Pallava Architecture, Part I (MASI 17) c2.53

c2.53

As a rule, the interior of the shrine of a Hindu temple is not decorated. It is only in these Pallava temples dedicated to Siva in the form of Sōmaskanda where this very unusual feature is found. Another uncommon feature about these Sōmaskanda temples is the style of the linga enshrined within them. Generally, the lingas of this period, like those of the Mahendra period, are carved out of the local granite and cylindrical in shape, the shaft having a smooth polished surface. But the lingas in the Sōmaskanda temples are carved out of black basalt, specially imported from a distance for the purpose. The shaft of the linga is cut into eight or sixteen vertical facets which are generally slightly fluted and terminate in the centre of the crown of the linga. The fluting is highly polished. Some of these temples contain three lingas of this kind, each in a separate shrine, the one in the central shrine usually being the biggest. Perhaps they are meant to represent Siva, Pārvatī and Skānda, as depicted in the panel.