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.