and dagger in right hands, and khatvanga and shield in the left hands.

In the second hands of both the sides he hold elephant's trunk and with the third Teft hand he is tearing its mouth.

He presses his left leg on the elephant's back and thrusts the dagger in his head. Here his pose is like that of the

1. Gupte. R. S. .OP. clt. . p.207.

2. Now worn away.

3. See Deshpande, op.cit. . p.33, 3 3 0

Mahisasuramardini depicted In the porch of Kallasa,

Elura.

The other illustration of almost the same period comes from the Kumargudl temple, Bichkonda. Gajaha- murti Siva is in the niche of the mandovara, facing south, • • He also has eight arms, upper two of which hold a dagger and a shield. The elephant demon is seen underneath his ' T folded right leg. Siva is shown in a dancing pose.

- 2 Probably after killing Gajasura , he is dancing in eestacy. To his left the Nandi and the drum beaters are shown.

Tripurantaka ^iva

f This form of Siva is met with only in the

Dai^avatara and the Kailasa cave of Elura and belongs to the early medieval period. This aspect of ^iva does not seem to have been much favoured in the medieval period; we do not, therefore, get any illustration of Tripurantaka

^iva from the structural temples from our region.

1 . Similar is the figure from Valuvur, described by Hao‘, op.cit.. 11,1,154, pl.XXXl.

2. An asura known as Nilasura was in the guise of an elephant. 9 ^ A

This form emphasises the great divine power

of ^iva. For, of the three gods of the Brahmanlcal triad

only Siva could destroy the triple castles of the asura.

The earliest representation of this form is in the

Dasavatara cave, Elura.^ The second panel on the back

wall of the antechamber on the first floor contains this ' ^ 2 representation of Siva. Siva has eight hands. He holds

an arrow, a khadga and a shield in his hands. One hand

is plucking the arrow from the quiver. Two others are

broken and with the remaining two he is stretching the

bow string in an attitude of shooting an arrow. He is

standing gracefully in the pratyalidhasana in a chariot.

Brahma is acting as the charioteer, the chariot is being 3 drawn by four horses.

Identical are the figures from the Kailasa

cave at the same place. One in the third panel in the / eastern gallery presents Siva pressing his lips indicating

his determination to kill the demon. He is in alidhasana

1. Rao, OP.cit. . II,I, p.170, Pi,XXXVII; Burgess, J., GECT. p.26; ASWI. V, p.25,

2. Rao Counts these as ten,* op.cit. < I I , I , p . 171.

3. Rao could detect only two horses there (pp.cit. , p . 171) whereas Burgess is right in counting them as four ( o p , cit. , p.39). Deshpande also mentions four horses, "Verulachi Leni", Marathwada Deepavali number« 1968. 341

and has six arms, two of which are engaged in hurling

an arrow from his bow. In one of his left hands, he holds a khatvanga and another left hand supports the one that holds the bow. In the remaining two right hands he holds a trisula and a parasu. Nandi is shown on the flag Nandidhvaja of the chariot.

The second illustration comes from the back side of the screen wall.^ Here ^ v a is two armed.

The right hand holds the arrow while the left one the bow. The three cities are shown above in the field and the horses are shown as if they are on the turn of the 2 road. In the structural temples we do not meet with this attitude of Siva in this region. (P I.IX ,3 ).

Andhakasuravadha-mfurti

The icons of this ugra form of Siva are overwhelming in number in Marathwada as compared to f I those of other visesa forms of Siva,

1. According to Kramrisch, this sculpture is more artisticj South Indian Sculpture, pi,XXX,fig.77,

2. Visnu as white bull infront of the chariot, noticed by Kramrisch is not to be seen there.Ibid. o 4*>

So far Andhakavadha icons of Siva belonging to early medieval period are known from the caves. Of these, four are from Caves XIV, XV, XVI and XXIX at Elura and one from the caves of Ambajogai and Kharusa. The icons of this type which can be assigned to medieval period are from the structural temples from almost all the parts of this region.^

The earliest representation of Andhakavadha- miarti ^iva is found in the Dasavatara Cave,^ Elura. On

the first floor in the first panel on the northern wall I / Siva is shown killing the demon Andhaka. Siva wears the jatamukuta, kundalas, necklaces, bracelets, and the gar­ land of skulls round his neck and the katibandha of serpent.

He stands in the alidha posture, and has eight arms. In two of his hands is t r i v i a which pierces the demon Andhaka.

In one of his hands he holds a skull-cup (kapsda) to collect the blood of the demon. In two other hands he holds gajacarma forming the prabh^andala round his head. • • In other hands he holds a sword, a drum, while one of his hands is in tarjanimudra. §iva is pressing his foot on

1. From Bichkonda, Bid, A\andha, Ambajogai and Varud.

2. Rao, OP. clt *, II »I, pl.XLV, f ig .2 , p .193; Burgess, GECT.p.34t ASWI. V, p.24, pi.XXII,fig.2. But he is not shown trampling m i as Burgess has stated. o 4 3

the head of apasmarapurusa. (Wriggling Muyalaka)^.

Near his left knee is the face of Rahu.^ Yoges'varl squatting on the ground, is seen holding a bowl and a dagger in her hands. She is terrible looking with eyes bulging out, shrivelled breasts and emaciated body. An owl is carved near her figure. To her left is Pirvati on the padmasana viewing with awe the events that are taking place before her. Such figures of

Andhakavadhamurti-^i va are fomd in Caves XIV,XVI^ and

(PI.IX,4) at Elura. Siva in this attitude is also sculptured in the caves at Ambajogai (Bid) and at

Kharusa (Osmanabad). The figures can be assigned to the 7th and 8th cent, A. D.

In the structural temples of this region such an icon is seen in one of the main niches on the jangha of Mandovara. The temple of Kankale^vara, Bid,

1. Imperial Kanau.i. p .306.

2. Rao identifies it as of Daldni, i.e. half human and half bird, while Deshpande, takes it as of RShxx (op. cit. ) Infact there is no figure with half human and half bird features. Only the face is seen.

3. In Cave XVI i.e. Kailasa this form is shown five times: (i) on the outer wall of sabh^andapa; (ii) in an incomplete panel on the wall above the yajna^mil, (iii) in the eastern gallery, (iv) in the Lankesvara and (v) to the right of the north side of mukhamandapa facing the Lahkesvara. 4. Rao and Naik, do not mention the one in Cave No.XXIX. 3 4/‘

presents us with Andhakavadhamurti Siva. He stands in the alidhasana. Out of his eight hands only six are intact. His upper left hand holds the demon, while the upper left and right, hold the stretched skin of Nilasura in elephant guise so as to form the prabhamandala.^ There is a dagger in his belt. He pierces the trisula in

Andhaka's stomach and throws him into the sky. Nandi is seen in front of ^iva in the corner,^ Identical is the figure from the Naganatha temple, Aundha. The only » 3 difference here is that Siva is shown twelve handed hold­ ing drum, bow, thunderbolt, sword etc., in his right hands and shield, kamandalu, rosary and s^^akti in the left hands. • • Two of his hands hold the trisula while the other two are broken.

A unique figure of this form of ^iva is seen in the Kumaragudi temple (Bichkonda which was formerly in the Nanded district). Here with all other usual features,

^ f four-armed Parvati to the left of Siva is shown seated in

1. Adopted with modifications from Rao', o p . cit.: II,I, p .193. 2. Nandi is never shown in such sculptures in the caves.

3. In the caves, Siva is shown at the most with eight hands. ^4 5

the vlrasana. She is holding drum, trident, dagger

and a fruit.^

/ The other specimen of this form of Siva

is on the ceiling of the antar'^a of the Amalesvara

temple. In the corner of a design in the centre a

slightly different figure is illustrated. Here four­

armed Siva holds sword, vajra, trisula (in two hands).

In the same temple, on a shaft of the pillar of the / mandapa, Andhakavadhamurti of Siva is visible. The

peculiarity of this figure is that Kartikeya and four-

armed Ganes'a are also depicted.^

Comparatively of late period (i .e . the / latter half of the 13th cent. A. D.) such an icon of Siva

is available on the pilaster of the antarala of the

Narasimha temple, Varud (Parbhani District). This image

is in very low relief. In this respect it is unpara-

11 elaiin this region.^

1. Nowhere Parvati is shown four-armed and with Syudhas, in such panels.

2. Nowhere both of his sons are shown with this form, of ^iva. In Cave XIV at Elura, only standing Ganesa is seen.

3. No other icon either of Siva or Visnu or any other • • god has been carved in such a low relief, in this region. 348

Though the above mentioned figures, including

those found in the caves are similar in depiction, the

treatment of the physical features and the number of ornaments in each is very different. The figure in

Cave XV is refined and its facial features as well as

the outline of the body are well cut. The one in Cave

XXIX is more dreadful, but both of them wear several ornaments. So also the one at Varud is not so refined

and has no ornaments. The other at a temple is really

expressive, well cut, and with considerable omamert s.

DAKSINl-MURTIS • •

The following are the types of Daksinamurti of Siva which have been carved in the caves and in the

structural temples:

A) Yoga,

B) vinadhara, and

C) Nrtta.

These are principally found in the caves at

Elura, and such figures as Yoga and Vinadhara have seldom

been found in the structural temples. ii/hat one finds in

the caves as well as in the temples in this region is the

Nrtta type of Siva sculptures. One may naturally infer 34 7

that these types of Daksinaniurti of Siva were not very common.

So far, Yoga icons of Siva are known only from the Kailasa, Elura and a loose sculpture at Vattala in

Nanded District. The one foimd in the Kailasa is of 9th cent.A.D. while the other can safely be assigned to the 12th cent.A.D,

The earliest form of Maha-Yogi Siva thus appears in the Kailasa, Elura. Behind the Gajalaksmi panel, in a portico, two forms of Siva are carved out. The one facing west is of Mahayogi ^iva. He is shown in meditation seated in padmasana on a visvapadma. He wears an ornamental jatimukuta. Other ornaments on his person are necklaces, • • valayas, bracelets, etc. He has eight hands. He holds a serpent and aksamala in the right hands. The third i^l^lit hand is on his lap. In one of the left hands he holds a lotus. The rest of the hands are broken.

On either side of his asana, musicians are shown in the corner with cyrobals, mrdangam, etc. On his either side ascetics are shown meditating. Some of them o 48

have beards and Yogapattas round their knees. The • » Astadikpalas are seen above. On his right are Varuna • • • on Makara, Vayu on stag, Agni on goat and Is an a on bull.

On his left are Indra on Airavata, Yama on ram, Kirrti on goat and Kubera on man.

Identical, though in miniature, is a figure of the Mahayogi carved on a loose slab now lying in the village Vattal (Nanded District).^ Every feature of this icon is the same except the vahana of one of the A Astadikpalas. To Siva's extreme right, a dikpala is shown with Kirtimukha as his vahana, who may be Varuna.

2 Vinadhara Daksinamurtl ♦ • •

This form of Daksinamurti ^ v a is very rare and is of early medieval period, as it is found only in

Caves XIV and XVI at Elura, No structural temple in our region presents us with this form.

1 . The stone being granite shows the relation of this part of Marathwada with Andhra Pradesh. This village is just on the border of Andhra and Maha­ rashtra. 2. Gupte has not identified it. Deshpande first identifies it. Loc. clt. 340

^iva as Vinadhara is shown in Cave XIV, Elura,

He is four-armed, holding vina in two hands and is seated in the ardhaparyankasana. Another icon of this type of

^ v a is in the northern gallery of Kailasa, He also is seated in the ardhaparyankasana with four hands. He holds a snake in the upper right hand. In the lower right hand and the upper left he is holding vina, and with his lower left hand he is embracing his consort.

Nrttamurtis

Of the three types of Daksinaiiiurti available / in this region Nrttamurtis of Siva are overwhelming in number. They are to be met with in the caves as well as in the structural temples. Thus they fall in the period spanning from the 7th cent. A, D. to the 13th cent, A,D,

It should, however, be noted that this period is ascribable to the nrttamurtis in general. For, some of the modes of dance are only to be found in the caves and not avail­ able from the structural temples. The nrttamurtis from ♦ the Elura caves in general and from the Kailasa cave in particular being very clear, would be dealt with in the following pages. The icons of Natesvara Siva from the structural temples are either in miniature or weathered, hence difficult to describe in details. 9 A 0 t f J

The study of this form of Siva's icons would begin from the Dasavatara cave at Elura. In the second panel to the north of the hall on the first floor is carved dancing iiv a.^ He is in tribhanga pose and is eight-armed. He holds drum, trident, a fruit in three of his right hands. The fourth is in either cit or

Samdar^anamudra. One of his left hands is in gajahasta 2 pose, another is holding crescent. In the third left hand is seen snake. The object in the remaining hand is not clear. Siva here is shown dancing very patiently.

This, probably might be the Ananda tandava. His person is adorned with jatamukuta, patrakundalas, keyuras, • • • • valayas, vaikaksaka, udarabandha, katibandha of naga and nupuras. Musicians are seen on both of his sides. One to his right is shown playing on the urdhsa mrdanga and those to his left are shown playing upon cymbals and flute. To Siva's left is Parvati seated on the pedestal and watching his enthralling performance.

On the architrave over the doorway of the nrttyamandapa in the same cave a dancing 5iva is carved in miniature. As the figure has been exposed to air, heat and rain, it has lost its features,

1. ASWI, V, p.24, p l.X X I,fig .4.

2. Deshpande, on. cit. . p .25; Gupte, op.cit. , pl.LXXVIII. «-• 0 I

Next in the chronological order comes the icon from the Havana-ki-ldiai cave at Elura. The sculp­ ture in the third panel to the south of the hall is of

a v a dancing Lalita nrttya, ^iva standing on a platform, in the nikuttitam pose is shovm dancing.^ His left leg • • is on the ground and the right resting on the toe is stamping the ground with the heel. It seems that he is dancing Laghu tandava. He is eight-armed holding damaru (damaruka or udukkai)^ and parasu in two of the right hands, remaining two are broken. Yet from the position of the one it can be made out as in gaja- 3 hasta pose. His left hands are shown in various mudras.

He holds agni in upper left hand, another is in the ordinary pataka or streamer pose. The third appears to be held in the tarjani pose and the last in the sue! pose. He is adorned with jatamukuta, patrakundalas, • 0 # • necklaces etc. An interesting thing is his tightly fitting janghika which is made of tiger's skin as is clear from the head of a tiger visible on his left thigh,

A snake is employed as Katisutra. On his either side are

1 . EHI, II,I, p.263, pl.LXIII. 2. Coomaraswamy, Visvakarma. (1914), p.19, pi,XXXIII, 3. According to the description in the Natyavedavivriti, left hand should be in gajahasta pose while dancing Lalita nrttya^ EIG ,1 1 ,1 ,p,263. 3 5?

groups of four dikpalas. To the left of Siva standing

Parvati is seen holding Skanda's hand.^ Her crossed legs lend exquisite charm to her graceful figure. To the right of Siva are three musicians playing on the flute and mrdangas. Behind Siva's right leg is Bhadra- kali?

On the wall facing the west in the south side chapel is the figure of Siva dancing the Katisama mudra 3 nrttya. Unfortunately three of his hands are broken.

He holds damaru in the upper right hand another is held 4 near the naval in the Kataka pose, third is under the uttariya and the fourth is broken. His upper left hand is held in tripataka pose, another is resting on the thigh, the rest two are broken. His legs are in the svastikapasrta pose.^ Around his head is prabhamandala.

He wears an elaborate jataraukuta, exquisitely carved

1. Havell, The Ideals of Indian Art. pi.XXIX.

2. Coomaraswamy. VIsvakarma (1914), p .19, pi.XXXIII. This is exactly like the description given in the Uttarakamikagama,' EHI. I I . I . p .227. 3. EHI^IIylyp.259. pl.LXII. The description given by Gopinathrao tallies with the one in Natyasistra. 4. See for details, Naidu, B.V.N., T^idava Laksanam« p. 2 6 ,pl. XIX, f ig. 33 j

5. EHI, II,I, p.259. 3 53

necklace along with a kanthi of pearls, Kusumakundalas, keyuras, yajnopavita, udarabandha, katisutra etc. His candataka of tiger’ s skin^ is delineated very distinctly in the sculpture. Bhrngi is shown behind Siva's left leg aping his dance. To both the sides above diva's head are astadikpalas, among which naravahana kubera, Indra and • • Agni are identifiable. Curiously enough three-headed

Brahma is shown among them on his mount, swan. Nearby diva's feet are shown musicians playing on urdhva mrdanga, flute etc. One lady musician to diva's left is shown playing on a stringed instrument. Parvati is shown to his left gracing the occasion by her presence along with / baby Skanda in her arms. To the other side of Siva, over the musicians is seen Ganesa.

Sita-ki-nahani cave at Elura presents us with another sculpture of the Natesvara Siva. On the wall of the north aisle is seen the panel depicting cosmic dance ' P of Siva. It is facing east. Though the biggest sculpture 3 in Marathwada in dimensions is not superb and proportionate. r Siva is eight-armed holding drum, trident, and skull. One

1, According to the Amsumadbhedagame the garment of Siva as Nataraja must be made of tiger's skin. see,Rao,EHI loc. cit.

2, Deshpande, o p . cit. , p.47.

3, Burgess takes it as inferior to that on the right of the entrance at Elephanta. ASWI,V,p.42. 3 3.'!

of his hands is in the gajahasta pose, the other is in the Katyavalambita pose, the third is on his thigh, the other two depict different poses. To the left of ^iva;

Parvatl is seen appreciating the skill of her lord. To his right are the It and! and the musicians. Above, to the left, are seen Brahma on a lotus, Varuna on a crocodile, Viyu on a stag and Yama on a buffalo, while to the right Indra is on an elephant, Agni on a goat, and Visnu on an eagle.

Next in the chronological sequence is the

Natesvara's icons from the Kailasa at Elura, In all there are six big panels in the Kailasa and in its adjunct known as the Lankesvara. As the Kailasa has been hewn out from the top, the one on the ceiling of the mahamandapa of it is obviously the earliest, hence belonging to the middle of the 8th cent.A. D, Siva here has eight^ arms. The only attribute that ^iva holds here in one of his left hands is naga. Another left hand is in gajahasta

1 . Gupte counts only six and describes their positions which do not suit to the photographs he gives,* , p.206, pl.CVI. 35 5

pose, third is in Katihasta pose and fourth is in pataka or streamer pose. The upper right hand goes up v^ile dancing, another he keeps on Parvati' s shoulder. Third is in kati hasta pose and the fourth is either in cit or abhayamudra. He is pressing the apasmarapurusa down the right leg while the left is raised a little. Parvati is shown gracefully standing in tribhanga on a pedestal.

This mode of dance can be identified as Uma tandava• • for he places his hand on Parvati's shoulder.

The Nate^vara's representation that comes from the ambulatory passage is next in the order of chronology.

The panel containing this icon is facing the south. Four- / armed Siva resting left foot on the demon is shown dancing vigorously. He holds drum in the upper right hand.^ The corresponding left hand though on the chest is not in gajahasta pose. The lower hands of both the sides are 2 3 broken. His lifted bent leg in Tryasra , and the arched out position of the knees and the waist suggest that he - 4 is dancing Bhuj angatrasita.

1. ASWI, V, pi.XXXI, fig.I.

2. According to the Natya ^ s t r a it should be lifted in a triangular fashion. See for details, EM ,II, I ,p .228. 3. Naidu, B .V .N ., T^dava Laksanam. p .27, fig ,38,

4. Identified for the first time. The third mode of the tandava illustrated • • on the north of the basement of the Nandimandapa in the

Kailasa is knovm as urdhvajinu. Siva here is eight- armed holding drtim and agni in his two upper hands, while trident is in one of the right hands. Rest of the hands are broken. He has raised the right leg up as to keep his thigh and knee on a level with the breast. Hence the mode of dance is knom as Urdhvajanu,

In the eastern gallery of the Kailasa is a ' 1 panel containing Siva's very celebrated mode of dance 2 ' known as the Nadanta, Siva here is four-armed holding the hour-glass like drum in the upper proper right hand beating the cosmic rhythm sound which represents the pri­ mary creative force. The trident held in the correspond­ ing left hand symbolically suggests the destructive aspect of Siva. The lower right hand in the abhayamudra, assures 3 the devotee of divine protection. While the correspond­ ing left hand is in the gajahasta pose. Siva here is shown pressing the demon Muyalaka representing evil spirits

1 . Deshpande, op.cit. , p .38; Gupte, op.cit. , p .199.

2. Identified for the first time.

3. Coomaraswamy, A ., The Dance of Shl_vai pp.86-87. o 57

by his left leg and the right one is uplifted suggesting the refuge of salvation.

It varies in three respects from the famous bronze image depicting this mode of Siva's dance, now preserved in the Madras Governi^ent Museum, v iz .(i) Siva here presses his left leg and raises the right one, while the position in the famous one is quite vice versa;

(ii) Siva holds trident here instead of flames and

(iii) there is no arch of flame to be seen at the Kailasa.

The illustration of the Natesvara to be seen on the eastern walls of the Lanke^vara is artistically superb.^ ^iva is dancing the Catura very vigorously.

The sculpture almost in the round and the forceful move- / ment of Siva not only enthrals the spectators but make?the entire subject alive, Siva is in tribhanga pose and in pratyalidhasana. He is six-armed holding drum and serpent in two of the left hands. The upper right hand is in catura. The two lower right hands along with the lower left hand are broken. One of his legs is completely gone, while the other is half destroyed, Siva’ s person

1, ASWI, V, p.32, pi.XXIX, fig,2.

2. Deshpande, pp.cit. , p .40. 358

is adorned with an intricately carved elaborate jatamukuta. • • It has crescent and skull in the front and loops of pearls at the back. He wears makarakundalas, necklaces, mukta- vaikaksaka with spacers, udarabandha, ratnamekhala with a clasp of kirtimukha motif and valayas in the wrist. He wears nupuras round the ankles. The uttariya held round the waist is also shown fluttering in the air. He wears sakaccha adhomsuka. The two musicians sculptured below are shown playing on the cymbals and flute. Above is seen a flying couple probably of a gandharva and an apsara.

This is the finely produced and polished piece of sculpture unparalleled at least in the region of our study.

Similar but less elaborate sculpture depicting this mode of dance is to be seen to the south of the screen wall of the Kailasa.

To the north side of the screen wall of the

t Kailasa is to be seen very peculiar mode of Tan

Yet trident and agni can be identified. In his jatamukuta is a skull. He raises his left leg upto the head. This mode, thus, can be identified as Urdhvatandava.^ o 39

In the structural temples of Marathwada dancing ^iva is depicted at various places.^ Siva in this form is illustrated on the shaft of the pillar in the Amalesvara temple, on the doorway to the antarala in the Parame^vara temple, on the jafigha of the Naganatha and Kumaragudi temples and many a time on the ceiling of the mandapas of the temples. As it is seen in the • • previous chapter that all the structural temples of our period of study are ascribable to the period, from the 11th cent. A, D, to the 13th cent,A.D. Obviously the sculptures depicting ^iva as Natesvara also belong to the same period,

Siva as Natesvara depicted on the jangha of the Kumaragudi temple, Bichkonda^is six-armed, pressing evil spirit underneath his left leg. While the right leg is upheld and placed parallel to the ground, Bhrngi is to his left and a drum beater to his right,

/ Of the three panels depicting Siva's dance on the jarigha of the Naganatha temple two are of some importance. In one of these he is shown dancing amidst

1, All these are reported for the first time. the spectators. For Durga along with her vahana, lion and another god are shown flanking him and watching the performance with interest.

At other place in the same temple six-handed

^iva is shown dancing. The unique feature here is the depiction of Brahma and Visnu alongwith their usual • • attributes but playing the role of drum-beaters.

GANGADHARA ^IVA

/ Gangadhara icons of Siva in Marathwada are / very few, as compared to other forms of Siva.

So far, these icons are seen only in the caves

at Elura, two from the Kailasa and one from the Das avatar a. They thus belong to the period from the 8th to 9th cent.A.D,

That from Cave XV, Elura is the earliest image of ^iva of this type. It is on the back wall of the hall on the first floor, ^iva is standing here. Of his four hands, one is Katihasta, the other is holding a mala, the

third is placed around Parvati to the left, and the object

in the fourth cannot be identified. Ganga is shown in the

jatas of Siva and hence this nomenclature. Near his feet

five human heads are carved probably representing sagaraputras.

An elephant is seen above with raised head. One hand of 36 2

containing fish, tortoise, crocodile one can identify this icon as that of Gaiigadhara.

Vrsavahana • •

This form of ^iva is found only in the Kailasa,

Elura. It is depicted twice in this cave. On the outer s wall of the sabhamandapa to the left of northern portico is a panel containing Siva who has four hands.

The other is on the southern wall near the staircase, ^iva is shown sitting on Nandi, his vahana. ^

Both are of 8th cent.A.D.

Bhlksatana Siva ^ • •

The only representation of this form in Mara- thwada is found in the rear gallery of Kailasa. It is of early medieval period, ^iva in this form has four hands, one of which is in the katyavalambita pose. A kapala is seen in the other. His hand with the begging bowl is stretched before Parvati, who stands in front of him. She has her left hand in the Katyavalambita pose. Above, on either side of ^iva, are the flying gandharvas.

1 . Rao has identified this for the first time; o d .cit. . II,I, pp. 108-112.

2. Burgess, Satvalekar and Gupte have not identified this as Bhiksatana. Only Deshpande has for the first time identified it as such. 363

Ardhanirisvara

. The icons of this type foiind in this region

can be assigned to three different periods; four are to be found in the KaiXasa, and belong to 8th and 9th

cent. A. D. One from the structural temple of Aundha might be of 12th cent. A. D. and the third from Rajapur village

(Parbhani District) is probably of 11th or l2th cent.A.D.

Those from Kailasa are in the southern gallery, on the northern wall below the Nandimandapa, and on the back wall of the main shrine, and the fourth one is in the

Lankes'vara,

The one in the southern gallery has the right half as of a male and the left as of a female. The Ardha- nari^vara has four hands, the right ones being of the male and the left of the female. One of the right hands holds a tri^ula, while the left has a flower,^ the third hangs loose at the side. The plaits of the Sari are at the 2 left side of the waist.

The one below the wall of the Nandimandapa is

shown holding a mirror instead of flower in the left hand.

1. Gupte takes it to be a mirror. 0.p, cit. , p. 199.

2. The artist has depicted the southern style of wearing sari. 36/«

Remaining two from the Kailasa are identical vdth the first described above.

On the exterior wall of the temple of Aundha,

Ardhanari^vara Siva is seen. He holds trisula and damaru. • Of the hands on the female side, one is broken and the other holds a lotus. The unique feature of this panel is the Nandi and a Batu shown on the male side, and a female attendent and a lion on the female side.

But the most beautiful and artistic icon of

ArdhanarisVara is seen on a loose slab of granite, at

Rajapuri, a village three miles from Aundha in Parbhani

District.^ It is three feet in height. The right half of the figure is of Siva as usual. Parvati holds an aksaraala and Kamandalu while diva holds naga and damaru. • • • •

Jatamukuta,• • rudraksamala, * • ' yajnopavlta and keyuras of snake, all these are to be right, while the female half shows karandfflukuta, necklace, bangles, mekhala, nupuras • • and the well plaited sari. As usual the mounts of the god and the goddess are shown on the right and the left of the image but curiously enough in the case of Parvati,

1. This image was found only fifteen years back while ploughing the field. 365

godha instead of lion is depicted. Generally godhi as a mount is associated with a special form of Jakti, viz. Gauri.

HARI-HAHA OR HARYARDHA

Not many icons of this composite form are known from this region. Two of them are carved out in the Kailasa and belong to 8th and 9th cent. A. D, while two more are from the medieval temples of Naganatha at

Aundha and Nilakanthesvara, Nilanga.

The earliest representation of this type is to be found in the Kailasa at Elura. One of the panels in the eastern gallery has the icon of Hari-Hara. The right side is Hara and the left, Hari. Hard or Siva has a jataraukuta, while Hari, i .e . Visnu has Karandamukuta, • • • • • • 0 / / ■«» Siva holds a trisula and damaru. Nandi is on his right side. Hari, who is the left half, holds the cakra and a conch in his hands. On his left is Garuda.

On the northern wall below the Nandimandapa is yet another similar icon.

In the temples of Nilakanthesvara and Naganatha of the medieval period we come across similar composite or sjmcretistic icons. In the former, it is shown standing 3 6 6

with Nandi to the right and Garuda to the left. Siva holds a trident and Visnu a mace. The lower hands of • • both are broken. In the Naganatha the two hands of the image are broken \diile the third holding cakra is still intact. That the icon is of Harihara is seen from the location of the Nandi and the Garuda in this panel.

KALYANASUNDARAMURTI

So far, only six icons of Kalyanasundaramurti of Siva have been foaind in Marathwada, four of which are carved in the caves at Elura,^ and the remaining two in the temple of Naganatha, Aundha. The icons from the caves can be assigned to the early medieval period, while those from the temple to the late medieval period.

Of those from the caves at Elura, the earlier one is in the Da^avatara cave. Siva is holding both the hands of Parvatl who is on a raised vedi. Lower down is

Brahma performing the homa. In the two rows above are shown, hovering in the sky, the Dikpalas. The unique feature here is the presence of Ganela seen in the right side corner above.

1. All of them are discussed in details by Sengupta^ R., in Lalitkala* No.7, i960. 3S?

The second one, the most interesting of all these panels, is in the Rarae^vara cave,^ The whole story of Siva's marriage is carved out in three regis­ ters on the back wall of the chamber to the left the middle one presenting the marriage scene,

Siva is two-armed, in one of which he holds both the hands of his bride. His person is adorned with ornaments. To his right is the figure of Pirvati. In between the couple are seen Ganesa and Srngi (with • • 3 horn) . Brahma offering libation to the sacred fire / with a ladle is seen to the right. In between Siva and

Parvati but behind them is seen Himavan performing

Kanyadina by holding an ewer in the hands to pour water

1. Rao, OP, cit. . I I , I , pp. 347-351. Some of his identifications are not acceptable.

2. Sengupta, R,, (Lalltkala. 1960) has shown how the panel at Badami depicting the marriage scene has been the source of inspiration. Th© one at Badami is described by Banerji (R. D.) See, Bas Reliefs of Badami. Memoirs of the Archaeological Survey of India, No.25, (19l8)p, 10.

3. Rao identifies this as Karttikeya carrying in his left hand a Kukkuta (cock). E H I ,I I ,I , p .349,pi,cv, Gupte does not mention this. 368

from it .^ Behind Parvati stands Mena, her mother who holds

Parvati by the shoulder.^ Indra, holding a thunderbolt, and

Visnu holding a sankha^ are seen behind Siva. The story

that is sculptured here is described in the Varaha and the

Skanda Puranas.

After this in the chronological sequence comes

the panel in Cave XXIX known as Dhumara lena, Elura. The

arrangement is quite different from that in the panel in

the Ramesvara. In the centre of the panel Siva is shown holding the hand of Plirvati. Behind her are seen Laksmi / and Visnu, and by the side of Siva is probably Indra, Infront of them is Brahma, the officiating priest performing the homa.

1 , The marriage is apparently being performed according to the Brahma system in ii^ich the bride is given away with the pouring of water. See K ane,P.V ., History of Dharmasastra, V o l.II, p t .I, pp.517-18,

2. Gupte has wrongly taken two female figures including that of Mena as of ^ri and Bhu, infact one among them is a male figure. Oo.cit. , p .212. Rao takes her to be Laksmi.*

3. Rao did not notice these images,

4, In the Elephanta Cave ( Circa 650 A.D. ) of which the Cave XXIX is believed to be the replica, Himavan is shown in the act of giving away his daughtertof ^iva. Here Himavan is totally eliminated. It indi­ cates that Gave XXIX is of a later date as it has marked the point of departure between the older iconographic formulations and the new ones formulated in the 8th cent, A. D. when the Igamas were beginning to influence the Iconography, See for details R. Sengupta, Lalitkala. No.7, April, 1960, 360

Next in order of time is the marriage panel

in the back corridor of Kailasa^, Siva is shown four

handed, holding trivia and lotus flower in two of them.

The third is placed on the hand of Parvati^ and the

fourth on her shoulder. The figure of Parvati, very

elegantly carved> represents a beautiful picture of a

blushing bride. Below, Brahma is seated as the Purohita.

He has four hands and three heads, Infront of him is the

sacred fire.

The temple of Naganatha, Aundha has two Kalyina-

sundaramurtis of ^iva belonging to late medieval period.

At one place he is shown four-armed, holding naga in one

of them. The other hand is around Parvati, the third is

broken and the fourth is on his chest. Parvati has two

hands, one placed on ^ v a 's shoulder and the other hold­

ing flower. She wears twelve bangles, wristlests, and

an ornament on the back of her palm. In the right corner,

four-armed Brahma, as a priest, is seen with a ladle in

his right hand. He is in namaskiramudra. There is yet

another identical figure. Here Siva holds t r i v i a and drum.

1. Probably carved in the 9th cent,A,D. See Sengupta, Loc. cit. 2. This arrangement is unusual at Elura, for generally, opposite is the_case. R.Sengupta in this connection refers to, the Agamas according to which Parvati is to receive olva. 37*^

LAKULISA SIVA

Lakullia icons in Marathwada are fevr^. What r one meets with, are the other forms of Siva which are overwhelming in number as compared to those of Laiculisa.

Sto far, Lakulis'a icons are known only from Elura. 2 Of these, two are from Kailasa cave and one each from Cave

XXI and XXIX. Thus they fall between 7th cent.fi.D. and 9th cent. A, D.

That from Cave XXI is in the centre of the top frieze of the facade. He is seated in padmasana with laguda in the left hand.^ (Pl.X,l).

The other is in the northern aisle of Cave XXIX,

Here Lakulisa Siva is seated in the padmasana on a double petalled lotus, the stalk of -which is held by two Niga figures.

Here is a uniciue depiction of Siva, as a teacher. He is holding a staff in his left hand. His right hand is in the vyakhyanamudra. He wears jatamukuta, a necklace and a yajno- • • pavita,

1, This sect was once very popular in Gujarat; p,145, 2, A few more are also to be seen in this cave, particu­ larly on the pradaksinapatha. But they are in minia­ ture and weather-worn. 3, Bhandarkar (D ,R .) describes a similar icon of Lakulis’a in the Annual Report of Archaeological Survey of India. 1906-7, pp.179-92; also JBBRAS,(1 9 0 6 ). p p . 151-167. 71

Then comes the Lakulisa icon in chronological

sequence from the southern wall of the Kailasa, This is above the Ramayana panels, particularly to the left.

He is two-armed, standing in samabhanga pose, with his phallus erect. In one of his hands he holds the laguda

( sta ff).

The other one from Kailasa is in its eastern

gallery, Lakulisa Siva is standing in samabhanga pose with four hands. In the right he holds laguda and in one of the left hands a bell.

Bhalrava

The icons of Bhairava found in the caves as well as in the structural temples in this region are in both the postures - standing and seatdd. The standing

Bhairava icons are more numerious than the seated ones which are available only from the Kailasa, Elura, and

from the temples of Aundha and Vattal, All the Bhairava

icons found so far in this region, except one, are four-

armed. They are from Caves XIV, XV and XXII at Elura

and from the temples at Vattal^ Bid, Yelamba, Nilanga

and Aundha. The only multi-armed icon comes from Naganatha

temple at Aundha. Three peculiar features of the icons

of Bhairava are noteworthy. Firstly, some of the varieties 37?

of this form of Siva found in the temples are not known

from the caves; secondly, they are more frequent in the

temples than in the caves, and thirdly, the Bhairava icons

with more than four arms are not found in the caves and

in the seated posture.

Of the four-handed standing Bhairava icons,

the one from the Rame^vara cave, Elura comes f i r s t in

the chronological order. The Bhairava here is very fierce,

standing with dagger in h is hand. His body is emaciated*

Near him is an emaciated figure of a seated Kali, the

delineation of which though grotesque is wonderful. Gopi-

nath Rao1 identifies this as the Atiriktanga aspect of

Bhairava.

Similar is the figure, with little or no diff- 2 erence from Cave XIV at Elura, belonging to almost the

same period.

The other figures of this variety, all of them of the medieval period are available from the structural

temples at Bid, Yelamba, Nilanga and Aundha.

The one in the main niche on the exterior wall

1. EHI, I I , I , P l.X L III; Deshpande, <2P_,cit. , p.44. 2 . Gupte, np-cit. . p.182; Deshpande, gj.cit. , p.23. 37S

of the Kankalesvar

A dog is shown to his left side.

The Bhairava image carved out on the lower part of the shaft of the mandapa in the temple at

Yelamba is shown standing with dishevelled hair, and holding a khadga and a trisTJla in the right hariSs. He holds a severed head in the lower left hand. The object in the upper left hand is unidentifiable. He wears a garland of skulls. A dog is shown to his left, licking the blood.

The image from Nilanga is shown standing with a bowl and a severed head. Kill is shown in the right corner with dagger in her hand.

The icon of Bhairava from Aundha is more artis- / tic. Here four-armed standing Siva as Bhairava with beard and moustache and dishevelled hair, holdf a drum and a Khadga in the right hands and a rectangular shield and a severed head in the left hands. Patrakundalas, Yajnopavita of • • snake, naga wristlets, garland of skulls and anklets of snake adorn his naked body. He is standing in tribhanga pose. A dog to the left is trying to lick blood drops,

Kala is shown seated in the corner in Ardhaparyankasana 37/<

to Bhairava's right, placing another severed head on his

left knee.

A multi-armed icon of standing Bhairava of

medieval period is seen on the exterior wall of the

Naganatha temple at Aundha. Bhairava here is twelve

armed, standing on Daksha-Prajapati, Though his

person is decorated with ornaments, he is nude. 'He

holds ankusa, pasa, bana, vajra in the right hands and

a drum dagger and a severed head in the left hands. Rest

of the hands of both the sides are broken. A garland of

skulls reaches the calves of his legs.

The illustrations of seated Bhairava of early medieval period come from the caves at Elura. A very-

fierce, two armed figure of an emaciated Bhairava, along

with Kali is shown in the right hand comer in- the Yajna-

sala, Kailasa. He wears necklace, mekhala of snakes.

His eyes bulge out.^ Beneath him are two corpses. Similar

is the figure from Cave XXII at the same place belonging 2 to almost the same period.

1. Deshpande, o p . cit. . p.39.

2. Ibid. , p.44. 375

The Bhalrava from the Somesvara temple at

Vattal is shown along with Parvati, It constitutes the

seated icon of Bhairava of the medieval period. Here

he is shown with a driom and a trisula in the back hands

and a rosary and a severed head in the front hands. A

dog is shown to the left of Bhairava licking the blood drops.

The Naganatha temple at Aundha is another

place where we find two icons of seated Bhairava. Both

of them are four-armed. One is shown holding a drum,

a dagger, a shield and a human body by the leg, with a

corps underneath his pendent leg; while the other is with mace and the brahmakapala on his toiee.

GAUESA

Icons of Ganes^a are found in a considerable number both in the caves and in the structural temples.

They can thus be assigned to the period from 7th cent. A.D, to 13th cent,A.D. They can be broadly divided into

two classes: i) Independent icons and

ii) Icons in a group or panel.

The independent icons fall into two classess

a) Seated and

b) Standing. 37(^

The standing icons may again be divided into

(i) sthanaka or ordinary and (ii) in dancing pose^i.e. nrtya.

It should, however, be noted that the indepen­ dent icons of standing or dancing Ganesa are to be found only in the structural temples of medieval period, while

Ganej^a in a group is depicted in the caves in various panels like Saptamatrka or Andhakavadha Siva, or diva's marriage.

The icons of Ganesa in the caves being of earlier origin, the earliest example for the period under study comes from the antarala of the Desavatara cave at Elura. ^

This icon of Ganesa is four-armed, holding parasu, aAkusa, modaka in three of his hands. His lower right hand is in abhayamudra. He is seated in lalitasana and is considered to be the largest in this region.

1, Naik, A. V. , Archaeology of the Deccan, p .726, According to Naik this is the earliest in the Deccan also.

2. Gupte,R. S. , p. 186. Gupte takes it as such in the caves of Eliara. However the survey of the icons of this region enables one to consider it as the largest in the entire region. 377

Of the three Icons of Ganesa of the seated^ variety in the Kailasa the one facing the east in the - 2 pradaksinapatha roiind the main shrine can be ascribed to the 8th cent, A. D, He faces east and holds a parasu, and trisula in the upper hands. The lower right is in the abhaya and the object in the lower left is indistinc.t. O He is adorned with two necklaces and a nagodarabandha.

Those from the caves XVII, XXII, XXIV a r ^ o f the same type with very little difference in the ayudhas in the hands.

Other two seated Ganesa icons of 9th and 10th cent, are to be found in the Kailasa and its adjunct known as Lankesvara, The one in the portico of the Kailasa is shown seated in the ardhaparyankasana. ^ He is four-armed and holds a parasu, and a t r i v i a in the upper hands. The lower right hand is in abhaya and the fourth one is carrying

1. Burgess, GECT. pp.46-49,

2. Gupte, oD.cit. . p,207. He only refers to this icon without giving the details. k , 3. This can be taken as Vignesvara-, EHI. I , I , p . 60. A* 4. Deshpande, op. cit. . pp.41 and 45.

5. Deshpande, o p . cit. . p,31; Gupte, oP. cit. < p. 189. 3 78

modakas. He is flanked by two camaradharinis. The Ganesa • • icon found in the Lankesvara, is in ardhaparyankasana and

holds a parasu and tri&ula in the upper hands and modakas

in the lower left hand. The object in the fourth hand is

indistinct. It is interesting to note that nowhere:.

in the caves at Elura except this, Ganeda is shown with

his mount, mouse, ^

The icons of seated Ganesa are also to be met

within many of the medieval structural temples belonging

to this region. As the difference between these and those

described above is only'in the ayudhas, they demand t no

description.

However, in almost all the structural temples

Ganes^'a is shown seated in ardhaparyankasana on the lintel

of the shrine door. His prominence is shown by placing ' O his icon in the centre and Siva and Brahma at the flanks.

Ganesa with twenty hands holding pas''a, ankus'a,

naga, bana, ghanta, bow and sword also exists on a slab • • • r placed in a temple at Mailar in Bidar district, formerly

a part of Marathwada.

1 . Deshpande, op. cit. . p .39; Gupte, o p . cit. , p,191, j • 2. Nrsimha temple at Gharthana. See Chapter III, o o 7 9

The icons of standing Ganesa^ are available only from the structural temples like Kumargudi, Sakalesvara,

Nilanga, Bori, and Aundha. They of course are of medieval period.

In the Sakalesvara temple of A. D. 1240 and the

Kumargudi temple, almost of the same period, Ganesa is shown standing. He holds parasu and pasa in his two hands. He is shown on one of the sakhas of the door jamb at both the places.

The Solitary example of standing Ganes^a with his

consort at his right and shown fighting with an elephant by holding his trunk with two hands is shown on the square member of the shaft of the pillar in the mandapa of the

Mahadeva temple at Bori (Parbhani District).

On the exterior wall of the Naganatha temple at

Aundha he is shown standing with two lower hands round the waist of two ladies one on either side, probably Siddhi and

Buddhi. His trunk turned to the left is placed on the breast of Buddhi and the lady to his right (Siddhi) has placed her right hand on his udarabandha (P l.X ,2 ). This is a rare example of Ucchista Ganesa in this region.

1. Ga^iesa is shovm standing in the panels from the caves at’ Elura etc, like Nrtya panel in Cave XIV but here he is treated as a subordinate deity. 2. Rao, EHI, I ,I ,p ,5 3 . However he |ives examples of seated Ganei^a, that too with only one Sakti. standing Ganesa icon with ten hands^ and belong­ ing to the medieval period is available at the other place.

Out of the ten hands one is in abhayamudri, another is in the varadamudra whereas the other two are holding parasu and ankusa. The ayudhas in the rest of the hands are not visible as they are bedaiabed with thick vermil.ion crust.

The icons of dancing Ganesa are to be seen on the exterior wall of the Kankalesvara temple, Bid, and of

Paramesvara temple, Vattal. Both of them are four-armed^ and standing. Ganes^a in a dancing pose is also to be found in the Amalesvara temple, Ambajogai, but here he is in the panel of Andhakavadhamurti Siva. Karifeikeya is beside him in the same panel.

A rare representation of Ganesa is found on the corner of ceiling of the mandapa of the Kesavapuri temple.

Here eight-handed dancing Ganesa is seen with parasu, pisa • Khadga in three right hands and fruits in the left hand, and a Javelin held in the upper left and lower right hands is pierced in the stomach of a Raksasa who is to his right.

1. This can be taken as Mahaganapati described by Rao, who is to be shown with ten hands. EHI .IJ .p. 55. 2. According to the description given in the texts, says Rao, Nytta Ganesa should be ten-armed, but ir the sculptures he* is shown with four arms. EHI , I ‘‘^I,p,59, o o 81

Gane^a is carved into the various panels con­ taining among other motifs, the scenes from Siva's life.

This inclusion of Ganesa into the groups common in the cave temples as well as in the structural ones. Thus these icons can be assigned to the period from the 8th cent, A. D. to the 13th cent. A. D.

The earliest of this type is the image of standing

Ganesa in the corner of the panel depicting the marriage of

Siva and Pirvati in the Dasavatara cave at Elura,^ He is two-handed, but because of the thick coat of plaster the objects in the hands are not visible.

_ / .2 In the Ramesvara cave at Elura - Ganesa is seen attending the marriage of 'Siva and Parvati. He is probably- treated as the head of the ganas.

The icons of Ganesa as a spectator in the panels of Siva dancing^ or playing chaucer'^ with Parvati or killing

Andhaka demon®, are to be seen in the RSmesvara and the

1. Identified for the first time.

2. Gupte, op. c i t ., p.212,

3. He is shown in these panels in the Caves XIV and XXIj see Deshpand,e, oo. cit. . p .23, One such from the panel containing Siva's dance comes from the caves at Badami; see Smithy V ,, oo. cit. . (Ill edn.) p i.73, fig. a. 4. Gupte, OP.cit. . p. 183. 5. It is in Cave XIV at Elura, See, C ^, II^p.433, 3 8 9

Ravan-ki-khai caves at Elura, At all these places Gane^a

is standing. The objects in his hands cannot be seen.

A solitary example of Ganesa with Siva and

Parvati on the Kailasa when it was being shaken by Havana

is in the Kailasa cave at Elura. It is carved at the left

of the northern staircase leading to the main shrine.

Four-armed icons of seated Ganesa are to be

seen to the extreme left of the Saptamatrka panels in

the Caves XIV, XVI, XXI and XXII at Elura, He is shown

holding any four of the attributes from parasu, pasa,

fruits, naga, ankusa, trisula etc. The noteworthy fea­

ture of the icons of Ganesa in the Saptamatrka panel from • • Cave XIV, Elura is the madakapatra, shown beneath his seat.

In the recently cleared cave at Aurangabad a

seated image of Ganesa was found. Here unlike ■ in the

other Saptamatrka panels, prominence is given to Ganesa,^

Six out of seven standing matrkas are carved on the left

wall of the cave. On the back wall facing the door he is

* in ardhaparyankasana. He is four-armed holding modakas in

1, The cave thus is known as Ganesa Cave; see Gupte,3.S. , Marathwada University Journai. 1961, pi.4, the lower left hand; others are broken. To his left is seventh matrki and then Padmapani and the icon of the

Buddha.

The dancing Gane^a along with the Saptamatrkas in the Lakola cave at Kharusa^ (Osmanabad district) is a unique icon in this region belonging to the 8th cent.

A.D. Another Ganesa of this type, belonging to the 12th cent. A. D. comes from the Mahadeva templejf at Mukhed,

Many icons of Ganesa in the Saptamatrka panels are available from the structural temples of Karadkhed,

Khanapur, Bichkonda and Mukhed,

From the foregoing survey of the icons of Ganesa we can offer some general remarks on the variety of icons found in the Marathwada region. These icons belong to the period between 7th cent. A. D. to the 13th cent, A. D.

( 1 ) Ganei^a is shovm solitary, seated, standing and dancing, on lintels, square members of the shaft of the pillars, on the corners of the roof of the mandapa, and on the sakha of the door jamb, etc.

(2) He is flanked either by other gods or by the consorts. 38^<

(3) His place in Matrix group has been deter- mined from the early medieval period.

(4) His image is therianthropic throughout the period.

(5) Single representations in standing pose are not found in the caves.

(6) In the medieval period, however, we find him assuming growing importance. The vast number of his single icons belong to this period.

(7) He is occasionally shown with two or more than four hands, but is generally shown four-handed with any of the following attributes; aksamala, pasa, danda, utpala, modakapatra, bhagna danta, ankusa and parsu. His lower hands are sometimes found in the abhaya and varada- mudras.

KARTTIKEYA

Kirttikeya, also known as Skanda, is the son of ^iva. Comparatively he was less popular in this region as is evidenced by the lesser number of his icons found in the caves as well as in the structural temples?" His icons

1. It is almost exclusively a south Indian deity. EHI. II, pt.II, p.415. 385

are available more in the caves than in the structural temples; thus one can assume his popularity in the early medieval period.

He is represented either single or in the parivara of Siva.

The earliest among his single icons is in

Dasavcttara cave at Elura. On the right wall of the antarala is his standing figure. He has four hands^ bearing trisula, lotus, kukkuta and fruit. The peacock, his vahana, is near him. Identical is the icon of Kartti- g keya in the antarala of Gave XXII.

The figure in the Ramesvara cave, Elura, canes next in chronological order. Here Karttikeya is represented on the west wall of the chamber to the left of the mandapa of the cave. He holds a kukkuta and fruit in his left hands.

(P1.X,3), One of his right hands is broken which probably

1 . It is thus a bhoga (Utsava) bera and rajasa in nature. Ibid. , p.425.

2. Gupte, OP.cit. , p.215. o o 8S

held sakti and another is katyavalaraMta, He wears a crown, earrings, a neGklace, vaikaksaka, armlets, and girdle. He ' is attended upon by two human figures with animal heads. t

The one to his right is a goat-headed figure and the other 1 — ' to the left is sheep-headed.-^ These may be of Chagavaktra O and Naigamesa. The vihana, the peacock, is to the left of Karttikeya. Flying Vidyadharas are seen above.

His icon again is seen on the screen wall of

the Kailasa at Elura. This is the only icon in this region

where Karttikeya is shown mounted on his vehicle, the paa- 3 cock. Though he has many hands, a few of them are weathered 4 and the objects in the others are indistinct.

The Solitary icon of Karttikeya from the struc- 1 tural temple of medieval period is available on the exterior,

wall of the Naganatha temple at Aundha. He is shown sanmukhi

(six headed) and has twelve hands only one of which, the

right, holding a tri^ula, is intact. Four of his left hands

1. Deshpande, M .N ., "Verulahi Leni" Marathwada 'Deepavali number, 1958; Gupte, R . S . , has wrongly identified the other head as of Donkey, infact it is of a sheep; A.ianta and Ell or a. p .212. Fergusson describes it but could not identify it. GTI.II p.439. Rao does not identify his attendentsi~EHl. II, II, pl.CXXIV.

2. Rao identifies it as Daksa Prajapati; Ibid. , p.446. 3. According to Rao it is dhyana-bera as it is on the • vahana, and Taraasa in nature, because it has more than four hands; EHI,II,II, pp.424-25. 4. Another icon of Karttikeya, is available from the Kharusa caves, but it is similarly weather worn. ASWI. III,p . 16. 38?

hold a skull cup, triiula, ghant^, bow; other two hands are broken.

Karttikeya, along vdth Siva's pari vara, is to be seen in the caves and in the structural temples and thus can be ascribed to the period from 8th cent, A.D, to the 12th cent. A. D.

Of the earliest among them, one is found on the wall at the turn of the staircase in the Dasavatara cave at Elura, and the other on the wall near the northern staircase to the main shrine of the Kailasa. In both the cases, Karttikeya is shown as either the subordinate deity or a member of the ^iva family, and that too in miniature.

In one of the shryies of the Nilakanthesvara temple at Nilanga, is a slab containing Umamahesvara. Below them is seen Karttikeya with his mount, the peacock.

This survey of the icons of Karttikeya from our region and belonging to our period of study brings out the following features:

1, The icons of Karttikeya, both independent and in the group (panel), are more numerous in the caves belonging to the early medieval period than those in the structural temples of medieval period. 388

2. Only one icon of Karttikeya and a solitary panel containing Karttikeya in the parivara of Siva has been found in the structural tanples,

3. Icons of seated Karttikeya are very rare.

4. Sanmukha• • and twelve-handed icons are avail- able only from the medieval period and not from caves in this region.

§AIVA GODDESSES

/ The icons of the goddesses of the Siva pantheon are to be found both in the caves and in the structural temples. The notable feature of these is that they are rarely depicted singly. Many a time they are either accompanied by their spouse or are in a group. Moreover f they are relatively less than the icons of the S'aiva gods,

Parvati

The icons of Parvati as the consort of ^iva have already been included in the discussion on the iconography of ^iva. Only the independent icons of Parvati are, therefore, discussed below. 3 8 0

Of the four Icons of Parvati, three are found

at the caves at Elura and one at Mukhed. They are, there­

fore, assignable to the period from the 7th cent, A.D. to the 12th cent, A.D, All these depict Parvati performing penance known as pancagnisadhana.

The earliest of these is foiind on the back vail of the left side chamber of Cave XXII.^ She is shown performing penance. In her right hand she holds an aksa- • mala, and in the other is probably a kamandalu. On her

four sides are the four agnis. The sun, the fifth agni, is supposed to be at the top. This is her pancagnisadhana.

In,this form, Parvati, known as Tapascaryarata, is shown 2 with two hands as is shown in Cave XXIV also. Elsewhere, Q in the Lankesvara, the adjunct of the Kailasa, she is

shown four-armed, holding ^ivalinga and Ganes'a^ in the upper hands and aksamala in the lower right hand. The

lower left is broken. She is standing on godha (lizard).

Identical is the icon of Parvati in this form in the

dilapidated cave at Ambajogai (Bid District). This repre­

sentation is identical with that of Gauri given in the 5 Rupamandana,

1, ASWI. V, pi,XXV, fig,5. 2, Ibid.. pi,XXV, fig,4, 3, Ibid. f pl,XXX,2; jP.360,pi,CVIII,fig,l, 4, In the Kaliki. Mata temple, Dabhoi,one such icon is available, See, p,l46, 5, cf, Rao, OP.cit. , IyII,p.l20. 39'^

The solitary illustration of this form of

Parvati in the structural temple of medieval period is

seen at Mukhed (Nanded District). She stands on lizard

and holds linga and kamala in the back hands. Other two

are broken.

The illustration of seated Parvati available

on the exterior of the Naganatha temple at Aundha is a rare one. It can safely be ascribed to 11th cent.A.D, No independent icon of seated Parvati is available in

the caves of this region belonging to the early medieval

period. PsLTvati has four hands. She holds triisula in

the upper right hand and pasa in upper left. The lower

hands are holding a fruit and an indistinct object.

A unique icon of Parvati is seen in the Kumara-

gudi temple (Nanded District). She holds a drum and a

trident in the upper hands and dagger and a fruit in the

lower hands. She is seated in the virasana.

Durga

Only five depictions of Durga have so far been

found in this region. Two of them are from the caves at

Elura; one from a cave at Ambajogai, and the remaining two 391

from the Naganitha temple at Aundha. Those from the caves

are of 8th cent. A.D. and those from the temple are of 11th cent,A,D.

The earliest representation of Durga belonging

to the early medieval period is found in the Ravan-ki-Khai^

cave at Elura. The first panel in the left wall of this

cave is of Durga. She is standing and four-armed, in one of which she holds a triiula. She wears a rich headdress,

a necklace, earrings, armlets, a girdle and a thin apparel, has a halo round her head and looks majestic. Two Vidya- dharas are seen above, with garlands.

Identical is the contemporaneous icon of Durga in a cave at Ambajogai,

The third icon of Durga from the caves is met with in the Yajnasala of the Kailasa^ at Eiura. This is

the earliest icon of the seated Durga and also the only

seated Durga icon from the caves. She is four-handed. Of

the objects in her four hands, only trisula is intact. She

wears a crowi, earrings, necklaces, armlets, katibandha etc.

a. Deshpande, op.cit , . p .22; Gupte, oP»clt, , p,181^ pl.LXXIV,fig.l, 2. Deshpande, op.cit, . p,39;’ Gupte, op.clt. « p,202, pl.XCVIII, fig.l. 393

She is seated in savyalalitasana. Her mount, the lion, is infront of her seat. This icon probably belongs to the 9th cent. A. D.

Two illustrations of Durga are met with at Aundha, and are assignable to the 11th cent.A.D.

One of these icons of Durga found on the exterior wall of the Naganatha temple at Aundha is shown in the Savya­ lalitasana. She is four-armed, bearing s^'akti and a shfleld in the upper hands and a fruit and kapala in the lower ones. To her left is the lion, her mount.

The other illustration from the same place is rathelj unique. Here Durga is shown seated with §iva. Both the vahani i.e. the bull and the lion are depicted.

This survey of the icons of Durga shows that the images of Durga are to be found only in the northern part of Marathwada. The standing icons of Durga are assignable to the early medieval period while the seated icons are available from th;d 9th cent. A. D. to the llth cent. A. D. and that too in the caves as well as in the structural temples.

Moreover no standing Durga is to be met with in the struc­ tural temples of this region. Durga is always shown, whether standing or seated, with four hands, particularly when she is alone, and shown invariably along with her vihana, lion. 39.*?

iM J.

She is represented along with either Kala in

the Saptamatrka panel or in the panel depicting Andhakavadha

Siva. Single icons of Kali are not available in this region.

Moreover, her icons in the structural temples have not been

found so far. In the Saptamatrka panels in these temples

both Kala and Kali are conspicuous by their absence. Since

the icons of Kali are met with only in the caves of this region they are assignable to the period between the 7th cent. A. D. and the 9th cent. A. D.

The eatliest illustration of Kali comes from the

Da^avatara cave at Elura. She is shown seated infront of

Andhakavadha ^iva in the first panel on the northern wall

of the cave. The descriptions of this image and that of

another found in the Kailasa in the Andhakavadha panel have

already been given elsewhere.

Mahakali

Only two icons of Mahakali belonging to the period

of our study have been found in Marathwada. This form is not

available in the caves of this region. These two illustra­

tions of Mahakali come from the structural temples of Naga-

natha and Pingali belonging to 12-l3th cent. A. D. 39/-

Mahakall stands in the tribhanga posture on a corpse or on a prostrated body and has sixteen hands. The right hands, which are intact hold drum, trident and khat- vanga; others are broken. In the left hand she holds a kapala. Other hands are broken. She rests her left hand and one right on the skeletal attendents flaking her. Her body is emaciated and breasts are shrivelled. A scorpion is shovm between the breasts. The Nagabandha is shown round the thighs. She is also having Naga-anklets and necklaces.

Mahisasuramardini or Katvavani

/ Of all the forms of Salva goddesses, the icons of Mahisasuramardini are found more in numbers in this region. They are frequently met with in the caves as also in the structural temples of this region. These can be assigned to the period between the 7th cent.A.D. and the 13th cent.A. D.

The earliest representation is seen in Cave XIV^ at Elura. Here, in the first panel on the wall to the right, she is shown placing her right foot on the Mahisa. She has four hands in which she holds trisula, sword, and the head

1. CTI, II, p.433; Deshpande, o p . cit. . p.22. 3 9a

of Mahisa. The fourth one is broken. Her face and breasts are defaced but the figure still betrays energy. The head­ dress of Mahisasuramardini is very ornamental. The Mahisa • • is being attacked by a lion.

Next in the chronological order comes the illus­ tration in Cave XXI (Ramesvara)It is on the right wall of the left chamber. Mahi slisuramardinl stands in ^Idhasana • • placing her right foot on a bullalo. She has four hands, bearing sword, trivia, shield and the head of a buffalo.

She wears the usual ornaments. Two attendants are on either side, the one on the right holds a sword and a shield and the one on the left a mace, with both the hands. Flying

Vidyadharas are seen above.

Then come the figures in the Kailasa at Elura.

Here we find four illustrations belonging to different periods ranging from the 8th cent,A.D. to the 10th cent.A.D.

The goddess depicted elsewhere is shown with four arms, while the icons in the Kailasa are with many more arms.

The first among them is to be seen on the outer wall of the Sabh^andapa^ facing the Lankesvara. She stands

1 . II, p.440. I 2.^ Deshpande (op. cit. , p.35) however does not describe it. o 6

here keeping her left leg on the shoulder of the seated

Mahisa. She has eight hands bearing shield, dagger, tri^ula, horn of the Mahisa etc. She is shown vigorously attacking • « the demon. Her right leg which is placed firmly on the ground and her face proclaim her determination of killing the demon.

The panel showing the Mahisasuramardini in the portico of the Kailasa^ comes next in the chronological order.

It has the Makara-torana at the top. The goddess is eight­ armed. The spear in her two hands has pierced the heart of the demon. The other hands bear shield, bana, dagger, p a r a ^ etc. The buffalo demon combating with her has a human body.

The attendants of Mahisa namely Stimbha and Nishumbha are also to be seen here for the first time.

p Another panel resembling the one at Mahabalipuram , on the back of the northern screen wall depicts the same motif with some difference in the presentation. Here the goddess is seated on a lion. She has ten arms holding trisula, bow, arrow in her right hands. Other right hands are broken. In the left hands she holds a bow and a shield and an object which is un­ identifiable. Others are broken. Above, in the corners,

Astadikpalas are shown. The buffalo-demon in this panel has a human body with two horns on his head. The demon is holding

1. Deshpande, op.cit. , p.31. Gupte, o p . cit. . p,189. 2. Ibid. .p .32: E H I ,I ,I I , p.3 4 6 ,pi.CIV. G. Siyaramamurti, Hoval Conquests and 6jltural Migration in South India and Deccan, p .3 , pi. 1 ^figs. a and b. 397

a mace and is poised for an attack on the goddess. His left leg is lifted high up. *

* * T An illustration in the Lankesvara belonging to the 10th cent,A. D, shows Mahisasuramardini with four hands.

She holds damaru in the upper left hand and the head of the demon in the lower left hand. In the two riglit hands she is holding a trisula and a dagger. She stands with her right leg on the ground and the heel of her left leg presses the demon. She wears a crown, necklaces, katibhandha, bangles, armlets, etc. Below her is the buffalo-demon. The animal is shown upto its neck. From the neck springs the demon in human form.

/■ The Siva temples at Aundha and PingaliV both in the Parbhani District, and at Mukhed (Nanded District) furnish us with the icon of Mahisasuramardini. At Aundha, she has six hands. The two upper hands bear trisula. One is holding the head of the demon while another is broken. Two others are holding sword and shield. The demon's head is shown lying on the ground.

The image from Mukhed is similar to the one des­ cribed above. The difference lies in the number of hands and the weapons held by the goddess.

The third illustration comes from Pingali. Instead

1. Deshpande, o p . cit. . p .40: Gupte, o p . clt. . p.193, PI.CIV fig.2; II» p.459. 98

of being either in the temple or on the exterior wall of it

she is in one of the little shrines built on the barav which is infront of the Pingale^vara temple. The difference in the presentation can be taken as its peculiarity. She has eight

arms holding a sword in the upper right hand and a shield in the upper left hand, while the others are broken. She stands with her left leg on the ground and the heel of her right leg presses the buffalo. The demon here is shown lying on her laps after emerging out of the animal form. This constitu­

tes the unique feature of this illustration. The buffalo is being attacked by the lion, the vahana of the goddess. As

far as the poses of the goddess and the animals are concerned

it resembles the one at Lankesvara at Elura.

This survey of the icons of Mahisasuramardini shows

that the earlier icons belonging to the period upto the lOth

cent. A, D ., are multi-armed and possess force and grace in grea­

ter measure. Throughout the period of our survey these were

shown standing, with exception of the one on the back of the northern screen wall of the Kailasa v^ere she is shown seated

on her mount, the lion. Moreover, the icons found in the caves

from this area are elaborately carved and are accompanied by

the attendents of Devi and those of the Asura, while those

which are found in the structural temples and on loose slabs

are less elaborate. The ayudhas found in the hands of Devi of medieval period are trisula, shield and sword. 39^

Bhalravi

The solitary illustration of Bhairavl appears in the Daiavatara Cave at Elura, She is standing and has ten arms bearing tri^ula, damaru, khadga, and a severed head. Other objects have become indistinct because of weathering. A dog is shoTrfn to her left, licking the blood drops from the deca­ pitated head. This, the only icon of Bhairavl, belongs appro­ ximately to the 9th cent,A.D.

Ganesi # A rare illustration of Ganesi is found on the exte- rior wall of the Naganatha temple at Aundha. She has four hands bearing trisula and a dagger in the right hands and kapala in the third hand. The fourth hand is in abhayaraudri. Her trunk is turned to the left. Her breasts are shrivelled. She is

standing on a corpse. This depiction is probably the result of the influence of Tantrism.

The one found at Paithan is shown alone with Gane^a in the Saptamatrka panel. A ghat to Godavari river contains a

step bearing a Saptamatrka panel. To the extreme left of them is Ganesi shown seated near Ganesa. • • Kaumari

Nowhere in Marathwada is Kaumari shown alone so far as the period of our study is concerned. She is always represen­ ted in the Saptamatrka panels, wherein she ranks third. She is

shown with four hands one of i^ich holds a mirror. She has the peacock as her mount. 0

VAISKAVA icons • •

Various caves and the structural temples mentioned in the foregoing chapter illustrate Visnu • • in his various forms and incarnations. Along with his icons from these places, loose sculptures scattered all over the region of our study relating to Vaisnava pantheon • • also have been taken into consideration in the following pages. As compared to those of Saiva, the icons of Visnu • • f are less in number. Overwhelming Saiva icons and the lesser number of those of Visnu suggest more popularity of Saivism in this region. Thus, though Visnu was well laiown, we do not see all his manifestations in our region.

The icons of Visnu found in the caves as well as in the • • structural temples with which we are to deal in the following pages fall between the 6th cent.A.D. and the

I3th cent. A. D,

The icons of Visnu from our region can broadly be classified into three groups as shown below:

(i) Chaturvimsatl - murtayah (Visnu's icons in twenty-four forms) • • (11) Da^avataras or the ten incarnations of Visnu. • • (ill) Minor forms of Visnu. 401

Of the first group the representations of

Kei^ava, Midhava, Visnu, Trivikrama, Srldhara, Hrsl- • • • • kesa, Padmanabha, Aniruddha, Acynta, Upendra, and

Srikrsna are to be met vdth in this region, • • •

Kesava

The icons of Kesava are illustrated only in the structural temples belonging to 13th cent,A.D. they all are in the shrines, either in their original position or otherwise.

The image of.Kesava is in the subsidiary shrine of the Nilakanthe^vara temple at Kilanga, The Vaisnava door-keeper proves the identity of the shrine as of Visnu, Hence the image can be seen as in its original position,

A huge slab here, 5'.'2" x 3' contains the representation of Kes'ava v^ich is 4 ’ ,3 ” in height. This may be taken to be an excellent image for its precision. Visnu is four- • • handed, holding the iyudhas like which are associated with

Kesava, viz. , the conch and disc in the upper hands and the lotus and mace in the lower hands.^ A makaratorana is at

1 . According to Rupamandana, quoted by T.A. Rao in E H I,I,I,p .2 2 9 . 4 03

the back of the figure of Kesava with the Kirtimukha / overhead. To the right of Kesava is shown Garuda in alldhasana with hands in the anjali pose. Above Kesava's head is aureole formed by Visnu* s ten incarnations. • •

At Ardhapur, Kesava is deposited in a house.

This image is carved on a slab of back basalt. He is four-handed holding the ayudhas like the conch, disc, mace and rosary in the order in which the Kesava form of Visnu • • holds. His person is adorned with mukuta, makarakundala,

Vaijayantimali, angadas, Urassutras, mekhala etc. The ten incarnations in miniature are carved in such a way as to form aureole round his head. A beautiful makaratorana • is carved with kirtimukha at the joint, in the centre.

The image of Kesava from Ke^avapuri, however, is without any parallel at least in Marathwada for its precision.

Madhava

The solitary icon of Visnu as Madhava^ comes from 13th cent, structural tanple of Mahadeva at Pingali, 0 3

He, here holds disc and conch in the back hands and mace and lotus in the front right and left hand respectively,

Visnu • •

Interestingly enough, the icons of Visnu, as one of the twenty-four forms, are available in the struc­ tural temples only, and thus ascribable to the late medieval period. It means Visnxi was popular as one of the forms in the early part of o\ar period, and not as

Visnu independently.

On the lintel of the shrine of the tridala temple at Ambhai, facing south are the seated icons of ( 1 Brahma, Visnu and Siva, Visnu, seated in the ardha- paryankasana has four hands. He holds padma, lankha and gada.

3?rivikrama

Serially this form of Visnu stands seventh • • in the twenty four forms of Visnu. The icons of Trivikrama as one of the ten incarnations are numerous in the caves.

Representation of Trivikrama as one of the twenty-four forms is rare. So far only two representations are available. 40?

his consort, this icon might be of Aniruddha. His consort

Rati^ is also depicted along with him.

Acyuta

The Southern gallery of the Kailasa presents us with an image of Acyuta. He holds the padma and the cakra in the back hands and the gada and ^afikha in the front hands.

Upendra

3 The solitary icon of Upendra is illustrated on.the shaft of the pillar in the antechamber of Vades- vara temple, Ambhai (Aurangabad district). He holds the gada in the upper right hand and the chakra in the upper left. The lower right hand is in varadaroudra and the remaining hand holds the padma in it.

Of the minor forms of Visnu• • we have the Gajendra- moksa, Laksmi-Narayana, Sesasayin, and Hari-hara.

1. Quoted by T.A,G. Hao, op.cit, . I,I,p .233.

2. Ibid. . p.233,

3. Ibid. , p.230.

■ 4 OS

Description of the icons of Visnu pertaining • • to the third group must begin with the figures found in the Dasavatara cave at Elura. Like Brahma, he twice appears there as Varaha and as Visnu in the Lingodbha- vamilrti panel.

Ga.1 endramoksa or Varadara.1a

In the south wall of the Dasavatara cave at

Elura a panel contains such an image. Here Visnu^ is • « shown riding his v ^ a n a , the garuda. In the corner below, an elephant is shown with his foot in the mouth of a cro­ codile.

Almost similar panel depicting Ga^endramoksa, but in a smaller form, is depicted on the eastern side of * / an ardhamandapa facing the Lankesvara part of the Kailasa. 2 • •

L ak sm I ->N ar av ana • •

The earliest icon of this type is to be found in the Ravana-ki-khai cave at Elura. In this cave Visnu is

1. Burgess noticed this image as of Visnu and has noted only two of his ayudhas: padma and trisula. The latter, he says, is somewhat different from Siva's one. But he holds conch also. 4th hand is in Sucimudra. GECT, p .35. 2. Both these images are identified here for the first time. 409

raised to a more elevated position. One entire half of the cave has been devoted to Vaisnava sculptures.

In the fourth panel on the north wall is a large representation of his most advanced iconographic formula. Here he is seated in savyalalitasana and has four hands. He is adorned with a prabhamandala. He wears • • a kirita, and is ornamented with a necklace and yajfibpavita.

To his right are Laksml ^ and Bhu and to the left are

Kamini and Vyajani carrying a c^ara. Below the whole group are five Ayudhapurusas and Garuda in human form, each having a nimbus behind the head. According to Hao this is an illustration of the Madhyama Bhogasanamurti of Visnu.^ • •

Another illustration is in the panel next to that described above. Here Visnu is seated with one leg • • raised and the other folded in the ardhaparyankasana. He has four hands, one amongst them is in the vlsmayamudra. f _ He is with his consort Sri. Both of them are attended by four females, two of them as Chauri-bearers.

t - 1 . Gupte identifies her as Sri; p. 181. 2. Rao, T.A.G., EHI, I,I,p.110, pi.XIV,fig.1. 410

Visnu also has been represented in the various panels of Elura. However, they depict him in a subordinate position^ For instance, in the panel containing Nataraja

Siva in Cave XIV at Elura he is shown in the corner of it.

He is also seen on the ceiling of the antechamber of the

Kailasa, Here he is seated kneeling, with his hands in the anjalimudra, to the left of Annapurna. To her other side is Brahma. In the Ramesvara cave also he is shown standing along with Indra, in the panel containing the scne of ^iva*s marriage.

VAISNAVA GODDESSES

/ Unlike the Saiva goddesses very few representa­ tions of the Vaisnava• • goddesses are to be met with in our region. The iilustt*ations of G-ajalaksmi and Laksmi are frequently carved on the walls of the caves and structural temples.

The earliest representation of Sridevi or Gaja- laksmi is in the antechamber of the Dasavatara cave at

Elura, She is seated upon a padmasana and was probably holding in each of her two hands a lotus. On either side is an elephant pouring a pot of water on her head. 411

In the panels, from the Kallasa and the Lankes- vara part of it, depicting Sridevi, instead of the atten­ dants, two other elephants are shown passing over the pitchers to the main elephants above. In the panel frcan the Havana-ki-khai cave at Elura, she is shown seated in the savyalalitisana on the Visvapadma.

GajalaksmI is generally carved on the dedi­ catory block of the shrine doorway in the Chalukyan

structural temples. Fortunately Marathwada has a few of them.^

A Solitary illustration of Gajaiaksmi belonging to the 12th - 13th cent. A.D. is at Pingali in Parbhani district. She is installed in a miniature shrine on the / terrace of the stepped well infront of the temple of Siva.

Elephants are shown giving ablusion to her. Her person is adorned with karandamukuta, necklaces, earring, bangles, • • • anlSlets etc. kaXsinl

She is often depicted along with Visnu, parti­ cularly in the structural temples. Her independent icons.

1, See Chapter I I I . however are also available in this region.

In the VadesVara temple at Ambhai, Laksmi is shown in the niche of the antechamber. This antechamber is of the subsidiary shrine meant for the Saptamatrkas.

She is seated in the ardhaparyankasana, holding the mace and the disc in the back hands and the lotus in the front left hand. The fourth hand is in varadamudra.

On the jarigha of the Kankalesvara temple at

Bid, she is shown two-handed. In one of those hands she holds the chakra, another is broken. )

THE AVATARAS OF YISNU • •

The Deccan as a whole presents several icons depicting the incarnations of Visnu. These occur from the early medieval period to the I3th cent, A. D, So far as our region is concerned, they occur at the caves at

Elura, Kharusa, and Ambajogai and in the structural temples from all the districts of Marathwada. (At Aundha

Vattal, Nilanga, Umerga, Pingali, Mukhed, Ambajogai,

Dharmapuri, Bid etc.) 415!

Out of the ten avataras, those of Varaha and

Narasimha occur independently. But the ten avataras as a whole are shown in miniature at Nilanga, Parbhani,

Shelagaon, Keshavapuri and Ardhapur. Marathwada has no independent icons of Parasurama, Matsya, Kaccha,

Kalki and Buddha.

VARTIHA

The first avatara^ of Visnu of which indepen- • • 2 dent icons are available -in Marathwada is Varaha.

As usual the earliest representations of Varaha in this region are those in the Dasavatara cave at Elura. Icono- graphically, the Varaha in the Lingodbhavamurti panel has no distinct features. The one in the fifth panel in the south wall is an independent representation of 3 Varaha possessing all the iconographical attributes.

Here he stands in pratyalidhasana, the left foot is / placed on the head of the serpent Sesa. Near his other leg is naga in namaskara pose. He has six arms. The

1 . His origin can be seen in Satapatha Brahmana and Taittiriya Samhit^. See Khare, G.H.j^iurti Vijnan, p. 17. 2. For mythological story see Harivam^a. Adhyaya CCXXIV; and lA, VI, p. 356.

3. Those have not been noticed by Burgess and others. 41-1

right is in the katihasta pose, the second holds a conch, third a mace and t«ro others hold Prthvi, The ob;)ect in the sixth can not be identified.

In Cave XIV at the same place, we have Varaha again in the third panel to the north. He is , as usual, in therianthropic form.

Similar, but not so elaborate image of Varaha is found also in the cave at Ambajogai known as Jogaiche maher. ^

Another gigantic icon of Varaha is to be met 2 with in the cave at ICharusa. All the features remain the same. However, the presence of three males behind 3 his back may be taken as the Unique feature.

All the icons of Varaha which are found on the exteriors of the temples of Marathwada are therianthrooic. representations i/dth a boar's head and human body. Varaha

1. AS\*fI. I l l , pp.50-52.

2. OTli II? p.421; A3WI. Ill, p.15. 3. Burgess, ASWI. I l l , p. 15. 41!^

is to be found in the Naganatha temple at Aundha, and in the temples of NilakanthesVara, Kankalesvara and

Vade^vara. All are Sthanaka or standing icons remarkably agreeing among themselves so far as the alidhasana pose is concerned. Bhu is shown resting on the upper left arm which is folded and not on the lower as shown in the earlier specimens in the Kavan-ki-khai at Elura. This change is probably made to provide ample scope to show Varaha with all the ayudhas in his four hands. In these specimens of the late medieval period a tendency to eliminate secon­ dary details such as the gandharvas and the naga couples is comspicuous probably because of the limited area at the disposal of the artist.

All the Varaha icons found so far in this region can be assigned to the period from the 7th cent. A.D. to the 13th cent.A.D.

NARA3IMHA OR NaSIMHA

This is perhaps the most represented incarna­ tion of Visnu in this region. Evidently the icons of

Narasiinha are found throughout this region. Moreover the remarkable feature of this icon is that it is the only incarnation of Vifpu whose temples belonging to our period of study are recorded. 41

* Icons of Narasimha are fotind in the caves as well as in the structural temples and can thus be assigned to the period from the 7th cent.A.D. to the 13th cent,A. D. They can broadly be divided into two classes, (i) Seated, and (ii) Standing icons. Those in the caves are depicted in both these postures. Narasiraha icons without Htranya kai^ipu, are found, though rarely, in the structural temples.

Ofcourse the seated icons of Narasimha along with demon

Hiranya are more numerous than the standing ones. Follow- ing peculiarities of the Narasimha icons found in this region may be noted:

(i) Standing icons of Narasimha are to be

met with very rarely in the structural

temples,

(ii) Narasimha without Hiranya is not to be

seen in the caves,

(iii) Icons of the Kevala Narasimha are available '

from the structural temples only and that too

in both the postures seated and standing,

(iv) Narasimha is illustrated along with Hiranya

in the caves as well as in the structural

temples. 417

As the icons of first category are available only from Caves XV and XVI at Elura, they can be assigned to the 8th cent.A,D,, while the other types of Narasimha icons can be ascribed to the l2th - 13th cent, A.D. Icons of seated Narasimha along with Hiranya are available in the caves as well as in the structural temples and thus assignable to the period from the 8th cent.A.D. to the 13th cent.A.D,

Sthanaka murtis

The earliest representation of Narasimha in the sthanaka form comes from the seventh panel of the

Dasavatara cave^, Elura. It is on the south wall of the upper storey. He is standing in the alidhasana and has eight hands, four of them bearing the sankha, cakra, khadga and khetaka, the fifth is held in capeta-dana • • • mudra, the other two are engaged in holding the crown of the demon and in grasping the sword. The eighth is in the abhayamudra. The legs of Hiranya and Narasimha 418

1 P are interlocked. Both Gopinath Rao and Havell speak very highly of the technical strength and imaginative power manifest in the treatment of the subject. As this is in a standing pose it is classed as a Sthanaka murti.^

Similar, but not so elaborate and impressive images of Narasimha are found twice in the Kailasa;

(i) on the south wall of the second storey near the portico; and (ii) on the compartment facing Yaj£a-^ala below the Nandimandapa.• • Two other sthanakamurtis of Narasimha belonging to almost the same period are found

1. "The master touch of the works of the artist is seen in the wgiy in which the interlocking of the leg of Narasimha with that of Hiranyakashyapu is carried out",' Rao, EHI. 1 ,1 , pp. 167-159, pl.XLIV.

2, "The sculptor has chosen the moment when the terrific apparition of the man-lion rushes forth to seize Hiranya, taken unawares and with the mocking taunt still on his lips." Havell, E.B., Indian Sculpture and Painting. (1928), pp.53-54, pi.XXIII.

3. Rao cities this as an example of "Sthauna Narasimha"', EHI,I,I, pp. 157-159, and Pl.XLlV. 410

at Kharusa caves 1 and Jogaiche maher cave at Ambajogai.- 2

Among the seated images of Narasimha there are two varieties (i) xeated with Hiranyakasipu on the laps, technically known as the Vidaranamurtis, and

(ii) without Hiranyakasipu, i .e . Kevala Narsimhamurtis.

Vidarana Murtis

As the Vidaranamurtis are found both in the caves and in the structural temples, they are ascribed to the period from the 8th cent.A.D. to the 13th cent.A.D.

Two such images of Narasimha come from the Kailasa, Elura. One is found in the 4th panel from the 3 east in the south cloister and the other in the back r 4 aisle of the Lankesvara part of the Kailasa. Both of them have four hands one of vri:iich holds a conch. Their

1 . ra, II, p.421', ASWI. Ill, p. 16. 2. ASWI, I I I ,p .18.

3. Deshpande, op.cit. . p.38; CTI. I I , p.461; Gupte, OP.cit. , p.200.

4. Deshpande, o p . cit. . p.39; CTI. II, p.460; Gupte, op^ cit. , p .191. 420

other two hands disembowel Hiranyakasipu whose prostrate figure is on the lap. The artist has depicted these figures with utmost realism.

Another icon of this type is in one of the miniature shrines on the terrace of the stepped well which is infront of the Mahadeva temple at Pingali in Parbhani district. The Narasimha here is in the pratyalidhasana. ^ He holds Hiranya on his lap. Two • • of his hands are engaged in taking Hiranya's entrails out of his stomach. Others hold cakra and ^arikha.

Unlike all the Narasimha icons from the caves he is — p shown with lion's mane and without kirita on the head.

This is the only icon of this type of the medieval period from our region.

% Seated representations of this form are also found on the exteriors of the structural temples at Bori,

1 . This can also be classed as Yanaka Narasimha. For the description see Murtivi.lnan^ pp.43-44.

2. There is considerable similarity between this image and that of Manora in Madhya Pradesh. The only difference is in^the position of Hiranya- ka^ipu. See Murtivi.inan. pi. 10. 4 2hy J ! .

Ambajogal and Nilanga. All of them are assignable to the medieval period as the structural temples of early- period are not available in this region. Amongst these icons the one on the pillar in the Bori temple (Parbhani district) seems to be unique. Here ferocious Karasimha tears Hiranya's belly with the pointed ends of two swords, instead of his lion-claws, which are in both of his hands.^ All these aforesaid representations may be classed as Vidaranamurtis of Narasimha. They all show the god as seated in the Savyalalitasana. The therianthropic form is strictly maintained and the head and face are realistically sculptured. Artisti­ cally superb representations of Narasimha belonging approximately to the l2th cent. A. D. are to be seen at Hajapuri (Near Aundha) and at Paithan.

Another superb icon of seated Narasimha of the same period has very recently been found at

Shelagaon in Nanded district. The unique feature of this icon is the absence of Hiranyakasipu; it can

1 . None of the figures reproduced by Rao, Coomara- swamy and Kramrisch resembles this. See EHI.1^I . pl.XLII-VII; and History of Indian and Indonesian Art, (London, 1927), fig ,70-and Indian Sculpture. fig.35. 4 2 “>

thus be classed as Kavala-^ Narasimharaurti of Yoga

Naraslmhainurti. Here he is four-armed. Garuda is to

hi s.right in the Anjali pose. A makara-torana is at

the back of the figure of Narasiinha with the Kirtimukha

at the apex. The klrtiraukha is flanked by Da^ivataraf ^

five being at each side, in miniature,

TRIVIKRAMA

It seems that the Trivikrama incarnation of Visnu was popular till only the 8th cent, A. D. in Marath-

wada region, as the icons of this incarnation are avail­

able only in the caves. In no structxoral temple in

Marathwada the icon of Trivikrama is so far found,

A scene in the Dasavatara cave represents the O Vamana or Trivikrama incarnation of Visnu, Here he • • has eight hands. The weapons in the hands on the right

1, EHI, 1,1, p,l50; & Khare, G,H,, Murtivi.inSn. p.42, 2, » Khare, G,H. , Murtivi.inan, p,43, . 0.IC7O 3, Rao, T ,A ,G ,, EHI, 1 ,1 , p .174, P I,L I; Burgess, GECT. p,36; and Naik, A,V,, AD, p,709. 4 2 3

are cakra, padma, gada, and khadga and in the two middle left hands he holds sarikha and dhanus. The upper left hand is in the tarjani-mudra.^ The lower left hand holds a circular shield or khetaka. His left leg is stretched upto the level of the chest as if to encompass the hea- p vens, and below it on the ground is Vamana receiving libations from Bali who is holding in his hand a water vessel. Behind Bali stands his wife Vindhyavali. Nearby is Sukra, the preceptor of Bali, trying to disuade Bali from fulfilling his promise. Vamana facing Bali is seen holding an umbrella. On the right side, Garuda is shown 3 obstructing the demon Namuci from helping his lord Bali.

Burgess has noticed two more icons of Trivikrama, exactly - 4 like this, one is the Jogaiche maher cave and the other

1. According to the Puranic story this hand should point towards Rahu but in none of the examples he is represented.

2. According to the story Visnu's foot reached svarga (heaven) and was worshipped by Brahma. Cf. Rao, OP. cit. . I‘,I jPl.XLIX, p.166.

3. According to ,Naik it is eagle in the act of belabouring Sukra and according to Gupte it is Bali. Both the identifications are not accep­ table.

4. ASWI. Ill, p.82-ff. 42^

in the Kharusa cave,Both of them are now weathered away.

Other icons of Trivikrama come from the

Kailasa. One is to the right of the screen wall in a dilapidated condition and the other is in the south corridor of the Kailasa. In these representations

Trivikrama has eight and six^ hands respectively.

Curiously enough, as stated above no image of Trivi­ krama is found in the structural temples of Marathwada.

Whatever images of Vamana are foiand in the temples here are only small representations occurring in the Dasava- tara-pattas.

KRSNA • • •

Both, independent icons and representations in the mythological scenes, are available in this region.

Sometimes these are very elaborately carved depicting his miraculous feats. The icons of Krsna as Govardhana- • • • dharl, Kaliya-mardana, etc. are found in the caves at

1. ASWI. Ill, p .16. 2. Trivikrama with less than six hands is not available in this region. 42?:

Elura and Kharusa. These can be dated as of the 8th cent, A.D, , while the icons of Krsna as Muralldhara • • • found only in the structural temples in this region are to be assigned to the 13th cent,A.D.

Independent representations of Krsna are • • • very rare. One such is found on the front wall of

Cave XXVII at Elura. He is shown standing and has four arms. He is depicted flanking Ekanamsa^ along with Balarama. Another representation can be met with in the Kailasa. In the panels depicting the scenes from Mahabharata he is shown along with the 2 P-andavas. He holds cakra and padma in the upper hands and gada and Sarikha in the lower hands.

Go v.ar adhafi.^g l r id h .^ I

Of the four specimens of Govardhanagiri- dharl , the earliest comes from Dasavatara cave at

Elura. It is in the first panel on the south wall 3 of the first floor. Krsna, here, has six hands. A B A ' *

1. Deshpande, o p . cit. . P j.4 6 . However he takes the lady as either Rukmi;il or Subhadra.

2. Deshpande, o p . cit. , p.36.

3. Deshpande, o p . cit. , p.28;N aik.op. cit. , p .710. One of them, is in the katihasta pose, one holds a conch, others uphold' the mountain. He has placed his foot on

a dwarf. To the right of Krsna several cows are carved • • • in realistic poSes.

In the Seventh compartment of the south corridor of the Kailasa,' Krsna • • • has four hands and the mountain is represented by the lintel of the panel itself,^

Another such representation is inside the screen wall of the Kailasa.^

3 In the cave at Kharusa also the illustration of Govaradhanadhari, is to be met with. Here he is two­ armed, holding up the hill over the flocks and herds of

Vraja.

1. GTI, I I , p.461. As Burgess does not refer to the images in the corridors to the east and south of the Kailasa, Fergusson has, he says in the foot note, referred to these. But unfortunately almost all his identifications are wrong. Further he says he has added those from the description given by Sir Charles Malet; Asiatic Researches. Vol.VI, p.409. Evidently these also are not correct.

2. Neither Burgess nor Kaik has taken notice of it. Deshpande refers to this. Op . cit. , p.31.

3. Burgess, ASvE, H I , pp.85-92. Here Govardhana mountain is 13' in width. 427

Such icons are not to be met with in the structural temples of the medieval period. In the absence of

Govaradhanadhari Krsna• • • from the temples,* his icons which are described above belong to the 8th - 9th cent.A. D.

The solitary representation of Krsna as • • • Kaliyamardana is to be seen in the panel from the south cloister of the Kailasa at Elura. As such it belongs to the second half of the 8th cent.A.D. or the first half of the 9th cent.A. D. The panel contains a scene depicting the story of the defeat and humiliation of the serpent Kaliya at the hands of Krsna,^ • • •

We have no such sculptures from the struc­ tural temples in this region. Astonishingly enough we get numerous references of this lila of Krsna in the • • • literature of this period in and out of Marathwada.

Muralidhara Krsna • • •

It seems that with the growing popularity of 428

Bhakti cult in the late medieval period Venu Gopala or

Muralidhara-Krsna became popular. For we do not get any illustration of this form of Krsna in any of the caves • • • belonging to the early and medieval period.

Of the two illustrations of Muralldhara Krsna • • • one is to be met with on the exterior of the Naganatha temple at Aundha. Krsna here is shown standing, and

embracing the ladies, flanking him. He holds venu or murali (flute) in two of his upper hands.

Other representations of this type are seen on the square shaft of the free standing pillar in the mandaoas of Mahadeva temples at Bori and Pingali. At • • both the places Krsna holds murali by his hands. At • • • Bori he is flanked by camaradharinls and at Pingali

by the gopikas,

ail these three illustrations are from Par- bhani district and belong to 11th-l3th cent. A.D,

Rmk

Apart from those depicted in the panels

containing the scenes from Rlmayana, the earliest

representation of Sama in the Marathwada region is at

Elura. In the north cloister of the Kailasa a panel 4 2?

contains a scene representing Rama alongwith Laksmana^ / ^ Both of them are shown paying respect to Siva. Siva’ s hand in varadamudra indicates that he is obviously bless­ ing them. Another panel containing Rama and Laksmana is

to the east of the ardhamandapa of the sabhamandapa of

the Kailasa. Both the brothers are shown consoling the

grief-stricken wives of Vali and Sugriva after the death of the former. These are the two sculptures available from the caves in this region and as such belong to the last quarter of the 8th cent. A. D, or the first of the 9th cent. A. D.

Two other illustrations of Rama are available from the structural temples and thus ascribable to the 11th - 13th cent. A. D.

On the upper register of the jangha of the

exterior of Naganatha temple at Aundha, Rama is depicted.

Here he is seated in the savyalalitasana. Of his four hands two are broken, the upper right holds a bow and

the lower left arrows.

1. Deshpande, M.N. , op. cit. . p .38. However this is not noticed either by Burgess (GECT.p.40) or Naik. ( ^ , p . 7l6).Naik, moreover says he does not imow any example of the representation of Rama from the early medieval period. On the other hand we have two, and that too from the Kailasa only. 43^^

In the Amalesvara temple at Arabajogai, the figures of Rama^, Laksmana and Sita are depicted on the shaft of a pillar. Rama is shown standing in tribhanga pose, while others are in the saraabhanga. They are with long bows. They are flanked by monkeys and Hanumat.

THE OTHER INCAR^JATIONS

Of the remaining avataras - The Matsya, Kurma,

Para^urama, Buddha and Kalkin - no depiction is known from the early medieval period. However, group repre­ sentations of the Da^avataras found on a few late medieval temples contain the images of Matsya, Kurma, Varaha,

Krsimha, Vamana, Parasurama, Rama, Krsna as Muralidhara, • • • P ^ O Buddha and Kalkin. Of these Matsya and Karma are shown in their natural forms while Var'^a and Nrsimha are in

1. More precisely, being a standing image in the tribhanga posture it is of Raghava Rama; EHI, 1,1, p .389.

2. However, a solitary image of the Buddha seated in the padmasana and in dhyanamudra is illus­ trated on* the jangha of Mahadeva temple at Umerga. It is found on the exterior of the Laksmi Narayana temple at Pedgaon (Naik, AD, p .717).

3. Images of Matsya and Kurma, however, in the natural form come from Patne in East Khandeshj M_TD,P1.XXI. 431

therlanthropic forms. Moreover Varaha is at times shown with four arms and Nrsimha• as Kevala Nrsimha, • Vamana is generally shown with two hands holding parasol in one of them. Rama is represented with bow, Buddha in padmasana and Kalkin riding a horse. On the exterior wall of the Kankale^vara temple at Bid these ten incar­ nation are beautifully carved out giving a separate panel to each of them. This is the only temple in Marathwada giving prominence to the ten incarnations on the Jafigha of the mandovara. • •

This Dasivatara group is also found in the prabhimandala of the icons of Visnu which are in the temples at Nilanga, Parbhani, Ardhapur, Keshavapuri,

Shelagaon and Bichkonda.

Curiously enough in the temple of Rama at / — Parbhani, the slab containing Sesafeayi also depict these ten incarnations along with the Astadikpilas.

The icon of Nrsimha dug out very recently at

Shelagaon also has ten incarnations as prabhimandala.

All these icons belong to the temples built in the 12th-I3th cent. A. D, 432

Anantasayin

The earliest figures of this type are found in the Elura caves. These are three: (i) in the Dasa- vatara cave, (ii) in Cave XXVII and (iii) in the Kailasa,

The earliest of these is that from the Dafeavatara cave.

It is described as Visnu-Narayana by Burgess.^ He is • • • reclining on the Sesa, the great serpent, with a human head and five hoods forming a canopy on Visnu's head,

Visnu has four hands. He has placed his upper right below his head on a pillow and lower right on the naval, while the lower left is placed on the knee and the object in the fourth is indistinct, Brahma is seated on a lotus springing up from Visnu* s naval. One of his legs is being massaged by Laksmi, while the other is placed on the coils of Ananta (Sesa), Seven seated figures are sculptured below, evidently these represent the Saptarsis who usually are represented in the Uttama Yoga-^ayanamurtis of Visnu,^

One in the Cave XXVII is not well finished^, though it is with usual features, while another in the

1 , GECT. p .36,

2, EHI. 1 ,1 , p .91; and Murtivi.jrlin. p .79,

3, GECT. p,58; Deshpande, o p. cit. . p,46. 4 3S

Kailasa is bhoga or Virasayananiurti of Visnu^ as the personified panchayudhas are shovm. Curiously enough,

Laksml is absent here.

In other caves at Ambajogai, almost of the / O same age Anantasayin is represented.

The one in the 'Jogaiche-Maher' is almost completely weathered. From the position of the figure of Brahma, ayudhapurusas, the Sesa's hood and flying • • gandharvas we may take it to be the possible represen­ tation of Sesasayin.

The other specimen has nothing unusual about it.

Anantasayin image is not found on the exterior of the structural temples in this region. But the slabs containing this representation of Visnu are available as at the Rama temple at Parbhani. It shows ten incarnations carved on it along with the Astadikpalas. • •

Another sculpture of Sesasayin is now placed in the 'Kalabhavan' at Nanded. Yet another is found at the Kumargudi temple, Bichkonda (now in Andhra Pradesh).

1. EHI, I , I , p . 93; Murtivi.inan. pp.79-80.

2. ASWI. Ill, p.62. 43^

The best of such images to be foiand in this region is at Paithan. It is in black basalt and highly polished. Here he has placed his ayudhas on the tripods.

The figure displays a high artistic elegance.

The following observations can be made regar­ ding Visnu• • icons as found in Marathwada.

( 1) In the Da^avatara, the earliest dated Brahma- nical cave temple^ at Elura, appears the earliest iconic representation of Visnu. This cave also contains some of the earliest representations of some of his ten incar­ nations.

(2) Of his caturvim^ati icons (twenty four) the representations of Ke^ava, MMhava, Visnu, Trivikrama,

Sridhara, Hrslkesa, Padmanabha, Aniruddha, Acyuta, Upendra and Srlkrsna are available in this region. Out of these, • • • those of Kesava were very popular in the medieval period.

This is evidenced by (i) comparatively larger number of these (ii) and their being enshrined in some of the struc­

tural temples. Those of Visnu are less.

1, According to Naik this cave is excavated in about 550 A.D. This is not correct. The inscription in this cave is of Dantidurga of the RSshtraknta dynasty which shows that it is of about 750* A,D. See, ASWI, V, p.89; ICTWI. p .92. 4 3?

(3) In the earliest Saiva cave temples Visnu appears in a subordinate position e.g., Daiavatara cave, where he appears as Varaha in the Lingodbhavamurti-panel.

In the later caves such as Havana-ki-Khai, and the Kailasa, almost half of the cave is devoted to Vaisnava sculptures.

The entire cave temples of still later date, are found dedicated to Visnu, viz.. Cave XXV and XXVII at Elura,

All these show how Vaisnava iconography was getting importance in the later period. His images on the succeeding temples both excavated and structural - whether dedicated to him or to other deity only testify his rising popularity.

(4) Varaha, Nrsimha, Trivikrama-Vimiana, Krsna and

Rama^ are found in the cave temples of the early medieval period. Of these only Nrsimha and very rarely Krsna and

Rama occur in the structural temples belonging to our period.

Some of the significant facts regarding the avataras are noteworthy. They are:

(a) Varaha was invariably represented in sthanaka or standing pose and invariably in therianthropic form.

Though his theriomorphic forms are available in the late medieval temples those are not to be found in Marathwada.

(b) Nrsimha also is represented in therianthropic

1 . Burgess and Naik do not mention R'^a avatara depicted in the Kailasa cave at Elura. 4 3f!

form. In the earlier examples his lion face is quite realistic whereas in the later it assumes conventional character. Everywhere in early medieval cave temples he appears in the Sthanaka pose and dynamic. A seated image in the Kailasa is an exception to this. This example is followed in all the late medieval temples.

(5) Independent images of Vamana are found only in the Dasavatara patta forming mostly the prabhimandala • • • • of an image, in the late medieval temples. Here the

Trivikrama aspect of Vamana is completely absent. But in the cave temples he appears simultaneously as Vamana and Trivikrama in one and the same panel, as these panels depict the story of the Vamana avatara.

( 6) In the earliest cave temples Krsna image is never isolated from the other mythological associations.

He is not shown as Muralidhara Krsna. His Govardhanadhari • • • aspect is not to be met with in the structural temples,

(7) Independent images of Rama are very few in the temples of medieval period,

(8) Independent images of Parasurama, Buddha and

Kalkl are rarely found on the structural temples.

(9) All the representations of Matsya and Kurma are in the theriomorphic form. 4 3 7

(10) The Dasavatara pattas occur only upon the late • • structural temples. ( 11) In the Dasavatara patta, Krsna is represented as Muralidhara. Sometimes Balarama replaces him.

(12) Images of Krsimha are generally four-handed.

But instances of images with two, six and eight hands are • • t not wanting. Nrsimha in the Dasavatara cave is eight-handed while in the Kailasa he is four-handed. In the structural temples he is invariably four-armed.

(13) His Anantasayi aspect is depicted in the caves as well as in the temples of medieval period. Nowhere he is shown on the jangha part of the exterior of the temples.

In fact, the loose images beautifully carved, now available at various places suggest that they were once enshrined.

At present none is in the shrine of-a temple at least in this region. However, an exception to this is to be found at Rajura in Nanded district where there is a temple of Nrsimha.

Our survey of the various icons of Visnu,• • ' his avataras etc. show clearly that they are comparatively / less in number than those of Saiva pantheon. Very few temples, were dedicated either to Visnu or Nrsimha.^ This shows the predominence of Saivism in the region of our study.

1. For details see Chapter I I I . 43S

B R A H M A

The icons of Brahma are comparatively less in Marathwada than those of ^iva and Yisnu, These are • • found (so far) in the caves at Elura and the struc­ tural temples at Aundha etc. The independent icons of

Brahma found in this region are less than'the images of

Brahma in the groups. If all his icons from the caves and the structural temples are taken together, then they can be ascribed to the period from the Sth cent,A,D. to the 13th cent.A.D,

Brahma has been depicted in various roles in this region, thus his icons are of different varie­ ties. Nevertheless they can be divided broadly into two groups, namely, (i) Single icons (ii) Brahma in a group.

V/hen he is single he is either seated or standing. Brahma in a group is shown generally as a subordinate deity.

In this aspect he is shown playing the role of a chario- teer as in a panel containing Tripurintaka ^ivamurti, or of a priest as in the Kalyanasundaramurti panel. 43^

Sometimes he is shown alongwith either Visnu or Siva,

‘or Visnu and Annapurna, or with his consort.

As he as^med importance only from the 8th

cent.A,D. onwards in this region, the earliest repre­

sentations, are to be found in a group where he is depicted as the subordinate deity. As such his first

appearance is to be seen in the Dasavatara cave at Elura,

In the Lifigodbhavamurti panel he is represented twice. ^

Brahma with four faces is seen flying in the air into

the corner to the right of Lingodbhava and below this

figure of Brahma is another four-armed figure of Brahma

standing in a reverential attitude with two hands clasped in the an jail pose and with kamandalu in the upper left hand.

Next in the chronological order come the icons of Brahma again in the Lingodbhavamurti panel from the

1. ASWI. V, p .25, PI.X XI, fig .3; GECT. p.437; E H I.II. I, PI.XXXVII.

2. The fourth face, of course is not visible, the image being carved on the wall out of rock. Kailasa at Elura. There are two such panels^ where - 2 Brahma occurs twice in each. Thus there are four

figures of Brahma as one of the units in the large panel.

Nowhere in the structural temples is depicted

the Lingodbhavamurti and as such nowhere Brahma in this position is to be met with. Naturally, Brahma's figures, in this position are ascribable to the 8th and 9th cent.A.D.

Brahma as Charioteer

The Tripurantaka Siva in which Brahma has been shown as a charioteer are to be met with in the Dasavatara

cave and the Kailasa at Elura. However, there are two illustrations of this type in the Kailasa: one in the back of the south screenwall, and another in the eastern cloister.

As Brahma has not been figured in this role in the struc­ tural temples of Marathwada, his icons of this category

can be assigned to 8th-9th cent,A.D.

1, For the legend,see JRAS. Vol.IX, p.91.

2. Burgess also notices two. But the second icon of BrahmS according to him is in the southern corridor. However this identification cannot^be taken as correct for Havana is shown lifting the linga there and not Brahma. *Hao also commits the same mistake. Gupte too. Deshpande, (M.N.) identifies correctly; o p . cit.,p .3 8 . 441

Of the three sculptures at Elura, the first,

as usual, is in the Dasivatara cave.^ Here and in those

panels from the Kailasa^, Brahma is seen sitting in the

front portion of the chariot and driving the four horses

yoked to it. He has three visible faces and two arms. His

person at both the places is adorned vdth Kirita, necklaces,

earrings, katibandha, and afigada. In all these he is

doubtlessly depicted as the subordinate deity as he is / shovm as Slva‘ s charioteer during the latter’ s march

against the Tirpurasura.

Brahma as a priest

The Dasavatara, Ramesvara, Sitaki-Nahani and

the Kailasa cave at Elura contain the panels depicting

the marriage of Siva and Parvatl. In these and those from the Naganatha Temple at Aundha, Brahma is shown as

a priest. The icons from the caves can be assigned to

the early medieval period, while those from the temple

are of medieval period.

In all these panels Brahma is shown seated,

f ' _ —O either in between Siva and Parvati or to the side of

1. Gopinath Hao, EHI, I I , I , Plate XXXVII- A ^ , V , p . 2 5 .

2. A ^ , V, p .31.

3. In the back corridor of the Kailasa. Burgess wrongly takes him as Bhrfigl*, ASWI.V .p .3 1. 4 4,‘>

Pirvati^ or that of ^iva.^ He is everywhere represented

with four arms, by two of which he is shown making offer­

ings to the fire which is in his front. He is three-headed

and with kirlta, necklace, Yajnopavita, arigada and valayas.

A very unique figure of Brahma has been illus­

trated in the Ramesvara cave. He is shown seated in the

pralambapadasana on a raised seat. He is with three visi­

ble heads and in the vyakhyanamudra with aksamala in the q same hand. He has four hands.

Brahma with ^iva and Visnu • •

So far the icons of Brahma as one of the triad

and belonging to medieval period are known from the Kailasa

and Cave XXVII at Elura.

The Lankesvara-part of the Kailasa contains a

panel wherein the deities of the Hindu trinity are carved

out. The first among them is of Brahma standing in the

1. In the Ramesvara cave.

2. . In the Sita-ki-Nahani and in the Dasavatara: Deshpande, op. cit. , p.38 and Photo opposite to it. 3. He is probably negotiating with Himavan about the marriage of ^iva with Parvatl; Deshpande, op.cit. , p.43. 44S

samabhanga pose. He has three faces and four hands. He holds^ - pustaka and aksamala in the right hands. The left hands are broken. Behind his head is a hallow. He wears ear-rings, a necklace of pearls and rudriksa (breccia) armlets, valayas and a katisutra. On either of his side 2 is a lady, one to the right is holding a chauri and the other to the left might be Savitri, his consort.

- 3 Another similar figure of Brahma as one of the triad comes from Cave XVII, at the same place. It is on the back wall of the varandah and among the images of Visnu and Siva. • «

4 In a unique illustration from the ceiling of the antarala of the Kailasa, Brahma and Visnu are • • shown flanking Annapurna. He and Visnu are in the anjali- mudra. This icon belongs to the period between 757 A.D. and 782 A.D.

Another icon of Brahma along with Visnu is to be seen in the lower part of a panel, the upper part

1. A S m . V, pi.XXX, fig.3.

2. Gupte identifies her as another consort of Brahma (oD. cit. . p. 191). It is not tenable.

3. Naik, op.cit. . p.675; A^«, V, Pi.XXXV, fig.I.

4. Deshpande, M .N ., o p .cit. . p.34; Gupte^op.cit. . p . 205. 4 4/.

of which contains the Umamahe^varam'urti. This is in

the Sita-ki-Nahani cave^, at Elura. Here Brahma is

standing in saraabhanga. He is three-headed and ’vith

four arms with rosary in the lower right hand. This icon probably belongs to the 7th cent.A.D.

Two illustrations of Brahma depicting his dance to the beats of a drum come from the structural temples at Bichkonda and Ambajogai. Evidently they ♦ are of medieval period.

Of these, one that comes from Bichkonda depicts him along with others in the andhakavadhamurti panel. He is in the corner to the left of ^iva. He is three-headed and beating the drum that hangs on his

stomach.

The other figure comes from a temple at Amba-

,jogai. He is shown in a panel depicting ^ v a ’ s dance.

Independent Icons

Brahma along with his consort is illustrated

at two places in this region. One of them is to be found

1. Eao refers to this. EHI. II,I, pl.XXVIIJ. Deshpande, op.cit. « p.47. 445

in Cave XVII at Elura and belongs to 8th cent.A. D. and other is from the structural temple at Aundha and is of nth cent.A. D.

Outside the facade of Cave XVII^ at Elura is an image of Brahma, standing on a lotus and with

Sarasvati and Savitrl on either side. Above are the gandharvas on the two sides.

The other icon which comes from the Naganatha temple at Aundha depicts Brahma in the alingana pose and thus is a rare icon. He is seated in the savyalali- tasana and his consort is seated on his lap below which is his vahana, the goose. In the upper right hand he holds a ladle, with the upper left hand he is embracing his consort Savitri. She holds a book in her hand.

This figure has not been noted so far by Rao, Bhattacharya, and others. This is the only figure of this type in 2 Marathwada.

The independent icons of Brahma in seated

1, Gupte, p .210?

2, There is one in Ambarnath temple. Cf.Cousens, MTD, p i.6. 44f?

and standing postures are to be met with in the caves

as well as in the structural temples. Thus these can be ascribed to the period from 8th cent.A.D. to the

13th cent.A. D.

Of these, two illustrations of seated Brahma

are seen on the right wall of the mukhamandapa of the

Kailasa at Elura.^ He is with three visible faces,

the front being the bearded one. He has four hands

holding sruva, sruk, padma and kamandalu. These icons

of Brahma seated in padmasana have not been illustrated P 3 4 by Hao and Bhattacharya.' The one mentioned by Sankalia

from Kadvar temple, Gujarat, is shown seated in the . _ ' ardhaparyankasana.

Two icons of Brahma from the exterior wall

of the Naganatha temple at Aundha present him seated

in the savyalalitasana.

1. Deshpande, o p .cit. , p.33,

2. m , Vol.II, pt.III, Pls.GXIII-IX.

3. Indian Images. (1921) Pis.II,IX,

4. Sankalia, p. 155. 44 7

In the eastern corridor of the Kailasa is another representation of Brahma.^

The illustrations of standing Brahmi are also available from the temple of Naganatha at Aundha, at Ambhai (Aurangabad District) and Keshava temple at

Keshavapuri (Bid District).

Our survey of the icons of Brahma brings out the following features:-

(1) Brahma is seen in either standing or seated pose when he is shown in the ^aiva panels in the caves;

When seated he is generally in padmasana.

(2) In the structural temples also he is depicted in both the postures; seated and standing, ^lihen seated he is invariably, in the savyalalitasana; if standing then in samabhanga.

(3) Only once, in the structural temple, he is shown in alingana pose.

(4) Tribhanga pose, in the case of Brahma, is not known in the Marathwada pertaining to our period of study.

1. Burgess notices two; the other one is in the southern corridor. But his identification of the sec9nd one is not correct. There Havana is lifting the linga and not Brahma. Rao also has followed Burgess in this respect. Gupte also makes the same mistake. Deshpande however tdentifies it correctly. 4 4 8

(5) He is never found enshrined in the temples of this region.

(6) The icons of Brahma occur in the cave-temples, as well as in the structural temples. These are equipped with either one, two, three or four of the following associations:

(l) aksamali, (2) danda, (3) sruk, (4) sruva,

(5) padma, (6) pustaka, (7) kamandalu.

Of these, dai?da, sruk, sruva, padma etc. are generally found in the upper hands, Pustaka and kamandalu are normally to be found in the lower left hands,

I The observations by Naik regarding the images of Brahma in the Decean as a whole, hold good in the case of the icons of Brahma as reported in the Marathwada too.

He states "Independent images of Brahma with no vahana are only confined to the late medieval period. Thus in his early medieval representations Brahma is a subordinate, mostly of Siva, or a secondary character. In the late medieval period he is taken out of the superior associa­ tions and appears independently but in minor or insigni­ ficant positions. He is never found to occupy a principal niche. The larger images of Brahma came in vogue only in the late medieval period. This may suggest very late crystallization of his iconographic form which in its 440

turn may account for the absence of his temples in the Deccan."^

BflAHMA GODDESSES ■■ ♦

Not more than a dozen icons of the Brahma goddesses are available in Marathwada. Those are from the caves as well as from the structural temples, and belong approximately to the period from the 8th cent.

A. D. to the 13th cent. A. D,

Of the two consorts of Brahma, namely Sivitri and Sarasvatl, the former is illustrated only twice. Her representations are from the caves which belong to the 2 8th and 10th centuries A. D., viz. Cave No.XVII and the

Lankesvara-part of the Kailasa^, at Elura. Nothing parti­ cular is there which demands description of Savitri.

Sarasvati

The illustrations of Sarasvati are met with in the caves as well as in the structural temples of this regii

Some stray sculptures of Sarasvati belonging to our period of study are also available. Thus the period in i«*ich her icons are available ranges between the 7th cent.A.D, and the 13th cent, A. D.

Sarasvati has been depicted in various roles and thus her icons are of different varieties.

She is represented as (l) River Goddess,

(2) Goddess of learning, (3) Consort of Brahma.

She appears twice as the river goddess in the caves at Elura. Detailed description of this aspect of

Sarasvati has been given elsewhere in this chapter.

Sarasvati as the goddess of learning has been depicted in the caves as well as in the structural temples.

Loose sculptures of Sarasvati also are to be met with in this region. She is shown seated as well ^ : i n a standing position. All these icons of Sarasvati fall in the period from 8th cent. A, D. to 13th cent. A, D,

The earliest icon of Sarasvati is in the Dasa- vatara cave at Elura. On the wall to the right of the shrine door, is a panel containing three beautiful female figures.

The figure in the centre is of Sarasvati, seated in savya- lalitasana on a vi^vapadma, the stalk of which is supported by two Naginis, She holds the vIna in two of her hands. ^

1, In many respects she resembles the one from Halebidu, EHI, Vol,I, pt.II, pl.GXVI, fig.l. 451

This is the only icon of Sarasvatl from the caves. No icon of standing Sarasvati is available from the caves.

The icons of Sarasvati, both in standing and seated postures are knoTvn from the structural temple at

Aundha, So also loose slabs (now installed in a temple) containing seated Sarasvati and another containing stand­ ing Sarasvati are to be met with.

The Kaganatha temple at Aundha presents not less than six icons of Sarasvati. All of them are seated and have four hands. In these she holds objects like book, vIna, kamala etc. , while in some cases the hands are in abhaya or varadaraudra. Her vahana, the hamsa is also depicted.

The icon of Sarasvati from Deglur (Nanded district) is noteworthy. Now it has been installed in one of the shrines in Gundamaharaj a's math. It is seated and four-handed. She holds a book in the upper left, hand,

The upper right hand is in abhayaraudra , while both the lower hands are in varadamudra. She wears karandaraukuta,• • • ’ necklaces, ear-rings, angada, bangles, rings, anklets etc. The folds of the drapery alsp are very clear. The image is in black basalt. On stylistic grounds it can be ascribed to the 13th cent.A.D,

, Another illustration of Sarasvati on a loose slab comes from a village Ra;3apuri, near Aundha in Parbhani

District. It is in black basalt and is beautifully carved.

In the Niganatha temple at Aundha is a Tinique panel. In a niche Ganesa is shown in the middle and on his tvro sides are three ladies. Of these, one immediately flanking Ganesa is Sarasvati. She is depicted as camara- dharini and is with hamsa. All these figures are seated.

Another panel from the exterior w*ll of the same temple illustrates three figures of

Sarasvati, M^esVari and Vaisnavi, Thus this panel depicts the consorts of the Hindu triad,

HerS Sarasvati is shown with ladle and the book in the upper hands. The lower right is in varada holding aksamala• and lower left holds Kamandalu. • • No parallels are known at least in the Marathwada. 4 53

S U R Y A

The icons of Surya are few in this region.

Only two illustrations of 2urya are to be met with in the caves at Elura, and so far only one Surya icon is known from the structural temple of this region. All these icons can be assigned to three different periods.

One in Cave XXV at Elura is the earliest and of 8th cent. A. D, The other from the Lankeivara is of 10th cent.

A. D. and the third from the structural temple belongs to 12th cent.A.D. It appears, therefore, that Saurya-

Cult was not very popular in this region.

The earliest illustration of Surya is found on the ceiling of the antarala of Cave XXV at Elura. ^

Surya stands in samabhanga, in a chariot drawn by seven horses. He has two hands, both of which hold lotus flowers. His legs below the kiees are not visible as

1. Q lli II, p .444, Pl.LXXXIII, fig .2; Gupte, o p . cit. . Pl.CXXIX. Gupte however, assigns it incorrectly to cave XXII, and does not describe it. Deshpande^M.N., OP.cit. . p.45; EHI, Pl.LXXXVIII, fig.2. 4 5

he stands behind Aruna, his charioteer. He wears a kiritamukuta, kundalas, necklaces, valayas, and kati- vastra. It appears that he wears a mailed coat. Flank­ ing him are Usa and Pratyiisa with a bow and an arrow, • • These ladies are in alidha-and Pratyalidha-asana respec-

tively. (P1.X,4).

Behind the seven horses is shown seated legless Aruna, the charioteer. He has two hands hold­ ing the reins of the horses. He wears a cap as head­

dress, ear-rings, necklace, etc. The unique feature

of this figure is the chariot which is shown with two

wheels. Iconographically this is important.^

The second illustration of Surya is found in

the Lankesvara part of the Kailasa at Elura. The icon 2 belongs to 10th cent. A.D. The panel facing west in

the north aisle contains this icon. It is standing in

samabhanga pose. The figure has two hands only, vdiich

bear a lotus in each, Surya here is heavily ornamented.

1. Matsva Purana. 125, V.38; EHI. I , I I , p .313.

2. ASWI,V,pl.XXX, f i g .1; Deshpande; o p .cit. . p.39. ^55

He wears high boots.^ Behind the head there is a cir­ cular halo with lotus petal decoration. On his two sides are two couples. The females hold lotus buds.

It is difficult to aay as to who they are, for some texts speak of four consorts of Surya: Rajani, Suvarna,

- - - 2 Ghaya, and Suvarcasa. Among the males one is Danda • • carrying spear in his hand, and the other is Pingala carrying possibly a pot.

The Vadesvara temple at Ambhai, presents an icon of Surya in one of the niches facing east of the mandovara. He is standing with two hands which are broken. In front are seen seven horses. He is flanked by Danda and Bingala. As the temple is of 12th cent. A .D ., • • the icon also can be assigned to that period. Similar icon of Surya is to be seen on the i angha of Markandeya • • temple in Chandrapur district of Vidarbha. A chariot with seven horses in terracotta has been recently found in the excavations at Ter,

1. Other two icons from this region, described along with this, are without boots.

2. Matsya Purana quoted by Rao, op. cit. . I,I,appendix, p .88. Other texts speak of two; Niksubha on the right and Rajani on the left. cf. Agni Purana, quoted by Rao; Visvakarma-shilpa, quoted by Bhattacharya, OP. cit. . p. 17, f ig .I. For detailed description see: Sankalia, AG, p. 160, 5fi

INDRA

Icons of Indra in Marathwada are very few as compared to those of the Hindu trinity, T w of them are carved in the caves at Elura and therefore belong to the

8th cent.A.D., while a few of them are from the medieval temple of Naganitha at Aundha.

The earliest representation of Indra is in

Cave XXI at Elura. He is one among other invitees like

Visnu at the marriage of Siva. He is shown standing and • • holds vajra in his left hand. Other hand is not visible.

He wears kiritamukuta and necklaces, • .«

His other icon is seen to the left of the screen wall of the Kailasa at Elura. Though of considerable size, he plays here the role of one of the astadikpalas. He is shown mounted on an elephant along with his consort Saci.

The figure is weathered.

The Naganatha temple at Aundha is the only monu­ ment on the mandovara of which the icons of Indra are to be • • met with. Out of the six illustrations of Indra on the jangha here, two are of seated Indra. All these, are independent representations of Indra. There is one independent icon of his consort - Saci which is very rare. All these icons belong to the llth cent.A. D.

In one of the niches in the mandovara, Indra is 4 57

Seen standing in samabhanga with sword, pasa, shield, and lotus in his hands. An elephant is shown to his right and a devotee in veneration to his left. Identical is the figure in another niche, with different ayudhas in the hands. These are ^akti and ankusa. The lower right hand is broken. The object in the other is indistinct. In the third specimen he has four hands, the upper right bearing a mace, lower right holds a fruit, upper left pasa, and lower left a kalasa. An elephant as the vahana is depicted in the usual manner.

Among the ^nadhas of the seated images of Indra, ankusa is common in both. So also in both the illustrations

Indra is in varadamudra. The one with ankusa and varadamudra as stated above holds sakti and lotus bud while the other holds pas'a in his third, and the fourth is broken.

Saci

The solitary representation of Indrani (Saci) in seated posture is in one of the niches of the mandovara of the temple in question. She has four hands, upper right bearing ankusa, lower right in varada, upper left pasa and the lower left holds a fruit. The elephant cannot be seen

The ayudhas like ankusa and pasa help us in identifying it as of Saci. Her person is adorned with Karandamukuta,• • • neck- laces, angada, kankanas etc. This is the only figure of

Sad shown independently in this region. 4 58

SAPTAMATRKA

The panels containing Saptamatrkas^ J are found in a considerable number both in the caves and in the structural temples. They can thus be assigned to the period from the 7th cent.A.D. to the 13th cent.A.D. They can broadly be divided into three classes.

(i) Asana or seated,

(ii) sthinaka or standing and

(iii) nrtya or dancing

The icons of Saptamatrkas belonging to the first category came from the caves as well as from the structural temples. The icons of Saptamatrkas in the caves being of earlier origin, the earliest example for the period under study comes from the pradaksinapatha of the Cave XIV at Elura. 2 Here those are carved seated on a pedestal along with the babies either in the lap or near by. Underneath every one of them is carved their Q respective vahana. The noteworthy feature here is the

1. For the detail discussion about their numbers and names, see Baner^ea, PHI. pp. 503-7.

2. Deshpande, pp.cit. . p .23.

3. Gupte, OP.cit. . p.182, pl.LXXV, bottom. 4 59

vahana of Camundi.• • It Is an owl^ * Below Ganesa's • seat is placed a modakapatra. The sculptures of these Matrkas are in a bold relief. They all are shown with the orna­ ments like necklace, earrings, bracelet, mekhala, kaiikana etc. They are shown flanked by Virabhadra and the stand­ ing image of Kala along with Kali.

The panel in the R^es'vara cave at Elura contains very graceful Saptamatrkas.- 2 We have here a youthful type in the full bloom of femininity, with large and globular breasts, the nipples of which also are indicated. A slight

'drooping appearance because of their weight maJces the entire panel more realistic. The headdresses, particularly that of Kfaumari and Varahi are elaborately carved. Virabhadra and Ganesa are depicted to the either side of the panel.^

Kala and Kali are shown standing to the Ganesa's side.

The peculiarity of the Saptamatrka panel from

Cave XXII at Elura is that here Brahmi is shown three-faced

1. Purvakaranagama, quoted by Rao, EHI. I , I I , p .386; According to Matsya Purina her vahana is a vulture, see Khare, o p . cit. , p,190,

2. m ,I,II, pl.CXVIII, fig.l.

3. PHI, p.505; Khare, op.clt. , p.186. A

and Varahi with the face of a boar. Kala^ unlike in the caves like HSinesvara and Ravan-ki-khai, is shown

seated.

In the Kailasa at Elura separate chapel, popularly known as Yajnasala is given to thm. The panel is assignable to the 9th cent.A.D, The sculptures

- 2 here of the ftlatrkas are almost in the round. Bolsters - Q are shown behind them to recline. Canmndi here has • • a Jackal as her Vahana and not an owl as it is to be found in Gave XIV at Elura, while Varahi has a buffalo'^ as her vahana and not a boar. Nothing significant is there to be described about other Matrkas.

Virabhadra ^ and Ganes'a are shown flanking these Matrl^s. At the back of Virabhadra, in the corner an owl is carved.^ Near Virabhadra is shown a Batu. Kala

1. According to Rupavatara he should be along with the Saptamatrkas. See Khare, o p . cit. . p. 186.

2. Gupte wrongly takes them as Astamatrkas,* op. cit. , p p .202-3. 3. Gupte's identification of her as Varahi is not correct; ibid.

4. Varahi from Haveri also has this Vahana; Khare,o p . cit. , p. 190. 5. Gupte identifies this image as of Parvati. It is ,how- ever, not correct; o p . cit. . p .2 0 3. 6. Deshpande, o p . cit. , p.38. 461

and Kali are depicted to the left of Ganesa. In addi-

tion to these usual images generally to be met with in

the Saptamatrka panels in the caves, here are carved

the images of simhavahini Durga ^ and a few other deities

which could not have been identified so far.

At the feet of Gajahamurti of Siva in the

Kailasa itself are shown Saptamatrkas in miniature. But

they are so weather-worn that the description is not

possible.

The panels containing the seated Saptamatrlas

are also available from the structural temples of Mara-

thwada viz. Vadesvara,^ Ambhai; Nilakanthesvara, Nilanga;

Siva temples at Killari, Karadkhed, Khanapur, Bichkonda

etc. They all belong to the period from the 11th cent.A,D,

to the 13th cent. A. D.

At some places mentioned above Brahmi is tri-

mukhi and virahi with boar's face. It seems that in the

later medieval period Virabhadra and Ganesa have been dropped,

1. De shpande, 'p. 39.

2, In this triple-shrine temple Saptamatrkas have been carved out on the lintel of the door way of one of the shrines. 4 62

for in none of the panels from the structural temples of the region of our study they are depicted.

Sthanaka Matrkas • *

Only two panels containing the sthanaka

Saptamitrkas are available in Marathwada. The earli­ est of these comes from a small ca\?e at Elura. The cave in question is adjacent to the Kailasa. It seems that this excavation was meant only for these Matrkas as nothing but the standing Saptamitrkas along with Virabhadra and

Kala have been carved there.

Another panel is in the recently cleared cave at Aurangabad. On the wall to the north are carved

Virabhadra and six Matrkas and the seventh-Canrundi is • • • shown standing on the eastern wall flanking Gane^a along with Durga. Astonishingly enough two Buddha figures with

an attendant are carved on the wall to the south. This is the solitary brahmanical cave at the site where all

the rest are of the Buddhist.

Nrtya Matrkas • •

The third variety of the icons of the Matrkas,

viz. the dancing Saptamatrkas, is to be seen at two places in the region of our study. They are depicted in the

ICharusa caves in the district of Osmanabad and on the jangha of the mandovara of the ^iva temple at Mukhed.

The former panel, thus, is assignable to the 8th - 9th cent.A.D., while the latter to the late medieval period.

The panel from the Kharusa caves is seen carved on the back wall of one of the chapels in the cave known as Lalcola. Instead of seven Matrkas, here only six of them are sculptured. Varahi is however shown with boar's face.^

The Saptamatrkas from the temple at Mukhed are artistically superb. Every one of them has been carved on the separate compartment. All of them are 2 ” shown dancing gracefully in different modes, e.g. Aindri is dancing catura, while Kaumari svastika and Mahes'vari the Lalita. Their respective vahana is depicted in a circle formed by stem of the padma on which they are standing. Neither in Maharashtra nor in the Deccan sucja

1. Burgess, however, takes _her as with a face of horse and identifies as Kinnari. ASWI, I I I , p. 19.

2. This answers well with the description given in the Visnudharmottara purana. See Khare, op. cit. «p. 187. 6^

a depiction of dancing Saptamatrkas occurs on the jangha of the temple and hence this is unique.

The River Goddesses

Marathwada has some beautiful illustrations of the river goddesses like Gahgi, Yamuna and Sarasvati to present. As the sculptures of the first two goddesses are available in the caves as well as in the structural temples these can be ascribed to the period which covers the entire period of our study, i .e . the 6th cent, to the

13th cent. A. D. However, the sculptures of the latter goddess are available only in a few caves at Elura and thus are assignable to the period from 7th cent, to the

9th cent. A. D.

The earliest depiction of Ganga and Yamuna is to be seen in the caves at Aj anta. Here in the caves^ XVII,

and XXVII are seen the images of these river goddesses.

They are carved at the upper angles of the doorway ;just below the expanded overdoor. There are two things to be

1. Zimmer, op. cit. . p is .169, and 186.

2. AM, pl.N. 4 05

noticed in this respect; (i) the place for these goddesses

is at the upper angle of the doorway and (ii) Ganga, stand­

ing on a crocodile, (makara) is depicted in these caves

to the left of the doorway, while Yamuna, on tortoise, • to the right. In the buildings of the late Gupta style

the goddesses are seen mutually exchanging their positions,

Ganga occupying right side of the doorway,^ etc. Another

change to be marked in the temples of late Gupta style

i .e . of the period of our study is that the goddesses

are carved on the base of the doorpost and not at its upper angles.

In the caves at Elura these goddesses have been

depicted flanking the doorways of the shrines. As such

they are to be seen in Caves XIV, XV, XVI, XXI^ and XXIX.

In these caves Ganga occupies the right side of the shrine

doorway, while Yamuna the left side. Artistically the

depiction of Ganga from Cave XXI is superb. It is acclaimed

as such by almost all connoisseurs of art. Next to this

is the one from a small chapel to the south of the Ramayana

1. Deshpande, o p . cit. , p,35.

2. Zimmer, o p. cit. . pi.227. •468

panel in the Kailasa. And the one from the antarala of the Kailasa itself stands third in this respect She is a six-footer. At the latter two places Yanmna equals in all respects her counterpart. |

In the Kailasa the position of these goddesses is elevated by allotting them a separate panel^ which has rightly been called Sarita-devata-mandira.

To the north of the courtyard near the life-size elephant's effigy is carved this small chapel. On the back wall of this, the river goddesses have been carved almost in the round. Here Ganga stands on a crocodile in samabhanga, Yamuna on a tortoise and Sarasvati on a lotus. Both Yamuna 2 and

Sarasvati are in the graceful tribhanga pose.

Nowhere, at least in the Deccan such a separate

1. Deshpande, o d . cit. , p.31. 2. Zimmer, op.cit. « pi.219. 4 67-

shrine is dedicated to the river goddesses and nowhere all these three have been grouped together. Artistic qualities apart, thus in these respects also the depiction in question is unique.

The depiction of Sarasvati occurs only twice in Marathwada and that too from the caves at Elura. The one from the Kailasa been already described. The other is to be met with in the Cave XXIX,^

In Cave XIV at Elura though Ganga and Yamuna are shown flanking the doorway, they are shown with atten­ dants carrying umbrella over their head.

At three places in the Kailasa Ganga is illustrati in a different form. The panels depicting the Gangadhara

^iva obviously depict Ganga in the j atas of Siva. As all these have been described earlier in this chapter repetition is avoided.

In the period when the structural temples in

Marathwada were built these figures were conventionalised.

For in the temples assignable to the late medieval period these river goddesses have been carved but they are shown

either with water pot in their hand or even without it. The depiction of their respective vahana also has become very rare in this period.

1. Naik and Gupte identify this image as a Ganga,which is not correct. For Hamsa, the vahana of Sarasvati is seen in the panel. 46«

JAIHA ICONOGRAPHT

Iconographically and quantitatively the

Jaina icons are of less importance in this region, S© far, the earliest Bauddhist and Brahmanical icons have been found in the caves at Ajanta and Elura; the earli­ est Jaina icons are to be met vath in the Dharasiva caves in Osmanabad district.

As the caves at Dharasiva are of 6th cent.

A.D., evidently the icons from there are earlier than those from the caves of 8th - 9th cent, at Ambajogai and Elura. Stray icons of the Digambara sect also are available in this region. All these taken together can be ascribed to the period spanning from 6th cent. A.D. to the 13th cent.A.D. The icons belonging to the period later than l3th cent, fall outride the scope of this study.

The iconographical features of the Digambara

Jaina images at various places in this region are those « in the kayotsarga (free standing) and the dhyanamudra.

Generally the Tirthankaras are shown with the Trich^atra 4 6P

above the head. In the absence of the lanchchanas

(the cognizances) identification of many of the

Tirthankara images is difficult. However, Adinatha,

Santinitha, Neminatha, Parsvanatha and Mahavira have been identified,

Adinatha or Rsabhanatha • •

The icons of the first Tirthankara are very- few in this region. So far only once he appears in the

Chauvisi and once in the Chaumukha images of the

Tirthankaras. In a very small unnumbered shrine cleared in 1960 at Elura, is a Chauvisi (i.e. Caturvims'ati) of

Rsabhanatha. In this panel containing twentyfour

Tirthankaras, eight of them in each row, he is shown seated in the padmasana in the centre with srivatsa on the chest and bull carved below. He is in the dhyanamudra.

This evidently belongs to the 9th - lOth cent. A. D ., as it is one of the Jaina caves belonging to that period.

His other icon ascrlbable to the 12th - I3th cent. A.D. is to be met with in the Jaina Temple of Ghar- thana in the district of Parbhani. The temple, however, is modern. On one of the faces of a square slab is carved 470

Adlnatha, The slab in question is now placed in the niche of the temple, but originally it Inight have con­

stituted the capital of a Manastambha which is still to be noticed in the same village. The depiction of the icon is similar to the one described above.

^SMTINATHA

The solitary standing icon of this I6th

Tirthankara, comes from Indrasabha cave at Elura, and as such it belongs to the 10th cent. A.D. It is in the

Kayotsargamudra, The inscription below it gives the name of the sculptor, Sohila, who was a celibate.^

The seated icons of Santinatha are from Parbhani district. One is in the Neminatha temple on Nemagiri at

Jintur and the other is in the temple at Charthana which is referred to above. Both are of late medieval period.

Of these two, the one from Jintur is 4 '.4 " high.

It is carved in the black basalt. It is seated in the padmasana in the dhyanamudra. On the pedestal is carved his lanchana^ deer. The other is on one of the sides of

the square slab referred to above.

1. "^rlsohila BrahmacirinS Santi Bhattaraka Pratimeyam" ,* • • • Deshpande, op.cit. , p.49. 471

NSMINAIHA

No representation of Neminatha belonging to

the early medieval period is available in this region.

So far we have two illustrations of this

Tirthankara. One is at Charthana, where he is shown f along with Rsabhanatha and Simtinatha. His cognizance -

conch - is carved below his seat. The other is on the

Kemagiri hill at Jintur. He, being the chief Tirthankara at that place, has greater height than other Tirthankaras.

His seated image is 5 '.4 " in height. He is seated in the padmasana and is in the dhyananiudra.

PAH37AN]ITHA

Many of his icons, both seated and standing, are

available in this region. As the earliest of these is found in the Dharasiva caves belonging to the 6th cent.A.D. these icons can be ascribed to the period from the 6th to the 13th

cent.A.D. Icons belonging to post 13th cent period are also available.

The earliest among his seated icons comes from

the Dhirasiva caves in the Osmanabad district. He is shown

seated in the padmasana and in dhyanamudra. The naga with its seven hoods canopies his head, forming a sort of aureole

round it. An interesting feature of this icon is that a small 47*>

crown is placed on each of the hood of the naga. The

image measures 6' from knee to knee and 3'-6" from the

palm of the hand to the chin. Parsvanatha here is

seated on the simhasana and is flanked by camaradhiras

with high jewelled headdresses and necklaces. In front

of the seat are two deer one on each side of an object now quite obliterated (probably a cakra).

The images of Pars'vanatha from the three small

shrines at the back wall of the Jaina cave at Ambajogai

being stereotyped and in miniature are not taken into

account.

Another asana image of Parsrvanatha^ comes from

the Indrasabha, at Elura. It is carved on the wall above

the chapel'in the north side of the courtyard. He is

shown seated cross-legged on a simhasana, with the wheel in

front, a small figure of a female worshipper at the right

corner, a camaradharini with high headdress on each side

and the great seven-hooded snake behind him canopying his

head.

Beyond this group of Jaina caves at Elura, on

the other side of the ridge is a rock-cut shrine known as

1. ASin, V, p.46. 47-'?

Parsvanatha Mandir, The Icon of ParsVanatha^ here is not

only colossal but also has some unique features. Here he

is shovna seated in the dhyanamudra on the simhasana. Over

his head are its eleven hoods of the protective cobra.

Infront of his seat is again seen his replica in miniature.

The only difference here is in the number of hoods, which I are seven in this case. Below the seat is a cakra in the

centr-e flanked by a male and a female devotee both of whom

are in namaskaramudra. A lion and an elephant are shown

on either side. This is a colossal and unique icon in

this region.

Chronologically his latest icon of seated variety

is enshrined on the Nemagiri hill at Jintur in Parbhani

district.

Of his sthanaka icons, the one in the cave of

Dharas'iva is the earliest in this region. Next in chrono­

logical order are the icons of Parsvanatha from the caves

at Elura. The Jaina caves here contain not less than a

dozen icons of this Tirthankara. They are all in the

Kayotsarga pose. The serpent king Dharanendra rising

from behind in five coils, makes a canopy of seven hoods

over their heads. They all are nude.

1. CTI, 11, p. 502. 4 7/<

MAHAViaA

Marathwada does not possess any sthanaka icon of

Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara. The absence of his icons at

Dharasiva caves and the prominence given to him in the caves at Elura suggest his popularity and importance in the period from the 9th cent, onwards.

In smaller chapels and bigger halls at Elura,

Mahavira is enshrined. Everywhere he is shown seated on a simhasana in padmasana and in dhyanamudra. Above his head are triple umbrellas. He is flanked by two camara- dharikas. Infront of his seat is carved cakra in the middle panel. More than twenty icons of this Tirthankara are to be met with at Elura,

Panels

The Jaina caves at Elura, depict two scenes,

(i) from the life of Par^vanatha, and (ii) from that of

Gomraatesvara, the son of the first Tirthankara, Rsabhanatha, • • •

That from the life of Parsvanatha is depicted twice. The two chapels containing this scene' are carved in the northern side of the court of the Indrasabha.

When Parsvanatha was in penance Karaatha, a demon tried first to tempt^ him and vriien failed in this attempt,

1. ASWI. V, p .44; C M , I I , p.496, pl.LXXXVI. 47?

he attached Parsvanatha, Above his head, to the left

is shown a demen riding a buffalo vdth a weapon in his hand. While his companion is shown hurling a boulder at

Pars'vanatha. His devotee Dharnendra^, the snake king,

is shown along with his consort Padmavatl to the left

side at his feet. He formed a canopy over Par^vanatha's

head to protect him from the onslought. This scene

reminds one of the Mara-vijaya incident in the life of

the Buddha. / Another panel cnncerns with the life of Gommate^-

vara. This son of Rsabhanatha occupies important place in

Digambara lore. Almost in all the caves at Elura he is

represented. He faces the 23rd Tirthankara everywhere in

these caves, except in the upper storipy of the Indrasabha,

where he is shown to the left of the shrine doorway. More

than a dozen illustrations of this Arhat also known as

Bahubali are to be met with at Elura. As all of them are

alike, the largest and artistically beautiful icofi amongst

those is described here.

On the first floor of the Indrasabha to the south

side of the shrine doorway is seen the sculpture of Gommates-

vara. It is in very bold relief. He is shown standing in

1. He is also known as Parsvayaksa. See AS]^, V, p.45; Gupte, OP.cit. . table showing the details, p.138. 4 7f5

kayotsargamudra. He has long ear-lobes and ringlets of hair hang on the shoulders. His body is covered with creepers, and at his feet are seen various animals* harm­ less ones like mice and deer, and poisonous ones like scorpion and snake indicating that he has won over all antagonistic elements. Over his head is a parasol on the either side of which are shown flying celestial beings.

Bahubali Gommatesvara himself is flanked by Brahml and

Sundari. Bharata, his brother is shown seated at his feet and is in the namaskaramudra. This icon of Gommates- • vara belongs to circa 10th cent, A.D, i .e . contemporaneous with colossus at Sravanabelgola. It seems that the cult of Bahubali was very much popular during this period. It is further evidenced by the depiction of not less than a dozen icons of him at Elura Itself.

Pari vara devatas

Of the many parivaradevatas and other subsidiary figures that are associated with Tirthankaras the figures of Cakresvari, Matanga and Siddhayika are noted below.

Cakresvarl

This ^ yaksini • of the first Tirthankara Rsabhanatha • • is illustrated in the cave knoivn as Chota Kailasa. She is depicted on the wall to the north of the gopura. She is twelve-armed and holding padma, cakra, ^ankha, cakra (sic.) 477

and gada in five of her right hands. ^ The object in the lowermost hand is damaged. Only one of her six left hands which holds a sword is intact. Another left hand, though considerably damaged, is seen placed on her lap. She wears a decorative crown, ear-pendants, two necklaces, armlets and bangles. She is seated in the padmasana. Below is seen her mount, eagle in human form but with two wings.

Another illustration of her comes from the upper storey of the Indrasabha. She is depicted in the chapel in the north-western corner of the hall. Here she is shown with four hands, in two of which she holds cakra. Third is in varadamudra and in the fourth is seen a vajra. She is 2 seated in the padmasana.

Another yaksini that figures in these caves is • • ^ Siddhayika, the yaksini of Mahavlra. In almost all the Jaina • • caves at Elura the cult-image is Mahavira. Obviously the depiction of his yaksini is to be met with very often.

Besides more than twenty icons of her in these caves, her stray image is also available in the courtyard of the Tahasil office at Jintur in the Parbhani district. All these icons

1. Deshpande, pp.cit. . p.48; Gupte, o p . cit. . p.219.

2. AS]n, V, p.46. 4 78

are ascribable to a period ranging from the 9th to the

13th cent. A. D.

She is always shovm to the left side of the shrine doorway, seated on,her mount, the lionl Her illus­ tration in the chapel to the north in the courtyard of the Indrasabha is artistically superb 2 and hence is des­ cribed below. Others being similar in iconographic features need no description.

She is shown seated on a lion in Savyalalita- sana. Towards her left knee is seen an entirely mutilated figure of a standing child. She has a beautiful coiffure and a catula tilaka, i.e . a frontal ornament in the part- ing of her hair. Her hair are arranged in ringlets on the forehead. Round her neck is a graiveyaka of Niska variety besides one of prakanda type. Muktahara (oi' hemasutra) goes through her nestling breasts and forms a loop which falls on her stomach. Her anklets contain small rattles and thus belong to nupuras with ksudraghantiki variety.

She is generally shown seated beneath a mango tree, on which monkeys^parrots etc. are shown^ometimes her child is shown on her left knee. She holds it with her left hand.

Such illustration is also to be found in the upper storey of the Indrasabha.

1. ASWI, V, p .46.

2. Chapter III, section on Sculpture. 470

Of the two yaksas depicted in the caves of our region, Matanga, the yaksa:- of Mahavlra, has been depicted very often, of course along with Siddhayika, his female counterpart. And as such, he occupies the right side of the shrine door way. He is always shown seated in the savyalalitasana on his mount, elephant. He is two-armed and adorned with the ornsunents like necklaces, keyuras, udarabandha etc. On his head the crown appears invaria­ bly. He is shown seated underneath a pipal tree.

Another yaksa ^audharmendra appears only twice in a dancing pose in the Chota Kailasa and is thus assign­ able to the 9th cent. A. D.

Our survey of the Jain a icons shows that the Digarabara school of Jainism was popular in the region and

period of our study. Another interesting feature is the absence of Mahavira in the 6th - 7th cent, suggesting the predominence of Parsvanatha. Mahavlra became popular only in the period ranging from the 9th cent, onward. The structural temples of the Jainas belonging to our period, if there were any, are not extant, though epigraphs mention the existence of these in some parts of Maftathwada. 48 0

BUDDHIST ICONOGRAPHY

The survey of architecture belonging to the period of our study has shown how the Hinayana and the

Mahayana sects were prevalent in this region in the ancient and historic early periods. The study of Buddhist iconography reveals the influence of Tantrie Buddhism.

Since the Hinayana Buddhist had no pantheon, it was only with the emergence of the Mahayana that the Buddha figure, the Bodhisattvas and the Bodhisaktis like Tara, BhrukutI etc. appear.

No structural temple of the Buddha is extant in this region (i f at all there was any). The icons therefore of the Buddhist pantheon are to be met with in the caves excavated in this region. Further, the caves dedicated to this faith are at Ajanta, Elura, and Aurangabad,

Moreover, as no cave from the above mentioned sites is later than the 9th cent,A.D., the icons of this sect can also be ascribed to the period from the 5th cent.A.D. to the 9th cent.A.D.

Numerous icons of the Buddha to be met with at « Ajanta, Elura and Aurangabad can be classified mainly into two categories namely;

1. Asana - and II. Sthanaka - raurtis. 481

Again, the numerous seated images of the Buddha found, elsewhere, can be classified under different groups according to their association vath one or the other of the miracles, and as clearly indicated by their different hand - poses and sitting postures.

Again variety can be had in respect of the atten­ dants and the seats provided for the Buddha, For instance, the Buddha is attended either by Padmapani and VairaDani or by Padmapani and Maitreya or M^;jusri Bodhisattva. So also he is shovm seated on the lotus seat (padmasana) or on the lion seat (simhasana).

As it is neither possible nor necessary to deal with all the icons which show the formal stereotyped chara­ cter, the following study will consider only the represen­ tative icons of various groups.

The Buddha in the padmasana

The icons of this type are to be met with at

Ajanta, Elura and Aurangabad. Those from the caves at Ajanta are the earliest. Among these the earliest representation comes from Cave XVI.^ Here Buddha is shown in the Dharma-

1. According to Percy Brown, Cave XVI is the earliest among a group of caves, consisting of Caves I,I I,X V II etc., belonging to 6th cent. A. D .; Indian Architecture. I,p.69.(Ed.III). 48*>

-cakramudra. He is with usnisa on the head and Urna on • • • • the forehead. He wears an antarlya. Below, in the centre infront of the throne, is dharmacakra, flanked by the deer.

However, the best of the icons is in Cave I . His face is radiant with spiritual ecstacy and a noble smile with dovmcast eyes adequately conveying Karuna. ^ The other icons of the Buddha from this place are similar to those described above.

Next in the chronological order are the icons from the caves at Elura. The Buddhist caves here are very rich in the iconography of Buddhism. Naturally the Buddha in padmasana is represented very frequently. There are more than hundred icons of the Buddha in this posture. And though he is shown seated in this position the raudras differ. His icons in dharmacakramudra are not less than forty in the various caves at this place. The interesting feature about this padmasani icons of the Buddha at Elura is that they are never shown in the shrines as they are at Ajanta and

Aurangabad. t Finally we meet the icon of the Buddha in padma­

sana with dharmacakramudra in Caves I and II at Aurangabad.

In Cave I he is shown seated on the lotus seat supported 4 8-*^

by Kagas. The Buddha is attended by Cimara bearers one amongst whom is Padmapani holding lotus in his left hand.

P Am ASM A WITH DHYAUAMUDRA

The Buddha in this posture is shown seated on the lotus seat with interlocked legs. This posture is also known as baddhapadmasana or yogasana. His hands are placed on ;Joints of the legs with the palms upward. He wears two garments (uttariya and the adhovastra).

Icons of this type are not available in the caves at AJanta. Naturally the earliest representation comes from the caves at Elura. There are more than thirty icons of the Buddha of this type. The earliest amongst them is to be met with in Cave II belongir^g to the 5th cent. A. D.

This type is conspicuous by its absence in the

Aurangabad caves..

Interestingly enough the solitary loose icon^ of the Buddha in Marathwada is of this type. It is found at Kandhar in Nanded district. An inscription is there oo its pedestal.

PAMASAJJA WITH BHUSPAHSAMUDRH •

The earliest representation of this type comes from the caves at Elura since this is not to be met with at

1. For photograph, see, IND: the photograph is facing page I. , 4 84

Ajanta. The Sadhanamala describes this type as Vajrisana

Buddha, In which Buddha is seated in padmasana on a vi^va- padma with his hands in the hhuspar^amudra, attended by

Avalokitesvara on the left and Maitreya on the right, the respective iconographic cognizances of the acolytes being a lotus and a bunch of Nagakesara flowers.^ This type of image first appears in the VisVakarma cave at Elura.

Later it appears in Caves II and XII, Thus these Images fall in the period from the 7th cent, A. D, to the 9th cent,

A,D, In all, there, are 19 illustrations; two in Cave X twelve in Cave XI and the remaining five in XII,

PAMASANA WITH VARADAMUDRa

The Buddha's representation in this form is very rare. He appears once in Varadamudri while seated in padmasana in the Visvakarma cave at Elura and thrice

'in the Tin Thai, the latest Buddhist cave at the same place.

Neither the caves at Ajanta nor those which are

at Aurangabad depict the Buddha in this form.

PRALAMBASANA IMAGES

This is another style or pose of sitting in which the Buddha is shown seated very often. This is also

1, Majumdar and Pusalkar, The Struggle for Empire. p,277, Fn,64, 4 8 5

known as pralambapadasana or paryankasana. These icons, can be divided into two classes according to their nmdras:

(i) in dharmacakraraudra Cii) in dhyanamudra.

The icons of the former type are to be met with in the caves at Ajanta, Elura and Aurangabad. Thus they can be ascribed to the period from 6th cent. A.D. to the 9th cent,

A.D.

Those from Ajanta are to be seen in the corner of the facade of Gave XIX and on the stupa in the chaitya hall numbering XXVI.^ The Buddha in this position is not represented in the shrines of the Viharas at Ajanta.

Elura caves depict Buddha in this form not less than forty times. The solitary Chaitya hall and all the

Viharas at this place present the Buddha in pralambapadasana and in dharmacakramudra.- 2 Sometimes he is flanked by

Avalokitesvara and Vajrapani, and sometimes he is flanked O by Avalokitesvara and Maitreya. In Caves II ,V and VI at

Elura he is seated on the Simhasana while in the shrines of

1. EHD. pi.IX. Brown, Percy, oo. cit. . I , p l .L ,f ig .l .

2. Some scholars take this form as of Maitreya and not of the Buddha. Cf. Majumdar and Pusalkar, AIK, p .276. 3. In Gave IV, VI and X at Elura. See, Guote,ii. S ., IBSE. p .41. 48!?

the second storey of Tinthal he is shown always in padmasana

and dhyanaraudra.

The Cave II at Aurangabad represents the Buddha,

9 ft. high, seated in pralambasana with his feet gently resting on a lotus and his hands in the dharmacakramudra.

Avalokitesvara Padmapani and Vajrapani are his acolytes, • •

Buddha icons of the other variety, that is

pralambapadasana in dhyanaraudra, are to be seen only at

Elura and that too from Cave II. All the three illustra­

tions of this variety from this cave evidently belong to

the latter half of the 6th cent, A.D.

This is unique and needs detailed treatment.

In fact pralambasana is clearly associated with the dharma- cakra attitude. Dhyana requires deep concentration, and

for concentration yogis generally prefer to sit with their

legs interlocked. Here, however, we find an exception to

this. In the cloister to the left of the hall is carved

out an icon of Buddha seated in pralambapadasana while being

in the dhyanaraudra. There is an usnisa and a prabhamandala. • • • • • He wears a close fitting antariya. The back of the seat

shows a makara motif. He is flanked by the Bodhisattvas and

over his head are shown flying oouples. The other two icons

of this variety are similar and need no description. 4 8 ?

STHANAKA BUDDHA

The icons of the s than aka Buddha are also avail abli

from all the aforementioned places in our region. There are a few peculiarities about this type of icons which deserve notice,

1) These standing images of Buddha are evidently neither in dhyina or dharmacakramudri. ii) They are never illustrated in'the shrines.^ i i i ) They are generally in samapadasthanaka attitude. iv) The sthanaka icons of the Buddha are compara­ tively less in number than those of the seated ones.

All the icons of this type can be ascribed to the period from 6th cent, to the 9th cent.A.D,

They figure prominently on the facade of- the later Chaitya halls at A;janta, v iz., Chaitya halls XIX and

XXVI. They are, as a rule, in varada-mudra and occasionally shown holding the end of garment by the left hand. They stand either on a lotus pedestal or are without it.

1. The sthanaka Buddha on the front of the stupa in the chaitya hall XIX at Ajanta, however, forms an excep­ tion to this. His hands are broken and hence we can not make out his mudra. See, Zimmer, op. cit. , p i .180; AM, pl.G. 488

At Elura which is next in chronological order,

the Buddha is depicted thirteen times. He is shown stand­ ing on a double-pettalled padraa (Visvapadma). Generally

there are no attendants.

Aurangabad caves do not represent Buddha in this pose and attitude.

CROWNED BUDDHA

A unique figure of the Buddha is to be seen to the right of the entrance to the music gallery on the first floor of Visvakarma cave at Elura. It belongs to the 7th

cent.A. D. Besides karnakundalas, kantha, keyuras and valayas he is adorned with a mukuta on his head. Nowhere in the region of our study the Buddha, who renounced every thing, is shown with ornaments and the crown. As such this is a unique icon. He is attended upon by Avalokitesvara to the right and probably Manjusri to the left.^

THE BUDDHA WITH CIMDA AND AVALOKITESVARA • *

This icon is carved on the back wall of the third

corridor, on the third storey of Cave XI at Elura. The Buddha 4 8 ?

is seated in the padmasana, with his right hand in the

■bhumisparsamudra and the left in the dhyanamudra. Here he is shown seated along with Cunda and AvalokitesVara.

MM USI BUDDHAS

There are two panels depicting seven Manual

Buddhas from Elura which can be ascribed to the period from the 7th to the 9th cent. A. D, One is to the north wall of the first floor of Visvakarma cave. All the seven

Buddhas are shown seated in padmasana and dhyanamudra, while the 8th one though in the same position and attitude and shown with garlapd represents the future Buddha, Maitreya.

The second comes from the third storey of Cave

XII. Here, on the left wall of the antarala, Buddha icons are carved in almost full relief. All of them are seated on the double petalled lotus-seats in the padmasana and have the dharmacakramudra.

They are shown seated beneath their respectilDre

trees.^ From left to the right they are:-

(i) Vipasyi under Patali tree (Bignonia svaveolens) ' ~ 2 (ii) Sikhi under Pundarika, a fragrant kind of mango.

(iii) Visvabhu under sala (Shorea robusta).

1, Zimmer, o p . cit. . pi.200.

2, Burgess, ASWl. V, p.20. 49^

(iv) Krakucchanda xmder Sirlsa (acacia sirisa);

(v) Kanakasvarai under audumbara ( Ficus glomorata);

(vi) Kasyapa under Nyagrodhi (ficus indica); and

(vii^ ^akyasimha lander Pipal or Bo (ficus religiosa)

DHYANI BUDDHAS

The solitary panel depicting the seven Dhyini

Buddhas also comes from Cave XII at Elura. And as such, it can be ascribed to the 9th cent,A.D. The panel in question is to the right of the antarala of the third storey in Cave XII at this place. The Dhyani Buddhas are seated in padmasana and in dharmacakramudras. They all are seated on double petalled lotus seats ( Vii^vapadma ) and have parasols above their heads. They are from ieft to right.

(i) Vairocana,

(ii) Aksobhya,

(iii) Ratnasambhava,

(iv) Amitabha,

(v) Amgoghasiddhi,

(vi) Vajrasattva,

(vii) Vajraraj a

They all have the Usnisa and prabhamandala. /

Flying figures are shovm above them.

Besides these, the Buddha is sho^vn also in the mandala along with Jnanaketu, sthiracakra, Maitreya,etc,

MAHAP ARINIRVANA :

Buddha's independent recumbent figure illus­ trating his Mahaparinirvana is very rare. Of the few icons of this type the one illustrated in Cave XXVI at

Ajanta is the best.^

On the left wall of this Gave he is shown lying on a couch with his eyes closed and his head resting on a pillow. His right hand is under his cheek. His face is calm and composed as if he is fast asleep. This figure is 23 ft. 4" in length. By the side of the bed there are about twenty figures of monks and nuns mourning and demise of the Master. Above the bed, higher on the rock-wall, are 2 representations of Indra, other gods and flying figures.

1. Hiuen-Tsang, writing in A.D,640, q^bserved regarding a similar sculpture at Kusinara; Surendranath, Sen, India Through Chinese eves. (1956).n 2. Yazdani, EHD? 4!) V

BODHISATIVA

Among the Bodhlsattvas we have Maitreya, Avalo-

kitesvara, Vajrapini, Manjusri etc,

MAITREYA

Being the Buddha designated, the position of

Maitreya in the pantheon is next only to that of the Buddha

himself. Nagakesara flower in one of the hands and a miniature stupa placed in his crown or by its side are the

distinctive marks of this Bodhisattva, He is generally not

to be found singly and hence represented either in the com­

pany of the seven Manusi Buddhas or as one of the acolytes

of Pralambasana Buddha. He is the only Bodhisattva^ who is

respected by the Hinayanists and Mahayanist alike. He is

shown sometimes as a dvarapala outside the Buddha shrines or

as an att^dant of the Buddha in the shrine.

His icons can be divided into (i) Sthanaka icons,

and (ii) the As ana icons.

Of his standing icons, the one in Cave XVI at Ajantft

represents the earliest in this region.

Next in chronology are the icons of Maitreya from

the Caves II,IV,VI,X,XI and XII at Elura.

1. He is depicted both as Buddha and Bodhisattva; see Gupte, H .S ., IBSE. p .67. 4 93

They all are two-handed, holding chaurl or

Kagakesara flower in one of them. Sometimes Maitreya is shown in varada or Vitarka-nradra. In Caves II I and

IV he is represented with Bhrukuti. All these sthanaka icons of Maitreya belong to the period from the 6th cent.

A. D. to the 9th cent. A. D.

As his Asana icons are available only from the

caves at Elura, they can be ascribed to the 9th cent.A.D.

These icons are carved in Caves XI and XII at Elura where he is shown in the Buddhamandala• • or with other Eodhisattvas.

As stated above, he appears generally in a group but at Elura we find an exception to this. He appears

singly in three cases.

AVALOKITESVARA^

That Padmapini Avalokitesvara among the Bodhisattva^

should be the most important can be explained because of his

having been the Dhyani Bodhisattva of Gautama Buddha. That

1. A Buddhist legend refers to his 333 incarnations, Saddharmapundarika, pp.410-11 quoted by Gupte «op. cit. j pi71. 4 9^5

is why the Sadhanas describe him in numerous varieties.

Most of early Dharanis invoke him and seek refuge in him]-

His symbols are a mala (rosary) and a padma. Fa-hien

and Hiuen Tsang speak of him -with great reverence.^ Being

a very popular Bodhisattva, he is exhuberantly carved in the caves from Marathwada,

His icons can be divided into seated and stand­ ing varieties.

Of the earlier class, the icons are available

only at Elura, The caves at A^janta and Aurangabad do

not represent him in this position. The icons of the

seated Avalokitesvara, thus belong to the 6th and 7th

centuries of the Christian era.

When seated, Avalokitesvara is depicted either

in savyalalitasana or in Ardhaparyankasana. In Cave IV

he is depicted in pralambapadasana which seems to be unique. Cave II depicts him in dhyanasana, with all

ornaments and in his jewelled crown he has Buddha image

1. Age of Imperial Kanau.i .. p .261.

2. Getty, Gods of Northern Buddhism, p .58. 4 9!^

in varadamudra and is flanked by Ti.ra and Bhrukutl.

The sthinaka icons of Avalokitesvara again

can be classified as two-armed and four-aismed. The two­

armed standing icons of him are available from all the

Buddhist sites of the region of our study and thus belong

to the period from the 6th cent, to the 9th cent. A.D.

At Ajanta the sthSnaka icons are to be met

with in Cave I ,I I and XVI. He is shown attending on the

Buddha figure. He is two-handed, holding a camara in

the right hand and padma in the left. His person is

generally adorned with jatimukata, necklace, bracelets, • • etc.

Not less than seventy sthinaka icons of him

are available from the various caves at Elura. He usually

occupies the position to the right of the Buddha, His

position does not change even when he is shown outside

the shrine-door as a dvarapala. The exception to this,

however, comes from Cave XI at Elura. On the first corri­

dor of the first stoery, he is shown standing to the left

of the Buddha,^

1, Gupte, R .S ..OP.cit. , p.72. Oil

Besides Amitabha, Vairocana and Ratnasainbhava appear in his jatamukuta in some of the caves from this place. He is shown invariably with the stalk of a lotus generally in his left hand.^ He also is shown with his right hand either in the abhaya or in the varadamudra or holding aksamala while it is in the abhaya-nrudra. He also has been illustrated with camara in his right hand. He is sometimes depicted with Ajina on his left shoulder.

Cave II at Aurangabad depicts him to the left of the Buddha and forms another exception to the rule cited above.

Of his four-armed icons three are to be found in the caves at Elura and one in that of Aurangabad. They all belong to the period from 650 A.D. to the 9th cent.A. D.

In the Aurangabad caves he is to be found with rosary, varadamudra lotus and a camara.

The Caves VIII and XI at Elura represent him four-handed thrice.

1. For instance his depiction in Cave V at Elura.

2. Aurangabad (1953), p.4. Published by the Director of Archaeology, Govt, of Hyderabad, 4 0 7

THE LITANY OF AVAL OKI TESVABA

As Avalokitesvara is the saviour, the deliverer,

in times of danger he is to be invoked. Naturally the

scenes depicting Buddhist prayer in which Avalokitesvara

is invoked are carved around him. They are eight, each

illustrating one of the astabhayas. • •

We get these 'Litany panels' at least thrice at

Ajanta in the Caves II, IV and XXVI; twice from Elura in

Caves III and IV and also twice from the caves at Aurangabad.

As all these caves belong to the late 6th and the 7th cent.

A.D. , these sculptures also are ascribable to the same period.

Of all these panels the one that comes from the verandah of Cave VIII at Aurangabad is the most magnificent.

As this litany occurs in the clearest form it is described below.^

It is to the left side of the back wall of the verandah. Avalokitesvara stands on a lotus in a samapadas-

thanaka pose with lotus stalk in his left hand and rosary in the other which is also in the abhayamudra. He wears

antariya. In his j atamukuta is Amitabha Buddha. The • • dangers of fire, sword, captivity (chains) and ship-wreck 98

have been sculpted to his right. And those of lion, reptiles (snake) elephant and death are carved to his left. Avalokites'vara is shewn flying every time to their saccour on the right as well as on the left with his right hand in abhayamudra and left carrying his cognisance, the padma.

Above, to both the sides of his head, are the icons of the Buddha in padmasana and in dharmacakra- iiiudra. To both the sides of Avalo kites vara' s prabhimandala • • are carved the flying Vidyadharas, *■

AVALOKITESVARA AS SADAKSAHiLOKESVARA t • » •

In all fiveJcons of Sa4aksarilokesVara are to be met with in the Caves I I , III and VIII at Elura only.

Thus these can be ascribed to the period from the 6th cent, to the 8th cent,A,D, The earliest among these comes from

Gave II. Here he stands on the left side of the shrine entrance. He is two-armed holding aksamala in the right hand which is also in the abhayamudra and lotus stalk in the left. On his left shoulder is ajina. His jatamukuta • • shows the figure of Amitabha seated in padmasana in the dhyanamudra. Above are two-flying Vidyadharas. Avalokite- svara here is flanked by two figures. The one to his left is a female. Her person is adorned with all ornaments.

She has a. prabhimandala behind her head. Above is flying 490

Vidyadhara carrying a garland evidently for her. A male who is to the other side of Avalokite^vara holds

Chauri in his right hand. He also wears all ornaments and has an aureole roiond his head. Above is seen a flying dwarf carrying a garland for him.^ Here the female is to be identified as Sadaksari Mahavidya and • • • male as Manidhara. The icons of the Sadaksarilokesvara • • • from Caves III and VIII are very similar to this and need no description.

AVALOKITESVAflA AS LOKANATHA

The representations of this form of Avalokites. vara come only from Cave 221 at Elura. Thus all these icons can be ascribed to the 9th cent.A.D. Everywhere this Lokanatha form of Avalokitesvara is shown seated in savyalalitasana. His distinctive marks, namely the lotus in the right hand and the left hand in the varada- raudra, are to be seen clearly. Since the mukuta is not very clear, it is difficult to identify the figure.^

1. Gupte identifies this panel as such. He takes similar figures from Cave III and VIII as of Sadliksari• • • Lokesvara. The only difference in these panels and the Sadhanas describing this form is the absence of two more hands of Avalo- kiteivara. For details see, Bhattacharyya, OP. cit. , p .126.

2 . An image of Lokanatha at Sarnath shows the figure of Amitabha in his crown. Bhattacharyya, Benoytosh, Buddhist Iconography, pi.XXII, b. MAKJUSRI

This is the oldest of the Bodhisattvas, ManjusVi appears at Elura either as Manjusri or Sthiracakra or

Siddhalkavira. The icons of ManjusrI found in the caves at Elura can be divided into Asana and Sthinaka varieties.

A score of his asana icons ascribable to the period from the 8th to the 9th cent.A.D. are in the caves known as Visvakarma, Do - thal and Tin thal at Elura.

About ten sthinaka icons are in the last two caves. They thus, can be assigned to the 9th cent. A. D.

Manjusri is recognized by the book (Book of knowledge) he holds over a lotus. Normally the stalk of the padma is held in the left hand. His right hand is either in the varada or holds a chauri. Sword also is his emblem. He is thus in a way the Mahayina counter­ part of Brahma and Sarasvati of the Hindu pantheon.^ In

Cave XI (Do-Thal) he appears with Sarasvati. At other 2 3 places either he appears alone or as an attendant of Buddha,

1. Majumdar and Pasalkar, The struggle for empire, p .278.

2. In caves X and XI at Elura.

3. In the cave known as Tin-Thai at Elura. iiOl

Man.iusrl As Sthiracakra

As sthiracakra Mafijusri appears very late in

Marathwada. He is illustrated in the caves knovm as Do-

Thal and Tin-Thal at Elura. Sometimes he appears as

Buddha's attendant and sometimes in Buddhamandala* His • • depiction with a female also is not rare in these caves.

As all these icons are to be met with in the last two

Buddhist caves at Elura they all belong to the 9th cent.

A.D.

The PrajnCkhadga i .e . the sword of wisdom in the hand is the distinctive feature of sthiracakra. This can be in either of the hands. The remaining hand is to be in varadamudra. The sword is usually held over a padma. ^

^ - 2 MANJUSRI AS 8IDDHAIKAVIRA

The solitary icon depicting Manjusri as ja

Siddhaikavira is to be met with in the Cave XII at Elura.

Hence it belongs to the 9th cent,A.D.

1. According to Gupte, his repeated portrayal is indicative of the influence of Vajrayina at Elura, IBSE. p.85.

2. Gupte has given few more details, op. cit. ^ pp.85-87 and pl.Sd, He is seen seated on the right wall of the • vestibule of the second corridor of the second storey of this cave. He is in the savyalalitasana on a visva- padma. He has two hands, the left holding a stalk of

an utpala and the right is in varadam-udra. He wears jatamukuta, necklace, ear-rings, vaikaksaka etc. Exactly

above his head is seen a figure of the Dhyani-Buddha.

Aksobhya^ seated in padmasana vath his right hand in the

Bhusparsa and the left in the Dhyana.

2 Siddhaikavira, according to the sadhana , is

flanked by Kes'ini, Jaliniprabha to the right and Upakesini - 3 “ and Ghandraprabha to his left. Of these, only Upakesini is in the vamalalitisana. All these females are adorned with the ornaments. The panel in question answers well

the description in almost all respects. However, there is only one exception. Jaliniprabha, instead of holding

lotus as per description, holds some other objects.

1. Bhattacharya, o p .cit. . p.114.

2. Sadhanamala. V o l.I, p. 145.

3. According to the Sadhana she sits behind Siddhai­ kavira but since at Elura ate the goddesses have been carved in the rock in a row, she is shown to his left. f..

VAJRASATTVA^

The solitary icon of vajrasattva comes from 2 the second storey of Cave XI at Elura. He is shovm 3 seated in padmasana on a visvapadma. Above his head a stupa is carved. He holds a ghanta with a vajra-handle in his two hands held across the chest.He wears a deco­ rative crown, ear-rings, necklaces, bracelets^ etc, with an aureole behind his head. Avalokitesvara and Vajrapini are his acolytes. This is, moreover, as stated above, carved on a pilaster of the antechamber.

This, the only icon of Vajrasattva available in Marathwada, belongs to the 9th cent.A.D. as the cave has been excavated in the same century.

VAJRAPANI

Va^rapani, the spiritual son of the Dhyini

Buddha Aksobhya and one of the eight principal Bodhisattvas

1. Some take him as the spiritual son of Aksobhya. See Getty, o p . cit. . p .6.

2. Gupte does not mention in which cave at Elura it is represented, though he has identified it as such for the first time. Op . cit. , p.30.

3. He can be in savyalalitasana also, Cf. Getty, o p . cit. , p .5.

4. It resembles a Tibetan Vajrasattva; see Gordan, The Iconography of Tibetan Lamaism^ (1959), p .50, p i .50.

5. His dress is usually like that of Bodhisattva; see, Bhattacharyya, o p . cit. , p,6. 50^

mentioned in the Sadhanamala, is widely represented in

the caves of our region. His icons can be assigned to

the period from the 6th cent. A. D. to the 9th cent.A.D.

The earliest representation of Vajrapani is • to be met with in the caves at Ajanta, He is seldom

shown singly in these caves. He usually holds a vajra in the left hand and that too over a padma. The type of vajra he holds in most cases is the visva-vajra.

Similar observations pertaining to the attri­ butes of his icons found in the caves at Elura can be made. The difference is in the number of the icons.

At Elura, though he is not given a prominent place, he has been repeatedly depicted. Nearly 25 sculptures of Vajrapani are available fron the caves at this place.

Maximum number, i .e . nineteen, comes from Cave XII known

as Tin-thal. He is generally shown as an attendant on

the left of the Buddha. However, in Cave XI and XII he

is depicted in the Buddha-mandala where his position is

fourth in the row.

Two representations of Vajrapani of 7th cent.

A.D. depicted in Visvakarma cave differ in three respect, namely : (A) Vajrapani here has four hands instead of the usual two; (B) he holds vajra in the lower hand^ as well as in the headdress^ and (G) he is shown in the balcony of the same cave flanked by two females, and thus ceased to be an attendant. Gave VI at Elura illustrates another interesting icon of Vajrapani. In the vestibule to the • left of the shrine doorway a huge figure with very elabo­ rately carved mukuta, necklaces, vaikaksaka etc. is • • sculptured. To his left is a small figure with all ornaments and a vajra in his mukuta. Evidently the earlier one is of Vajrapani and the latter naturally of Ayudha- purusa. ^

Cave VI at Aurangabad also depicts Vajrapani.

J&AKETIF

Neither the caves at Ajanta nor those at

Aurangabad illustrate Jfianaketu. In the first ten caves of Elura, Jnanaketu is not portrayed any where. Even at

Elura he appears in later excavations. As such, his icons

can be ascribed to the 9th cent. A. D. Though he is not described in the Sidhanamala, Nispanna Yogavati mentions

1. Gupte does not note this. In fact he has omitted this figure which is important in various respects. See. Gupte, op.clt . , 88-89; Zimmer, gives the photo­ graph of this. ( o p . cit. , pi.192) but he identifies this as Maitreya; (Vol.I.p.292 fn.) It seems that he could not see'the personified vajra. £0 6

him in two lists.^

The sthanaka and the asana icons of Jfifanaketu are to be met with in these caves. When seated, he is - 2 • - 3 either in the savyalalitasana or in ardhaparyankasana.

Out of about ten icons at Elura six appear in the Buddha- mandala of course with the dhvaj a - his cognisance - in • • the left and with his right hand in varadamudra. When standing, he attends upon the Buddha along with some other

Bodhisattvas. Five such icons of him are found in these caves.

JAMBHALA

This counterpart of Brahmanical Kubera appears only in the caves at Elura, As his icons are found in

Caves I I , VI, X, XI and XII at this place, they can be ascribed to the period from the 6th cent. A.D, to the

9th cent, A. D.

Jambh^a icons at Elura are shown with citrus 4 fruit in the right hand and the be^g of jewels in the left.

1. Bhattacharyya, o p , cit. , p.96, quoted by Gupte,IBSE,p.90.

2. Cave XI.

3. Cave XII.

4. This bag might have been of the skin of Nakula, but the nakula-face is not seen anywhere as required by the S a d h a n a m i l i Bhattacharyya (Ed), V o l.II, p .560. iO?

- 1 • - ^ He sits either in savyalalitasana-^ or in ardhaparyankasana, either alone or in the canpany of Avalokitesvara, etc.

The Jambhala in Cave XI is shown seated in the savyalalitasana, with-his right foot resting on a lotus. He holds a citron in the right hand and a long narrow bag of jewels in the left. He is shown pot-bellied and adorned with all ornaments, noteworthy amongst which is in ’ imalaka- hara'. Below is a pot of gold and a devotee seated kneel­ ing with his hands in the namaskaramudra. Other icons of him from this place show no variety.

THE BODHISAKTIS

The Mahay^a school of Buddhism is responsible for the development of the cult of Bodhisattvas and making the Buddhist pantheon more complex by introducing into it a good number of gods and goddesses. About the Bodhisattvas we have already discussed. The goddesses or the Bodhisaktis namely Tara, Bhrukuti, Gunda, Vasudhara, Janguli, Mahimayuri • • • Sarasvati, etc. will be treated in the following pages,

1. In Gave II; see Gupte, op.clt. . pl.lOd.

2. Cave VI; see Gupte, o p . cit. , pl.7d. lABA

Amongst these Boddhis'aktis, Tara, the female counterpart of Avalokitesvara, is the most important,^

Tara is represented also as the mother of the Buddhas as well as of the Bodhisattvas. From her sculptural repre­ sentation her worship appears to have been fairly wide­ spread.

The earliest representation of Tara comes from

Ajanta. She is carved in a cell excavated in the right wall of the passage leading from Cave X to Cave The icon here is 2* high and is much weatherworn. This is the only icon from Ajanta which can be dated to circa 6th-7th cent. A.D, As she was not knownas a goddess to the 3 Buddhist before St^h cent.A.D. , this icon can be taken 4 to be the first and perhaps the only one at Ajanta.

The caves at Elura are very rich in this respect*

Tara's icons in these caves can be divided into two groups,

1. She holds the same position vrtiich the goddess Durga occupies in the Hindu Pantheon.

2. Dhavalikar,M.K. , BDCM, Vol.XXIV, (1963-64).

3. Grunwedel, A ., (Tr.by Jas Burgess) Buddhist Art In India, (London 1901), p.182.

4. Dhavalikar, op. cit. . He has identified this figure for the first time. So far it was presumed that Tara was not carved at Ajanta. J;0 9

namely (i) seated and (ii) standing. Again each of these can be divided into subdivisions like (i) seated singly and (ii) in a group; and (i) standing alone and (ii) in a group. In all, we get nearly 25 icons of this goddess, the most important of which is that of her litany.

ICONS OF TARA

They are to be seen in Gave VI, X, X I, and XII.

When seated, she is either in lalitasana^ or in padmasana.*^

Her sthinaka icons are to be met with in Cave II,IV,IX,XI and XII. In Gave VI, X, XI and XII she is depicted alone, and again at these places and in Cave II she is shown either with female attendants or Avalokitesvara or with

Buddha, etc. She is shown Invariably with padma either in her right or left hand. She is also either in varada or in abhayaraudra.

LITANY OF TARA^

- - 4 The earliest litany to Tara and perhaps the

1. Caves X,XI and XII depict her in savyalalitasana. Only in Cave XII her icons are in vamalalitasana.

2. Cave, VI, XI and XII.

3. This was first noticed by R.Sengupta. Bulletin of the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India.No.5. p. 13.

4. Mahapratyangiradharani refers to Tara as a saviouress of all beings frcxn sufferings. The Age of Imperial Kanau.i. p. 262. 10

only one in the Deccan is to be seen depicted on the facade of Cave IX at Elura and as such ascribed to the

7th cent,A. D.

Here, like her consort AvalokitesVara, she is shown rushing to the succour of those who are in danger. The panel, though badly damaged, contains six

'bhayas' carved, three on each side with Tara in the centre. She is shown standing, holding a padma in her left hand. The other hand is broken. To her right side are carved scenes depicting the danger of fire and ship­ wreck.^ On her left side are represented the dangers from reptiles, the enemy and an enraged elephant. 2

The icon of Tara in Cave VII at Aurangabad resembles that of Ajanta described above.

BHRUKOTI ^

The icons of Bhrukuti are to be met with in the various caves at Elura. Thus they can be ascribed to ^ the period from the 7th to the 9th cent. A. D.

1. Third is not visible.

2. For more details see "A Sculptural Representation of the Buddhist Litany to Tara at Ellora /'Bulletin of the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India. 1955-1957,p.13.

3. Bhattacharyya has not cited any image of Bhrukuti from India. OP.cit. , p.59. Sll

Her asana icons are available in Caves V l l l ,

X, XI and XII, and sthanaka icons in Caves IV, V, VIII and X. She is either represented alone or in a group.

When seated, she is either in lalitasana or in padmasana.

In these caves, she is also represented with four hands.

In the shrine of Cave VIII she appears two­ armed with Maitreya to her left. She stands on a double petalled padma, with an aksaraala in the right hand and the stalk of a padma in the left hand which hangs loose at the side. In this loose left hand, she also holds a kalasa. In her crown is a chaitya. Two flying dwarfs are seen above. Her person is adorned with ornaments.

I GATURBHIgA BHRUKUTI

Of her three icons of this type, the one in the chapel on the left of the entrance of Cave XI is worth describing. Here a panel consisting on her sculp­ ture also contains the images of Jambhala and Avalokites- vara and as such it is unique. She is seated in padmasana and is four-handed. She holds a danda in the upper right • •

1. Gupte, OP.cit. . pi.17a. 513

hand and the other hand is in the abhayamudra. The lower left hand, though is on the lap, holds a kalasa, and the upper left hand holds the stalk of a padma over which is a pus taka.

CUN DA • •

Only the caves at Elura represent her. And yet it seems that she was very popular, for she is illus­ trated not less than 25 times. She does not appear in the early caves at Elura. Naturally her depictions are to be met with in Caves X, XI and XII. They can be assigned to a period from the 7th cent. A.D. to the 9th cent.A.D.

Her icons at Elura can be divided into two groups; (i) seated and (ii) standing. Again these can be further divided into four-armed and six-armed icons.

She either appears alone or along with Avalokite^vara,

Buddha, Manjusri, etc.

We shall describe two of her icons: one with four arms and another with six,

Caturbhu.ia Gun da ^ • t I She is to be met with on tha south wall of 513.

the third storey of Cave XI. She Is seated on a visVapadma and is four-handed. Two of her hands are in the dhyana- nrudra and hold a patra - her distinctive mark. The upper right hand is in abhaya, holding an a k p il a , while the upper left hand holds a stalk over which is a pustaka

(now damaged). She wears crown, necklaces, ear-rings, etc. Here she is accompanied by Avalokitei^ara and

Mafijusri.

Sadbhu.ia Cunda • • • •

She appears in Caves X and XI at Elura.^

In Cave X, she is shown seated in padmasana on the vi^vapadma. Her two proper hands are kept on the lap showing her in dhyinamudra. The middle right hand is on the knee and the corresponding left hand on the left knee is holding a kalasa. The upper right hand is in abhaya and holds an aksamala. In the upper left hand she holds a padma. Another panel depicting six-handed

Ounda contains^ the images of Tara and Avalokitesvara.

She is in padmasana with two proper hands on the lap in dhyinamudra. The middle right hand is on the right knee and the upper right hand holds a kalasa. Two of her left hands are broken. 51/.

MAHAMAYURI

Only two icons of Mahamayuri are so far available in this region and those are from Caves VI and VIII at Elura. Thus they belong to the 7th cent. A.D.

In Cave V III, she is shown standing on a visvapadma. She holds a mayurapiccha ^ in the right hand and a jewel in the left. She wears big karnakundalas, • • • ' two Icanthas, keyuras and kankanas besides a mukuta on the head. On two sides of Mahamayuri are Vidyadharas, She has a female attendant on her left with camara in her right hand. A brahmacarin is seated to her right. He is seated in pralambapadasana. His two hands hold an open manuscript (pothi) which is kept on a folding stand. Above him is a standing peacock.

The other icon of Mahamayuri is in Cave VI at the same place. As it resembles, in all respects, the earlier one it needs no description.

SARASVATI ^ »

Of the three icons of Sarasvati from the Buddhist pantheon to be met with in the Caves X and XII at Elura,

1. Bhattacharyya, oo.cit. . p .2 3 4 ._ However, Burgess takes this icon as of Sarasvati. See, ASWI,V,p,7.

2. Gupte, H.S. , OP. cit. . p.110. 515

the one on the back wall of the gallery of the former cave is described here. She is shown standing in saraa- padabanga attitude on a lotus seat along with Ivaloki- tesvara. Her right hand is in the varada-rnrudra and her left hand holds the stalk of a padma with a pustaka on it.^ The very difference in attributes of this Sarasvati from those of her name sake in Brahmanical pantheon shows that they are basically different and independent concep­ tions.

J ^ G U L I ^

The solitary icon of this Bodhisakti, belong­ ing to the later half of the 8th cent. A. D. , is to be seen at Elura. On the backwall of the antarala of the shrine on the third storey of Cave XII at Elura, she is depicted in the savyalalitasana along with two other ladies. Her right hand is in the varadamudra and the 3 left is broken. She wears a jatamukuta in which there • ♦ is a serpent. Moreover she wears sarpakundalas, Vaikaksaka, necklaces, keyuras, sarpamekhalas and nupuras.

1. This form of Sarasvati answers well the description of her given by Gordon cf. The Iconography of the Tibetan Lamaism (Revised Edition) Tokyo , Japan, (1959), p .73.

2. Sadhanas describe her as Ghaturbliuj a; Cf, Sadanamali quoted by Bhattacharyya, o p . cit. , p.79.

3. Though only with two hands, because of hgr Sarpabhu- sanas Gupte had^ identified her as Janguli ;op. cit. .p .99. 51fi

VASUDHARA

The solitary icon of this Bodhis'akti is to be met with in the Tin Thai at Elura. She is shown seated in savyalalitasana^ on a visvapadma. Her right hand is in the varadaraudri and the left holds a kalasa.^ She wears all ornaments.

HAHITI AMD PAKCIKA

Pour sculptures of this couple are so far available in the Buddhist caves of the region of our study. Those are from Cave II at Ajanta; from a cave at Ghatotkacha, from a cave at Aurangabad and from out­ side Cave VIII at Eiura. They belong to the 6th - 7th cent. A. D. The best of all is that in Cave II at Ajanta.

The panel containing Hariti and Pancika is carved on a pedestal on the back wall of a chapel to the left of antarala in Cave II . Both of them are shown seated in savyalalitasana. Pancika is pot-bellied. He wears all / ornaments which are beautifully carved. To his left is

Hariti with her favourite son Priyankara on her left lap.

1. Sadhanas do not refer to her asana; however^ Gordon suggests lalitasana for her,' on. cit. . p.74 quoted by Gupte ( o D . cit. . p.100).

2. Bhattacharyya, o b . cit. , p.245. 517

She holds him with her left hand. Her right hand is in

abhayaniudra and probably holds an aksaraala. She wears

a mukuta , kanthas, karnakandalas, angadas, kankanas,

anklets etc. She is accompanied on the left by a female

camaradharini.• Both have prabhamandala • • round their heads, Below, on the front of the pedestal, is depicted a class

room with the teacher and the taught.^

A similar sculpture is carved at Elura in 2 the corner in between Cave VIII and X.

BUDDHA MM DAL A • •

The panels consisting of nine compartments with the icon of Buddha in the central compartment are

to be met with in the later Buddhist caves at Elura.

These are known as the Buddhamandala and belong to the • • 8th - 9th cent. A. D.

Of the ten or more Buddhamandala depictions, only one such is described in the following pages, for

they are all stereotyped.

1. Spink, A.ianta to Ellora. p.67, fig. 15.

2. Ibid. , fig. 17. 518

There is a chapel on way to the second storey

of 'Tin Thai' at Elura. The Buddhamandala is carved on • • the back wall of this chapel. The following are the

figures in the first row from left. (l) the Bodhisattva

figure seated on a Vi^vapadma in the ardhaparyankasana.

His right hand is in the varadamudra, while the left hand

holds flowers; (2) second figure is of Sthiracakra seated

in the ardhaparyankasana. His right hand is in the varada-

mudra while left hand holds the lotus stalk over which

is a khadga; (3) The third Bodhisattva is seated in the

same position. His right hand is^in the varadamudra.

The left hand holds a peacock fe ^ h e r .

The figure in the central compartment is of 4 the Buddha seated on the visvapadma in the dharmacakra-

mudra. He is flanked by Padmapani Avalokitesvara to

the left and Vajrapani to the right. Avalokitesvara

is shown in varadamudra and holding a lotus stalk. Amitibha

is in his jatamukuta, while Vajrapani holds lotus in his • • • left hand over which is placed a vajra.

In the first compartment of the third row is

Jnanaketu seated in the ardhaparyankasana. His right hand

is in the varadamudra. His left hand holds the staff of a

dhvaja. In the central compartment Is Lokanatha with his 519

right hand in the varadamudra. He holds lotus in the, left.

In the last compartment is M ^ju sri in ardha- paryankasana with varadamudra and holding the lotus on which is a pustaka.

The presence of Buddhamandala clearly suggests the influence of Tantrism on the Buddhist faith of Marath- wada in the 8th and 9th cent. A. D,

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