^0

Section II

IMAGEv^ OF GODS AND GODDESSES

Vedic literature speaks of Ganapati who is identi­

fied with Brahma, Brahmanaspati or Brhaspati. The name

Ganapati also refers in Vedic literature to leaders of

groups. However, whether the Vedic Ganapati refers to

the Puranic Ganesa is far from clear. By the beginning

of the Christian era the concept of Ganesa in its Puranic

form had already come into existence.^ During the Gupta

period images of Ganapati appear to be common and were

carved on walls and other contingent parts of a temple.

Texts on iconography and art, of about this date give

copious descriptions of Ganapati and his various images.

In the medieval period its popularity grew and many temples

came to be erected for it. During the Yadava period it

was accepted as an auspicious symbol, was placed on the

lintel but was not, as pointed out earlier, installed too

often in temples built for itself. However, images of

Ganapati were carved on the temple walls of the period.

Iconographic texts speak of various forms of Ganesa.

All these, however, agree on a basic pattern. The deity

is conceived in a therianthropic image - the head of an

elepihant attached to the body of a man. He has a trunk

 ^ I

usually turned to the left, a big belly, only one tusk,

four arms and his vahana is the mouse. The usual attri­

butes are the aksmala, pa^a, danda, lotus and the modaka

or pothT, aAkuda, para^u - interchangeable according to

the particular form carved.

Icons of Ganapati are found in a considerable number

in the temples of the region of our study. He is generally

shown solitary, seated (asana), standing (sthanaka) and

dancing (nrtya). The image occurs on lintels (Gane^a-

pa^^i), square member of the pillar-shaft, on the corners

of the ceiling of the ma^dapa and on the exterior wall

(mandovara) of the temples. He is flanked either by other

gods or rarely by Chauri-bearers and consorts. The main

difference between the icons of Ganapati found on the

various temples, is only in respect of the ayudhas. A few

representative and noteworthy images have been discussed

in the following paragraphs.

In almost all the temples, barring a few exceptions,

Ganapati is shown seated in ardhaparyaAkasana on the

Ganeiapa^^l or dvaralalata i .e . lintel of the shrine as

as well as of the sabhlmandapa doorway. But this image of

Ganapati presiding from the lintel is very small, and hence

demands little attention. Sometimes, though rarely, he is

depicted either on the stambha^akha or in the place of a

klcaka supporting the bracket capital, as shown in the

Vi^Vi^al temple at Deur (Satara D is t .). He is often found

 52.

occupying a place along with the saptamatrkas panel on

the overdoor. The Saptamatrka panels of the Mahe^vara

temple at Patan and the Devi temple (No. 5) at Balasane

depict GaneiSa along with other Matykamurtis. His icons

placed in the niches, walls are numerous.

The one on the east exterior wall of the Mahadeva

temple (No. k) at Balasane, faces east and measures 2 ’ .3 ” .

Here he is shown in ardhaparyaAkasana. He has four arms

and carries in his hands: LR - a pa5a, UR - a gada,

UL - a lotus and LL - a bowl full of modakas. The trunk

plays with the stalk of the lotus. His yajnopavlta and

some of the ornaments like armlets, anklets etc are clearly

visible so are his large ears and big belly. The figure

is weatherworn. The pose and attributes show that it is

an ’unmatta’ or ’ Saktl* Ganapati.

The Ganapati image on the north-west exterior wall

of the shrine of the Mudhai Devi temple at Vaghali shows

the ’prasanna’ form. It measures 2».10 ” in height and

stands in the tribhaAga pose. He carries in his four hands;

LR - a para^u (a part of the hand and the parafiu are

slightly broken), UR - a danda (or sugar-cane?), UL - a

^ y > ^ t r iia ia and LL -x. bowl or a MahaluAgai'i He holds a modaka

in his proboscis. Besides his usual ornaments he wears a

big skin that covers the upper part of his body as also

a part of his legs. The third eye is not clear, but is

suggested by a small mark on the forehead just below his

 £3

crown (PI. 5, Fig. 1 ).

The following two are from amongst the stray sculptures

at Balsane. These are kept under a big tree in the village

itself. The first figure shows the ’Kevala’ form. He

carries in his four hands: LR - resting on the knee,

UR - a paraSu or a tri^Qla, UL - a lotus bud and LL - a

modaka-patra (bowl). The other figure is in ardhaparyan-

kasana. Ganesa carries - LR - resting on the knee,

UR - broken off, UL - a paraiu and LL - a bowl f\ill of

modakas. The musaka vahana is carved on the lower part of

the seat.

A stray sculpture from the courtyard of the Bhavani

temple at Patan is noteworthy. The image is eroded but

the extant details speak of the high quality of plastic

treatment. The image has four arms and carries in its

hands - LR - broken, UR - a para^u, UL - a lotus and

LL - a bowl, it is seated in the lalitasana.

The nrtya GaneSa on the north-east exterior wall of

the Amare^vara temple at Ambarnath is much eroded. How­

ever, some details can be made out. Ganesa dances with

his left leg lifted up and the weight of the body thrown

on the right leg. Except the ^amaru in the lower right

hand other attributes are broken. The freedom of movement

the figure exhibits is quite remarkable.

Another figure of nrt^a Gginapati is found on the

dwarf wall of the mandapa of the Mahelvara temple at Patan.

 ^4-

It is carved in bas-relief and is a small figure, hardly

15” in height. He carries the following attributes:

LR - a bowl, UR - a paia, UL - an unidentifiable object

and LL - broken. The left leg rests on the ground and the

right one is raised up. The image is bulky and lacks the |

feeling of movement of the above image (PI. U, Fig. 2). #> i •

The other two illustrations are from the square

panels of the pillars. They are from the Bale^vara temple,

Pedgaon and Bhairavan^h temple, Kikli respectively. Both

images are in a dancing pose. Here Ganapati is carved in

the company of his attendants. In the first place he is

dancing along with his four ganas. The first figure is

in the sabhamandapa which is in the ruined state, while

the other is in the open sabhamandapa. Both images carry

their respective attributes including damaru. Though

there is no freedom of movement in the action, the expres­

sions on their faces, denote that they are engrossed in

their da«ces (Plate U, Fig. 1 ).

From the above descriptions one can say that the images

on the exterior wall, except that at Patan, are carved in

bold relief. Those on the dwarf-walls are smaller and in

bas-relief. The modelling of the limbs - hands and legs

etc. and the carving of the ornaments and garment leave

little to be desired.

Siva

Siva of Brahmanic Hinduism is often identified with

 55

Rudra the Vedic god of thunderstorms, of destruction.

It is interesting to see how a twofold development has

taken place in the concept of Siva. In one direcuion he

2
came to be treated as the Supreme God. This concept was

accepted by the followers of Saivism and is best expressed

through the na^araja images. However, in another direc­

tion he came to be considered as one of the Supreme Trinity

- the other two being Brahma and Visnu. According to this

view, Brahma is treated-as the creator, Visnu as the

sustainer and Siva as the destroyer of the Universe.

Both these doctrines are found embodied in the Puraigias,

a few advocating the supremacy of Siva, but the majority

sticking to the Trinity concept.

As such he came to be worshipped in various terrific

forms such as Bhairava, VIrabhadra, etc.

However, the association of Siva with creation was so

deep-rooted in the Indian mind that the most popular

symbol of Siva during the whole of the historic period || ^

came to be the Phallus - LiAga. This too was not alone,*

but was set in the loni - representing the Saktl, the

female aspect of Creation. The same concept is reflected

in the images of Siva and Parvatl. These are anthropo-

morphic images, like that of Na^araja.

The very large number of Siva images, either with or

without his consort - Parvatl, almost convinces a student

that Saivism must have been the most popular religious

 i>6

sect in the period. In the succeeding centuries

Vaisnavism in the form of Vip^hal worship got the upper

hand. But in the period under consideration, the numbers

4 O
and the varieties of Siva images^ is enough to testify to

the dominating position of the deity.

4
Some of the most representative sculptures of Siva

are now discussed.

First to be considered is the figure in the northern

caitya-gavaksa of the I'^anake^vara temple at Jhodge. This

4
is a representation of Siva as Mahayogl. The only other

image of this type is to be found on the Ambamath temple.

The Jhodge image is seated in padmasana with the lower

hands kept in the lap. lAiith the upper right he holds a

tri^ula and a naga with the upper left. He has a jaj^a-

muku^a, a naga around his neck and a yajnopavita across

his chest. The image being eroded no other details are

visible.

The other Mahayogl figure spoken of above is on the

lintel of the doorframe. It is also seated in the padma­

sana. Its attributes are not clear. On either of its

sides are carved ascetics, elephants and lions.

In the central niche on the eastern wall of the

Amre^vara at Ambarnath there is an image of Siva, standing

in samabhaAga attitude. It has* three faces like the one

4
at Gharapuri, Siva has a ja^amuku^a and only one of his

arms is intact - it is the upper left and carries a naga.

Near his feet are carved four images of his ganas, two
 5-7

on either side.
Amongst the more note-worthy sc^^ptures on this

temple is the image of nft,ya-^iva on the northern wall.

It is carved in bold relief and is fairly intact. The

right leg, slightly bent at the knee, bears the weight

of the body; the left leg is lifted up - is almost parallel

to the navel, and goes across the right one. The image

had twelve arms, out of which only six are intact today.

In the two upper hands a trisula is held horizontally

over the head. The next-lower left hand holds an un­

identifiable object, the third is kept in the dandahasta

pose across the body while the lower most left joins the

lowermost right, the palms facing each other. On his

hjftnd is a beautiful ja^arauku^a adorned with floral garlands,

a skull and the cresent tied on the left side. He stands

in the 'Bhujanga lalita’ posture. On either side are

small figures of attendants playing cymbals, there is no

apasmarapuru^a underneath the foot of the god. The

smiling face displays serenity of deep concentration.

Siva is dancing in complete self absorption and* absolute

surrender to the tune of music offered by the attendants

who are playing on cymbals. The dancing figure itself is

poised in a moment of time in delightfully sinuous curves

flowing from top to bottom and balanced on eii;her side

by two pairs of delicate angels. It is the pivot of the

entire composition. The display of light and shade keeps

 58

time and tune with those of the dance and music. It is

a sublime product of Indian artistic genius. The composi­

tional unity is, therefore, not merely visual and aesthetic

but also conceptual and psychological. This figure can

be compared only with the one at Badami which has sixteen

arms instead of twelve and Siva stands on his toes

(Plate 7, figure 1 ).

Besides this, two more images in ’Tandava n{*t;6ya’ are

seen on the exterior wall of the Amaresvara ten^jle. But

they are so eroded that it is not possible to make out

any details such as ayudhas, ornaments, etc.

The other nrtjiyamurti hails from the north-west

exterior wall of the i'^anakesvara temple at Jhodge. The

image is much eroded and damaged. The lower part beneath

the waist is broken and the hands are also broken, but the

remains of elbows show that Siva must have possessed ten

hands. The pose of the upper half of the body clearly

shows Siva's dancing action. He wears ja^^uku^a. There

is an elephant skin covering the whole body. Here also i

one sees the sublime expression of ^iva (Plate 6, figure 2 )!^

Two sculptures from the Gonde^vara temple at Sinnar

depict the dancing poses of Siva in ’ landava nyt^tya’ .

Both the figures are in bas-relief and carved on the lower

part of the pillars in the sabhamandapa. In the first

figure, Siva has twisted his body to the right side and

placed the right foot on toes and held the left leg up.
 CO

In the first figure Siva carries damaru in the upper

right hand while in the second figure ^amaru is in the

lover left hand. In both images Siva wears a Ja^amukuta.

The figures are eroded and out of four arms only two are

visible and seen in a somewhat better condition. The

second figure is much more eroded and weatherworn.

The Bale^vara temple at Pedgaon possesses very in­

teresting sculptures of Virabhadra on the upper square

panel of the sabhamandapa pillar. The temple is in a

ruined
veryA^tate and the sabhamandapa is in a dilapidated condi­

tion, Only some of the pillars are intact. The roof and

erect side walls are collapsed. Here Virabhadra is in a

dancing pose along with his attendants. He is standing

with his right leg planted on the ground with the knee

bent and left leg held up. This figure of Virabhadra has

six arms. He carries in his upner right hand a skull

(or khatvaAga?) then in the middle ria^it hand a damaru

and the lower right is in abhayamudra, vAiile the lower

left carries musala, the middle left a danda, and the

upper left a trisula. He wears ja^amuku^a, a mala of

skulls and bracelets. The fis;ure has round eyes and side

tusks indicating the terrific nature of this aspect of

£iva. Nandi is shown seated beneath his upheld left leg.

The attendants, two on each side are also in dancing pose

and two of them carry drums in their hands and are playing

on them. Two figures in the corners are eroded and the

 6C

instrutnents in their hands can not be clearly seen. The

whole composition is carved in a square panel measuring

15" X 6 ” and is in bas-relief (Plate 7, figure 2 ),

Ural-Mahesvara aliAganamurtls are represented in larger

numbers than the other forms. Of the sukhasana forms of

Siva, this seems to have been more popular. Sthanaka-

murtls are abundant while asanamiirtis are comparatively

few. Only two of them are reproduced here which delineate

i^iva with his consort Uma in sukhasana form. The first

hails from the Devi temple at Balasane. Here the image

is installed in the sub-shrine in the east wall of sabha-

mandapa. It is an lliAganamurtl. Whether this image was

installed afterwards or was originally there, is not known

definitely. But Cousens thinks that this temple being

originally a Vaisnava, one has ten sub-shrines for Visnu’ s

ten incarnations. This also can be substantiated from the

various Vaisnava images over the lintel and at other places.

Therefore, it seems that this image was put there after­

wards, but stylistically it is of the same period and must

have been brought there from the nearby ruins, because

there are many contemporary images scattered here and

there in the vicinity of Balasane village. In this Uma-

Mahe^vara image, MaheSvara is seated in ardhaparyaAkasana

with his right leg planted on the ground and Um.a is seated

on his left lap in Vamalalitasana. He carries a fruit

(probably a niiatuliAga) in his lower right hand and a

 GI

triiiila in upper right hand. The upper left carries a

serpent and lower left is lliAganahasta. Uma has embraced

Maheivara with her right hand and carried something in

her left hand, probably a lotus. On the lower part of

this relief are three small figures in bas-relief. Near

the right leg of Mahelvara is Gajanan^ under his left lap

is seated Nandi and near the left leg of UraS, is Skand

or Kartikeya. These figures are eroded. The pose of

Mahesvara and Uma is conventional. But in this image,

conventions have only provided a framework. The master-

fulness of Siva and the devotion of Parvati have been

worked out with rare delicacy. Siva is straight-limbed

with suppleness in every line. Parvati has heavy fea­

tures (Plate 5, Fig. 2).

The other sculpture also hails from the same village,

Balasane, but it is found kept under a tree near Maruti

mandir in the village itself. Here Uma-Mahe^vara are

seated on Nandi in the same pose and Mahelvara carries a

fruit in the lower right hand and trisula in the upper

right hand, while he carries a serpent in the upper left

hand and his lower left hand is in aliAgana mudra. Uma

carries a mirror with a handle in her left hand while

she is embracing Siva with her right hand. Here Gajanana

is in the left corner and Kartikeya is in the right corner,

both are carved in low relief on the lower part of the

relief.
 (^-1.

There is one sculpture on the exterior wall of the

AmreiSvara temple which depicts Siva’ s marriage (Kalyana-

sundar). Here six armed ^'iva is standing firmly on the

left leg. The right one has a slight bend near the knee
t

and is kept forward. The front right arm is stretched

out to receive the right hand of the bride, Parvati. Out

of his six arms only the upper right is seen, which is

also not intact, but it carries a tri^ula. Both hands

of Parvati are broken, but the remaining parts i .e . elbows

of both figures suggest that they are stretched out to

hold each other. One of her legs is broken. Her hair

are neatly combed and knotted on the nape. The figure

in the centre is damaged, but it has four arms and from

the attributes which are now only partially visible, it

appears to be an image of Visnu,

Of the other forms an image of Nirtti is located /

on the South-Western wall of the temple of Mahadeva at

Jhodge. It stands in the dvibhanga pose and wears sandals.

It is nude and the left leg is broken, Nirtti has four

four arms and carries a bell and a damaru in the lower

and upper right hands and a piece of meat and a paiia in

the 16wer and upper left hands respecoively. He wears

ear-rings, armlets, anklets and bracelets. The object

carved on his thigh is not distinct. The crown resembles

a round Persian cap and has a serpent-like design on it.

Near the left leg is a dog gazing towards its master

(Fig. 2, PI. 43).
 6-3

On the eastern viall of the Jabresvara temple at

*
Phaltan is an image of Gajasurantaka Siva. He wears an

elephant skin, a ja^amuku^a, an udarbhbhandha armlets,

a very heavy necklace and a long hara. He carries in

his four arms: upper left a cobra, lower left a vessel

or fruit; upper right a tri^ula while lower right is held

in the abhayamudra but carries a rosary. There are chauri-

bearers on eigher side. The figure is in bold relief and

its outlines are clear and firm. At his right foot is

a small image of nandi that has lost its head (PI.

Fig. 1 ).

The Harihara image found on the north wall of the

Amrelvara temple at Ambarnath is a noteworthy sculpture.

The figure is carved in a samabhaiiga pose. Harihara

carries in his four arms: lower right rosary (and abhaya- ^

--
mudra), upper right tri^iSla; in his upper left hand is ’

R cakra and in the lower left is a laiikha. Here, two

forms viz. Siva and Visnu are clearly seen from their

respective attributes. The image has got an ornate muku^a

besides ornaments like ear rings, necklaces, armlets etc.

The figure is static and the stature looks masculine.

The shoulders are broad and the entire body is anatomically

proportionate. Details like movements of muscles and

fingures are carefully carved. The static mass has been

rendered in an extremely impressive manner (PI. 11,

Fig. 1 ).
 The foregoing account of the icons of Siva reveals

that some of the forms of Siva like Candra^ekhara,

Vinadhara, Tripurantaka are not to be met v?ith in the

plastic art of the structural temples of the region.

Images of such form as LakullSa are extremely rare. In

fact the only one noticed by the author is on a door-jamb

of the Pur temple. The figure is very small and eroded.^

The images on the Yadava temples usually show a

skilful balance of mass and line as evident in the figure

of dancing Siva. At the same time it is quite obvious

that the tendency is towards slightly heavy and bulky

figures in the later examples,

Devi
4
Devi, Ssktl or the female principle of the universe

has been worshipped in India some times immemorial. The

crystallifcation of a devi cr laktl cult is a much later

phenomenon - perhaps contemporary with the evolution of

Puranic Hinduism. However, devl-worship was most common,

mostly in the form of local goddesses in pre-Puranic days.'

There occurred a two-fold development of the devT-cult.

In the first place, she came to be worshipped as the

supreme-deity, superior to and guiding the actions of all

*
other gods like 3rahma, Visnu or Siva. This ’ absolute’

devotion to Sakti is a very important trend of thought

as well as a sect throughout the period under considera-

 £5

tion. She came to be treated in another direction as

the female counter-part or Saktl of ail the gods and

godlings known to Brahmanic Hinduism, Thus Laksmi of Visnu,

* s
Parvati of Siva came to be considered as incarnations or

reflections of the Devi.

Thus we get images of Devi, independently of herself

and her own independent forms as well as images of Devi

as the consort of some god or the other. However, there

exist very few Independent large images of her forms like

Indrani or nimunda - they are parts of larger panels like

the Sapta-ma^rka representations. Representative images

of all these forms are discussed below,

Durga is represented at Balsane, Mahuli and Somesvar,

At Somesvar she is shown seated on a lion, her vahana.

I
She wears her usual ornaments and dons a sadi. She has

eight arms in which she carries such objects as ^akti,

shield, fruit, kapala etc.

Figures of Camunda are not auite frequent. One appears

on the walls of the Bhule^vara temple at lavat. The other

is from Pur. The first one is in bold relief and is on

the northern wall of the temple. She stands on her usual

mount, a corpse. All of her four arras are broken, but

some details like the scorpion on her belly^her shrunken

belly, lean pendulous breasts and projecting ribs leave

little doubt about its identity.^ The figure at Pur

is much smaller and more eroded but stands practically

in the same pose as the above one,

Mahakali has been represented at various places

in Western Maharashtra viz. Akola, Ambaranath, Anjaneri,

Balasane, Jhodge, Sinnar and Vaghali. Of these one from

Ambaranath is described below.

The central niche of the north exterior wall of

AmreSvara temple at Arabernath depicts an image of eight

handed Mahakali. Her vahana is not distinct as the

image is eroded. She is in a dancing pose and carries

in her hands a spear and shield in right and left lower

hands, then tri^ula and khatvlAgain the right and left

upper hands respectively, and a sword in the middle right

hand while the middle left is broken. Her fierce face,

skeletonlike body and a necklace of skulls clearly show

that it is an image of Mahakali. On her left and right

there are two images one is of a male and the other of

6
a female.

Of all forms of Saiva goddesses the icons of Mahisa-

suramardinl are found in numbers in western Maharashtra.

She is to be met with in the temples of Ambernath,

Balsane, Jhodge, Khidrapur, Sinnar and lavat.

There are two images which are more notable. One

hails from the Kope^vara temple at Khidrapur and the

other from the Gonde^vara at Sinnar. The first image is

carved on the north exterior wall of the temple. Here

she stands with her left leg firmly planted and the right
 ^7

placed on the Mahisa figure, that has its head turned

down. She carries in her six arms the following

attributes:

LR -Sword UL -Shield

MR -Arrow ML -Bow

UR -Upper end of spear LL -Lower portion of the

thrust in the neck of spear held in UR
Mahi§asura

Her vahana, a lion, seems to be attacking the hind portion

of the buffalo. She wears a fine decorated crown (P I.11,

Fig. 2).

The other figure of Mahifasuramardini is at Sinnar.

It is depicted on the lower part of the sabhamandapa

pillar. It is eroded and hence the details are not clear.

But the turreted crown of the goddess, her face and v^per

part of her body are distinct. She is engaged in piercing

the upturned neck of the buffalo demon with her two right

hands. The upper hand is carrying an aAkula and the

lower hand, a tri^ula, but none of them is clearly seen.

Her left arms are broken. There is an overall effect of

vigour and movement. However, none of the Yadava

Mahisasurmardinis is carved with the ease and effortless

grace of the early Chalukyan period or sculptured with

the dynamic vigour underlying the act as depicted in

Orissan sculpture.

Hara-Gauri, ardhanarinal^e^vara or the half man

half woman from is extremely infrequent - in fact only
 6'a

one such image has been noticed by the author. It is

from the Siva temple at Pur. It is a standing image and

due to erosion few details can be made out, but the

damaru, naga and triSula as also the half-male, half­

female body is clearly seen. There is nothing distinctive

either about its physique or its ornamentation.

Another composite image is that of the female form

figures, all from the Bhule6vara temple. The female form

of Harihara occupies a central place in a panel and is

seated in padmasana, it carries: LR - lotus, UR - cakra,

UL - aAkusa and LL - a serpent. The second one is carved

in the upper corner of another panel. She is seated in

yogasana and carries: LR - rosary, UR - a gada, UL - a

damaru and LL - abhaya mudra. The mount is not clear.

Images of Sarasvatl and its Jaina counterpart,

Srutadevi are found on many Yadava temples. Of these two

from Khidrapur are worthy of note. One is installed on

the north exterior wall of the Kope^vara temple. The

image faces north. She is seated in padmasana. She

carries in her four arms: LR - aksamala, UR - anku^a,

UL - a pl^a, LL - a pothl. She wears a kran^amukuta ^

ear-rings, bracelets, armlets, a necklace and a hara.

It is carved in bold relief but is extremely delicate.

That of Srutadevi is carved on the north wall of the

Rsabhanath tenqile at the same place. It carries the same

attributes as the above image. Stylistically also the

 69

two are very close.

Another figure could possibly be Sarasvatl; however

since it holds an attribute raore characteristic of LaksmI

its identification becomes doubtful. It is a standing

image. She carries in her four arms: LR - aksamala,

UR - Sruk, UL - a hooked staff, UL - a vessel. The Sruk

is typical of Sarasvati but vessel is that of Laksmi.

Identification^art, it is an extremely charming figure.

Independent images of LaksmI are rare. Temples at

Khidrapur, Pedgaon and Yavat have these. She wears a deco­

rated crown, bracelets, armlets, a necklace, a long hara

and very elaborately carved drapery. She carries a vessel

in her right hand which is raised upto the shoulder and

the left is katihasta, holding an aksamala. The Kalasa

she carries can be treated as the amrtakumbha which is

an attribute of LaksmI according to the Vifnudharmottara

7
and Hemadri’s Vratakhanda as quoted by Rao . The present

figure is two armed and carries no other attributes and

as such might as well be that of a surasundarl (PI. 27,

Fig, l a ) .

GajalaksmI has been represented at least by ten

depictions and the majority of them adorn the lalapbiAba

of the lintel of the doorway of the main shrine. These

depictions are to be found at Jhodge, Kokamthan, Sinnar

and Velapur.

Two figures of Gajalakfml found on these temples

 70

are quite noticeable. One hails from Kokarathan and the

other from Sinnar. The first one is carved on the lintel

of the subshrine in the sabhainan^apa of the Damodara

temple. Here the goddess is seated in lalitasana in a

small recess and there are t>vo female chauri-bearers

standing on her left and right. Two elephants approach

her from either side with their trunks raised up. They

do not pour water on the goddess. The goddess carries

in her four hands: LR - a vessel, UR -

• an aAkusa, UL - a

lotus, LL - an unidentifiable object. In the other figure

which is carved on one of the pillars in the sabhaman^apa

of the Gonde^vara temple at Sinnar, the goddess is seated

inlalitasana and carries all the normal attributes in her

four arms. The elephants standing on both her sides pour

water on her head from pots held in their trunks. The

figure is eroded.

Sapta-matrka panels are of common occurrence in the

Yadava temples. Before examining them, it would be neces­

sary to note a couple of points in regard to the matfkas.

Their usual number is seven but some texts also prescribe

the number eight. Both varieties are noticed on our

temples. Secondly there is no unanimity among the icono-

graphic texts as to the members of the group. Images of

Gane^a and Virabhadra are generally included in the panels.

The matykas are the laktls of the important gods of

Hinduism and they have come into being to assist in the

 7f

destruction either of Nairyta or Canda and Munda. These

panels occur on the walls of the mukhamandapa or above

the overdoor of the garbhag^a. Sometimes they are also

carved on the architrave. Only in two cases, in the

Mahadeva temple (No. 1) at Balsane and Devi temple (No.5)

from the same place, the images are independent - carved

on brackets. (The number of Images on the walls proper

is extremely limited). The author has also noticed a

few stray sculptures as at Indavane, Nandurbar and Vaghali.

A.S indicated above the matrkas are carved as a group.

The panels are long rectangular pieces hardly more than

V
one foot broad and five to se^n feet long. In this

rectangular frame are carved the matfkas and their accom­

panying deities - Ganela and VIrabhadra. Each figure is

seated on a raised seat (asana), one leg folded beneath

the body, the other touching the ground. Below these seats

are carved the vahanas of each of these goddesses. It

can be easily realised that the size of the sculptures

being very small, it is not too frequently that one comes

across a piece that cares either for beauty of form or

for a detailed representation of the attributes of each

goddess. Nor was any problem of composition ever faced

or solved, for the figures were merely to be arranged in

a row, with greater or lesser distance between them

according to available space.

Perhaos the most remarkable representation is to be

 7^

found in the Devi temple at Balsane. It is on the over­

door of the shrine. Nine figures occupy the so-called

’devakulikas ’ and the recesses betvfeen them. In the

extreme right hand one of the five beautifully moulded

niches is seated Gane^a, in the central one is VIrabhadra.

Each niche is hardly 6 ” x U” , the figures are still smaller

and as such the attributes are not clearly visible. All

the matrfcas have their left leg folded underneath while

the right one touches the ground (PI. 3^, fig. 2). The

Mahe^vara temple at Patan and the Mudhai Devi temple at

Vaghali have similar panels although not as well carved

as this one.

Apart from these panels, there are a few figures

carved on the walls. And the Bhulesvara temple at iavat

has preserved matrka panels of a unique nature. On the

inside parapets of the surrounding cloisters these panels

are seen. Each consists of three to five figures, one

in the centre being the largest, carved in greater relief

than the rest. All are seated aross-legged and the ayudhas

are clear. Below is to be foiind a detailed description

of matrka images on the walls of the temples and in the

Bhulesvara panels.

Brahml

These figures of Brahmi are discussed here, two from

Balsane (Temple No. 1 and Temple No. 5} while the third is

from the Bhulesvar temple at Yavat. The first two images

are carved in bold relief and installed on the separate

buttresses or cushions in the walls. In the first image

her vahana is just a caricature of swan depicted under

her left lap. Here the goddess is seated in savyalalit-

asana and carries in her four hands -

> lower right in

vyakhyana mudra, upper right an aAku^a, upper left a sruva

and lower left a pothi. She wears a crown, necklace

a hara and anklets.

In the second example, Brahml is seated in savya-

lalitasana on her mount a swan, it is depicted slightly

on her right side. She carries in her four hands - lower

right in abhayamudra with an aksamala upper right a sruva,

upper left a club, and lower left a pothi.

In the third figure, Brahmi has four arras. She carries

in her two lower hands - right and left aksamala and pothi

respectively, while her two upper hands are broken. She

is seated in yogasana on a swan which is depicted beneath

her couch.

All the three figures of Brahmi described above

possess only one face while there is an image of Brahmi

with three faces in a niche on the South-west exterior wall

of the Gonde^vara temple at Sinnar. The arms are broken;

hence no attributes are seen. Two vidyadharas with

garlands are depicted above her head. There is a geometrical

design above it and at the top there is a kiritmukha mask

 7^

(Plate 13, Figure 2).

iVIahe^vari; There are two figures of Mahe^vari

described here. They hail from two different temples,

viz. the Devi temple at Balsane and the Bhulelvara temple

at Yavat. In the first figure which is in bold relief

and installed on the buttress or cushion. Mahe^vari is

seated in ardhaparyaAka pose. There is no vahana. She

carries in her four arms, lower right abhayamudra with

aksamala, upper right tri^ula, upper left serpent, and

lower left fruit. The attributes are certainly misleading.

The fruit in the front left hand suggests an attribute of

Mahalaksml. However, the triad in the upper right hand

and serpent in the upper left hand confirms her identity.

The other figure is carved along with other Matrjlka-

murtis of Harihart;, and Brahml. She is seated on a coach

in yogasana and her vahana bull is carved beneath it. She

carries lower right varadahasta with aksamala, upper right

damaru, upper left is broken and lower left is in varada­

hasta.

Aindri. Only two figures are discussed here. The

one is from the Devi temple at Balasane and the other is

from the surrounding wall of the Bhule^vara temple at

Yavat. The first figure is installed on the buttress under

the architrave. Here Aindri is seated in savyalalitasana.

Elephant, her vahana is shown on the right lower part of

the relief. She carries in her four arms, lower right

 75

aksaraala with abhayajiudra, upper right an aAkusa, upper

le ft a pa^a and lower le ft vajra. She wears all the usual

ornaments (Plate 14, Figure 1 ) . i/j

The other figure which hails from the Bhule^vara •

temple at Tavat and is comparatively eroded. Aindri is

depicted with all her usual attributes and vahana.

Varahi: The image of Varahl is seen on the buttress

in the shrine of the Devi temple at Balasane. She is seated

on her mount, buffalo in ardhaparyankaaana instead of an

elephant. She carries in her four hands - lower right

aksamala and varadahasta, upper right aAkusa, upper le ft a

gada. The terrific nature of Varahi is emphasised by the

tusks and with boards face (Plate 1 3 , Figure 1 ) ,

Cam\inda: Two images of Camun^a are noteworthy. One

each hails from the Mahadeva temple No. 1 and the Devi

temple at Balasane. In the f ir s t figure Camunda is seated

in lalitasana and carries in her four hands - lower right

a b e ll, upper right ^araaru, upper le ft held on mouth, and

lower l e f t a khatvanga. Her breasts are pendulous, ribs

are projecting and on the belly is seen a scorpion in the

centre. Here, her eyes and face are normal, except her

emaciated stomach and distended breasts. Nothing looks

furious (Plate 12, Figure 2 ) .

In the other figure, which is installed on the buttress

of the w all, Camunda has been shown in her Dantura form.

She is seated in lalitasana with her right leg slightly

 76

turned upwards. She carries in her four arms - lovfer

right a b e ll, upper right a ^amaru, upper l e f t on the

mouth, as i f lower le ft a

khatvaAga with a skull. She wears a crown and a garland

of skulls. Her distended breasts, projecting ribs, the

cruel smile lurking on her broad face, her round, bulgy

eyes, all show her fierce form (Plate 1 2 , Figure 1 ) .

Vaisnavi: Two figures of Vaifnavi are described here.

The fir s t one is from the Bhulesvara temple at Yavat. She

occupies a place in the central niche. It is a mutilated

figure. However, her mount, Garu^a is clearly seen

enabling the identification of the image. Only the lower

le ft hand remains and it is in abhayamudra. She is seated

in padmasana.

The other figure is from the Devi temple at Balsane.

She is sculptured in a niche and is in ardhaparyaAkasana.

She carries in her four hands: LR - akfamala in abhaya-

V
hasta, UR - gada, UL - cakra and LL - mahaluAga. ^
'i
Kaumarl; The figure from the parapet panels o f the

Bhulesvara temple is described here. She is seated in

padmasana and nearby is the peacock - her vahana. She

carries in her four hands - LR - akgamala in abhayahasta,

UR - broken, UL - a bow and LL - mahaluAga.

In the same panel VainayakI is depicted on her l e f t .

She carries in her four arms: UR - para^u, the objects in

the remaining hands being now indistinct. Her trunk, tusk

 V

and the rat-vahana are clearly seen. The other figure

of VainayakI occurs in another panel. She is seated in

yogasana and carries: LR - aksamala, UR - a paralu,

UL - an aAku6a, LL is broken. Her trunk is turned to the

left. Her big ears ai^ without any ornaments. She has a

charming feminine form: the pot-belly of Vinayaka being

conspicuous by its absence, A turreted mukuta is quite

prominent, so are her other ornaments like the armlets,

a necklace and a hara.

A noteworthy aspect of the saptamatrka panels is the

absence of the NarsiAhl. The goddess is not considered to

be a regular member, its place being very often taken by

Camunda. (Khare, Murtivijn^ana, p. 1 ^ 6 ) . Narsimhi was

the family deity of the ladavas and therefore, its absence

from the Matrka slabs is rather surprising. It is quite

apparent that sciilptural and iconic traditions rather than

royal preferences prevailed in these matters.

Visnu

With the evolution o f Brahmanical Hinduism Visnu came

to occupy an important position in the Trinity of

Supreme Grods. Visnu became popular during the Gupta period

and his popularity kept on growing during the subsequent

centuries. Temples dedicated to him were erected every­

where, Texts like Bfhatsar^ita, Vi§nu Purana, Skanda

Purina, CaturvargacintamanI describe several types of

 76

Visnu
•• icons. Almost all the Puranas
• tell us various

legends and myths connected with his incarnations and

other forms. In our region images of Vis^u appear to be

fewer than those of Siva or of Devi. The number of Yadava

temples dedicated to Visnu is also small and very few of

them have preserved the original images installed in them.

However, images depicted on the exterior walls, p illars

or doorframes can be seen today. Some are to be found on

the walls of Siva or Devi temples also. The four main

attributes of Visnu are Sankha, Cakra, Gada and Padma.

In the following paragraphs they are described clockwise

i . e . lower right fir s t , then upper right, upper le ft and

fin ally lower l e f t .

Along with Vifnu images on the structural temples

stray sculptures scattered all over the region have also

been taken into consideration. The courtyard surrounding

the Bhavlnl temple at Patan in the Jalgaon district has

a number of them, so also the village of Balsane in the

Dhulia district has a large number. All these are discussed

below.

Visnu images can be broadly classified in three

groups:

(i) CaturviA^atlmtirtl (Visnu*s icons in his

twenty four form s).

(ii) Dasavatara or Ten Incarnations.

9
( i i i ) Other or miscellaneous forms.
 Of the first group, the representations of Kesava,

Narayana, Pradyumna and Trivikrama are to be met vfith.

Several icons depicting the ten incarnations are also

found in our region. Out of these independent images of

Varaha and Nrsimha are more frequent. All ten incarnations

as a unit are also carved on some slabs but the images are

naturally miniature in s ize . The images o f the third

category are comparatively few and the more frequent of

them are those of Sesa^ayl and Visnu-Laksmi.

Among the Caturviiii6atimurtis Kesava is the first of

the twenty four forms. His icons are found generally in

the shrines, either in their original position or otherwise,

the images of Kelava are found at Jhodge, Khatava, Parner,

Shrigonda etc. However, the one at Khatava is along with

his consort.

The ManakeSvara temple at Jhodge represents Kesava

on its north exterior w all. It is a sthanakamurti. It

is in the samabhanga pose and though partially mutiliated,

attributes in its four arms can be seen; lower right hand

holds an ak^amala in abhayahasta, the UR - ^aAkha, UL -

broken, LL - gada. Kesava wears a kiritamuku^a and numerous

ornaments. The image of Kesava placed near the pedestal

of the Vit^hal mandira at Parner has a garu^a to its right

and a camardharini to it s l e f t . The image of Kesava at

Khatav is four-armed and holds in its hands; LR - padma,

UR - liaAkha, UL - cakra and LL - gada. It is an asanaraurti

 80

and Ke6ava is seated with his con&ort, LaksmT (Agnipxirana

and Abhilasitartha-cintaraanI)

An image of Narayana along with his consort is pre­

served in the museum of the Bharata Itihasa Samshodhaka

Mandala, P o o n a . I t belongs to the Yadava period.

Narayana has four arms and carries in his hands: LR -

^aAkha, UR - a padma, UL -
- gada and LL - cakra. There is

a loose image of Narayana in the Balasane villag e. Hare

Narayana is seated on Garuda, his vahana; in lalitasana

and Laksmi is seated in Vainalalitasana on his left lap.

She holds a lotus in her le ft hand and with her right en­

circles Narayana’ s shoulder. The attributes, clockwise

*
are; Sankha, Cakra, Gada and lower le ft around Laksmi. He

wears kiri^amukuta, a necklace and a hara while Laksmi wears

karna-phula, a necklace, bracelets, anklets etc. Her

neatly combed hair are knotted on the neck. Two attendants

are seated on the le ft and right corners near the makara-

mukhae (Plate 10, Figure 2 ) .

One from Patan depicts all these attributes but is

slightly eroded.

The Kope^vara temple at Khidrapur depicts two icons

of Visnu. One is carved on a separate black stone slab

and installed in the sabhamandapa in between two p illa r s .

It is comparatively a big image and measure 6 ’ .3 " x 2 * .

Only one of his four arms is intact the rest are more or

less damaged, but enough of them remains to enable one to

identify the attributes.

Another figure on the exterior wall of the same temple

is in a good state of preservation. He carries gadl,

cakra, ^aAkha and padma. On either side are standing

female chaurl-bearers. The figure can very well be called

12
as that of Jiadhava. He wears a kirl^amuku^a, a long

ratnahara, a neklaee, karna-phula, bracelets, armlets and

a girdle. The folds of his lower garments are clearly seen.

The two camardharinis are slightly inclined in the opposite

directions. They wear kiritamukutas and all the usual

ornaments. The haras that hang on their full breasts are

minutely carved. So are their garments. It appears that

the artist was more concerned with fine execution of minor

details lik e attributes, ornaments etc. but was not

equally careful when it came to the main figures. The

figure o f Visnu is heavy and squat. The distance between

the navel and toes and that of the naval and the head is

equal, making it squat. The legs are comparatively thin.

The figures of the chauri-bearers are also stumpy and

lack all expression (P I. Figure 2 ) .

A loose slab near the Mlruti Mandir at Balsane is

an interesting sculpture o f Visnu surrounded by his ten

incarnations. The main figure stands in the samabhanga

attitude and holds; LR - cakra, UE - gada, UL - ^ankha,

LL - aksmala in abhayahasta. On the back slab are on the

the right of Visnu, bottom upwards, Matsya, Varaha, Vamana,

 82

Balarama/Krsna (? ). N^-siiliha and on the le ft are Kurraa,

Rama, Para^urama, Kalki and Buddha. The author has not

come across a similar piece in his survey of Yadava

sculpture. There are four female figures near the legs

of the main figure (Visnu) but they cannot be identified

for want o f any attributes (Plate 9, Figure 1 ) .

Several icons depicting the ten incarnations of Visnu

are met with. Out of the ten incarnations, those of

Varaha and Nrsimha occur independently and in auite a

large number. But ten avataras as a unit are shown in

miniature at various places.

Matsya and Kurma are always depicted in the dasava-

tara-pa^^as at places like Balasane, Khatava, Sinnar etc.

These generally occur either behind the head of Visnu

image forming an aureole or on the ceiling of the man^apa.

Very rarely these appear on the mandovara.

On the architrave of the door of the mukhamandapa of

the Devi temple at Balasane, are seen three incarnations

v iz . from le ft to right (Kurma), Nrsimha and Matsya. Here

Visnu is shown in a form which is h alf fish and h alf man,

the upper portion being that of man and the lower that of

fis h . The image has four arms - the right two carry gada

and 5aj4kha while le ft two hands carry cakra and abhaya-

mudra. Visnu wears kirl^amuku^a and other usual ornaments,

but as the image being very small, other details are not

v is ib le .
 83

The Kur.ua incarnation is like that of Pish incarna­

tion, that is upper half man and lower h alf tortoise.

He has four hands, two of which carry 5a]^kha and gada

while the other two are held in varada and abhaya pose

respectively. The person of Visnu here is adorned with

usual ornaments v iz . Kirl^amukuta, hara, etc.

The middle or central icon shows NrsiiSha incarnation.

Nrsiihha here is seated with h is legs well planted on the

ground. He holds Hiranyaka^ipu on his laps with h is two

lower arms, he claws into the belly of Hiranyaksipu. The

attributes in his upper hands are clear, v iz . gada, cakra,

etc. His ferocious lio nlike face ie distinct.

The whole panel depicts besides these incarnations,

two camaradhari^Is outside the small frame.

There is also one panel of small figures on the

architrave o f the sabhamandapa in the Devi temple at Bala-

sane. It depicts other three incarnations. From le ft it

represents Balarama, Varaha and Para^uraraa avataras.

B a la r M a is seated in padraasana with his two hands in the

laps and carries gada or musal (?) in the upper right hand

and hala in the upper le ft hand. His h air is knotted on

the top of the head. The figure is eroded and weatherworn,

hence the details are not clearly discernable.

The middle figure is that of a Varaha incarnation.

His stance suggests that as i f he is ready to jump. He

has four arms. Three of them are broken. The only one

intact is lower right and it carries cakra. His legs are

 84

are broken, he is carrying Bhu(?evl on his tusk. There are

two chauri-bearers outside the niche.

An extremely eroded and rather squat figure of Parasu-

rama flanks the Varaha sculpture. The figure is tv;o armed

and carries in the le ft arm a parasu -while the right hand

is in the abhayahasta mudra.

The icons of the Varaha incarnation are found on the

exterior v a ils as well as in the places of kicaka brackets.

For example, the Varaha image as a bracket. Figure is

found in the Vi^^hal temple at Deur, Satara D istric t.

Varaha is represented with a boar’ s head and human body

which can be called Krvarlha. The icons of Nfvaraha are

to be found st Ambamath, Methi, Anjaneri, Pedgaon, Deur,

etc. k solitary temple dedicated to Varlha at Loni-Bhapkar

in Poona D istrict contains some images of Visnu, especially

of Srikj-sna in narrative scenes. All these are sthanaka-

murtls or standing images, remarkably agreeing among them­

selves 30 far as the alidiiasana pose is concerned. BhudevI

is shown resting on the upper le ft arm of Nyvarlha, which

is folded. One of these icons is reproduced and is des­

cribed below.

This sculpture hails from the Lakfml-I'Tarayana temple

at Pedgaon. The image^ occupies the central niche of the

southern wall of the temple. He is four armed holding

in his hands: LR - katihasta, Ufi. - gada, UL - sankha and

LL - cakra. His right leg is firmly planted on the ground

#
 85

while the le ft leg is put forth. There is a certain

vigour in the sctilpture. All the details are minutely

carved (Plate 9, Fig. 2 ) .

Nrsirnha is perhaps the most frequently represented

incarnation of Visnu in Maharashtra, The icons of Nrsimha

are found throughout this region. Moreover, the remarkable

feature of this icon is , that it is the only incarnation

of Visnu the erection of whose temples in our period is

recorded. Nrsirhha images are found at Ambarnath, Anjaneri,

Balsane, Methi, Sinnar and Patan. There are sthanaka as

well as asanamurtis. Among the icons representing Nrsimha's

vidarana attitude, the one on the p illa r in the sabhaman^apa

of the Gonde^vara temple at Sinnar seems to be worthy of

note. Four-armed Nysimha is seated here in la lita sa n a .

Hiranyakasipu is shown lying on his lap with his head on

h is left thigh. NfsiAha carries; padma in the upper right

hand, gada in the upper l e f t hand, while the two remaining

hands are engaged in tearing the demon’ s body.

Trivikrama images are by no means numerous. ITie one

on the p illa r shaft in the sabhamandapa of the Go^de^vara

temple is noteworthy and representative. This panel

includes three images v iz . Vamana, King Ball and Trivikrama.

It is carved in a souare frame in bas-relief. Vamana’ s

person bears very few ornaments but an umbrella is shown

over his head and his hands are stretched forth to accept

the dana made by King B a ll. The King holds a pot from
 86

which he is pouring water on the outstretched hands of

Vamana and his figure is decked out in all sorts of orna­

ments. The figure of Trivikrama is carved in the same

panel. He stands on his right leg and keeps the le ft one

in the air, as i f to indicate that it is covering the three

worlds. He has the following attributes: LR - akjamala in

abhayahasta, UR - gada, UL - cakra and LL - ^amkha. He

wears a kiri^amuku^a (Plate 1 0 , Figure 1 ) ,

llie I^nke^vara temple at Jhodge depicts another figure

of Trivikrama on its exterior w all. Out of the eight arms

of the god, three are broken. The attributes in the remain­

ing hands are clockwise, aksamala in abhayahasta, ^ankha,

cakra, gada, hala and padma. He stands on his right leg

while the left leg is kept on the head of the squat figure

of King B a ll. It is a vigorous sculpture.

Images of Kysna are carved independently as also the

participants in some mythological scene. Sometimes these

are very elaborately carved, depicting his miraculous feats.

The forms lik e Kaliya-mardana, Muralidhara, etc. are found

on the temples at Baragaon-Nandur, Jhodge, Loni-Bhapkar,

K ik li, Sinnar and Vaghali. The Rasakrida is carved on the

ceiling of the sabhSmandapa of the Srlkrsija temple at

Vaghali and is a remarkable piece (discussed in the section

on ceilings) (Plate 35, Figure 1 ) . The representation of

Muralidhara on the ceiling of the Khole^vara temple at

Baragaon-Nandiir is also noteworthy (Plate 35, Figure 2 ) .

 81

Narratives from the Ramayana are common and in them

the images of Rama are to be seen. These scenes usually

depict the meeting betineen the two brothers, Rama and

Bharata as at Yavat or the hunt for the Kancanm^'ga as at

Kikli (Plates 17, Figure 2 and 18 , Figure 2 ) . Rama is

usually shown holding a bow and arrow.

Ananta^ayin Visnu is not to be seen on the exterior

walls of these temples. But in the interior sculptures

of this form are to be seen as in the Vi^thal temple at

Deur, the Devi temple at Balsane, the Damodara temple at

Kokamthan. The largest in size is at Kokamthan while the

better in workmanship is at Balsane.

The figure at Balsane is carved above the architrave

of the doorframe of the Devi temple. On the architrave is

a -fViez^G of saptamatrkas and above them is the small

sculpture (9 " x 4 ” ) of Visnu reclining on the Sesa. 'fhe

le ft leg is folded, the right rests in the lap of Laksml

who is massaging it . One of the right hand?supports his

head, in the other is a padma. Rest of the details are

not clear (Plate 3^, Figure 2 ) . The other figure, that at

Kokamthan is in the Damodara temple. Here also Visnu reclines

on the Sesa, his head is turned le ft so as to face the

observer. One o f his right hands supports the head, the

other holds a padma; in the le ft hand are cakra and gada.

Last to be noted is a majestic figure of eight-5 .armed

Visnu. It is carved on the eastern wall of the Laksml-

 2B

Narayana temple at Pedgaon, Visnu stands in the saraabhanga

pose. The lower four arms are broken, in the remaining

hands are seen, a padma and a para^u in the hands on the

right and a naga and a cakra in the l e f t . BhiidevI and

§rldevl are carved on either side of the figure. His

kirl^amuku^a, necklace, hara and garments are carved in a

neat manner.

Brahma

Brahma or Brahmadeva is supposed to be the creator

of the world. His position in the Hindu pantheon is , how­

ever inferio r to that of the principal cult deities like

Visnu, Siva and Devi, nay, even Ganela. He appears to have

enjoyed no success as a cult god. It is true that he i l l u ­

strates in a way aa aspect of Vedic religion. He was

accepted by the Epics as well as by the Puranas but they

accorded him a lesser position. Every attempt of the Hindus

to formulate his cult was destined to be a fa ilu r e . One

of the earliest descriptions of an iconographic nature is

to be found in the Brhatsamhita. Some of the earliest

sculptural representations are found in the Buddhist art

of Gandhara. Since the Gupta period a large number of

Brahma’ s images were carved. During the medieval times

many images were carved on the walls of temples. However,

very few temples, dedicated to Brahma himself are known.

Images of Brahma are to be met with on the Yadava

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temples at Ambarnath, Jhodge, Khidrapur, Mangalvedhe,

Phaltan and Sinnar. Although here too there is no temple

•

dedicated to Brahma him self, his sculptures are carved on

the w alls, p illa r shafts and the square blocks of the p i l ­

la rs. The images are mainly of tv;o types - sthanaka and

asana. Only one figure of the ’ lliAganamurti* type is found;

that is at Ambarnath.

On the south exterior wall of the Kopesvara temple

at Khidrapur is a sthanaka image of Brahma. It has three

faces and a long beard. He stands in the samabhanga pose

and his attributes are: LR - an aksamala, UR - Sruva, UL -

Sruka, LL - a kama^dalu. There is a camardharini on either

side. With one hand (nearer to the Lord) they hold the

flywhisk and with the other a vessel.

The most intact and graceful image of Brahma is to be

seen on the walls of the Jabre^vara temple at Phaltan. It

is in bold r e lie f and is 32” in height. Here Brahma has

got only one face. His attributes are; LR - aksamala, U

.. -4
UR - Sruva, UL - pothi and LL - broken. He has a long

beard, moustaches and he wears a conical crown. His vahana,

a harasa is carved near h is right foot, but its head has

been broken o ff (Plate lUt Figure 2 ) .

The figure on the south wall of the Laksmi-Narayana

temple at Pedgaon is similar to the above image.

At Mangalvedhe he is shown holding a ladle and a

pothI in his upper hands and ak§amala and kama^^alu in the

 90

lower ones. He is three-faced and the central one has

a beard. To his left is a small figure o f Savitri and of

a hamsa.^^

Of the asanamurtis, the ones in the Amre^vara temple

at Ambarnath are notevorthy. These are on the p illar shafts

and central blocks of the p illa r s . The figures are small

being carved within frames 1 5 ” x Their attributes are:

aksamala, Sruva, pothi while one hand usually in the varada

pose.

The most noticeable and remarkable image of Brahma is

carved on the northern wall in a beautifully carved niche

of the Amre^vara. Brahma has three faces and Savitri is

seated on his le ft lap. It is an aliAganamurti. The central

face has a long beard and all three heads have beautiful

crowns on them. The attributes are: LR - aksamala, UR -

Sruva, UL - pothI, LL - aroiind the shoulder of his consort.

His vahana, the swan, is carved under or near his right leg.

The faces appear tranquil and calm (Plate 15, Figure 1 ) .

Surya

SQrya is one of the more popular of the Vedic deities.

He was held in veneration and prayers were offered to him

by the Vedic Aryans. However, the growth of the cult o f

Sun worship, known as the Saura sect is not due to these

early b e lie fs . It was most probably introduced into India

by foreigners, perhaps the M a g a s . T h i s sect of Sun

worshippers, of Sauras became very popular in some regions

 91

of India and some very fine temples vrere erected for this

deity. The most famous of these were the temples at I'todhera

(Gujarat), Martand (Kashmir) and Konark (O ris sa ). Like

Brahma the earliest iconographic prescriptions for this

deity are to be found in the Brhatsamhita of Varahmihira.^^

The extant images fall in tvo distinct groups, Northern and

Southern. In the images from Northern India, the hands are

held at the level of the waist and both hands carry f u l l ­

blown lotuses. The images wear shoes that reach up to the

knees. South Indian images have bare feet, their arras are

raised up to shoulder level and they hold lotus buds in

their hands.

The Saura cult acquired the widest influence by about

the sixth-seventh centuries and found followers among the

17
royalty. What position it enjoyed in Maharashtra during

the Yadava period canj_be ascertained. However, there are

a few temples built for the Sun under the Yadavas. The

most important among the extant temples is the one known

as Mudhal Devi today (P atan ). According to Cousens, "the

temple would seem to have been originally dedicated to snrya.

Of the three images in the three principal niches around

the outside of the shrine w alls, that in the back or west

niches, the most important of the three and always indicating

Id
the deity to whom the temple is dedicated, is Su ry a." The

other temple is at Sinnar, but is not an independent shrine.

It is one of the ’pancayatana’ that form the Go^^e6vara

complex.
 9^

Images of Surya are very fevi, not more than a dozen.

These are in the temples of Khidrapur, Patan, Purandhar,

Sangameshvar, Sinnar and Vaghali. The only image worth

considering is from the Mudhai Devi temple at the last named

place. Surya stands in the samabhaiiga pose. Of his four

arms two are kept on the hips (Katihasta) while the upper

ones hold full-blown lotuses. These lotuses as well as the

numerous ornaments on his person are most minutely and

re alistic ally carved. The image has knee-high shoes; which

together with the full-blown lotuses indicates that the

image falls in the North Indian group. On either side are

camardhari^is and to the right is Dandl and to the le ft is

PiAgala. On the pedestal are carved the seven horses that

draw his charriot. The image f u l f i l l s textual prescriptions

but would not compare quite favourably with images from

Khajuraho or Konark (Plate 15, Figure 2 ) .

 51

References

Section I I

1 . Banerjea, J .N ., Development of Hindu Iconography, p . 359.

t
2. Bhandarkar, R .G ., Vaisnavism, Saivism and Minor R e lig i­

ous Systems, p. 102.

3. Identificatio n of various images and their forms is

mainly based on -

Cousens, H ., Mediaeval temples of the Dekhan.

Khare, G .H ., Murtlvijnana.

Rao, T .A .G ., Elements of Hindu Iconography.

4 . Naik, A .V ., Archaeology of the Deccan, p. 2^1.

5 . Banerjea, o p .c i t ., p p .505-507.

6 . Cousens, o p .c i t ., p.

7. Rao, o p .c i t .. Vol. 1 , Part 2, p. 374 and Appendix B,

p. 134.

Naik, A.V. (1945), »Bhuleshwar Temple near Yavat (Poona

D is t r ic t ); Biilletin of the Deccan College

Research Institute, Vol. IV , p p .95-125.

9. Khare, o p .c i t ., pp. 23-29.

1 0 . I b i d ., p . 26.

1 1 . I b i d ., pp. 26-29.

1 2 . Rao, o p .c i t ., Vol. Part 1 , p. 229 .

1 3 . I b i d ., Vol. 2, Part 2 , p. 523.

1 4 . Khare, o p .c i t ., p. 7 .

1 5 . Rao, o p .c i t ., Vol 1 , Part 2, p. 301.

 5^

1 6 . BrhatsaAhita (of Varahamihira) Ed. by Athalye, J .N .,

1?^74), Chapter 57, Verses 46-4^.

1 7 . Bhandarkar, o p .c l t ., p. 155.

Id . Coueens, o p .c i t ., p . 26.