Manasara Series (I. A Dictionary of Hindu Architecture; II. Indian Architecture according to Manasara-Shilpashastra; III. Manasara on Architecture and Sculpture: Sanskrit Text; IV. Architecture of Manasara: Translation; V. Architecture of Manasara: Illustrations; VI. Hindu Architecture in India and Abroad; VII. An Encyclopaedia of Hindu Architecture) v6.c40.s22: Chapter LXII: The Bull (Vṛishabha-lakshaṇa-vidhāna)
Mānasāra Series (I. A Dictionary of Hindu Architecture; II. Indian Architecture according to Mānasāra-Śilpaśāstra; III. Mānasāra on Architecture and Sculpture: Sanskrit Text; IV. Architecture of Mānasāra: Translation; V. Architecture of Mānasāra: Illustrations; VI. Hindu Architecture in India and Abroad; VII. An Encyclopaedia of Hindu Architecture) v6.c40.s22
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Chapter LXII: The Bull (Vṛishabha-lakshaṇa-vidhāna)
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The bull, Nandin,² is the animal of Śiva. Its image, which may be either recumbent or erect, is placed facing the Śiva temple on pedestal (*pīṭha*), either inside the shrine, or in a pavilion (*maṇḍapa*) in front of the temple, or at the door. It is not measured in any *tāla* system. Various absolute and comparative measurements are prescribed. Its height, for instance, may be equal to the height of the idol (of Śiva), or up to its ears or arms, or the height may be from one cubit to nine cubits, or equal to three-fourths or one-half of the height of the door of the temple. The bull Nandin is made either solid or hollow, of iron (*lauhaja*), stone, wood, *ābhāsa* (glass), *ratna* (precious stone), *sudhā* (stucco), terra-cotta, and *śarkarā* (grit).
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² The image of the bull Nandin is regularly found in front of temples dedicated to Śiva. A well-known example is the colossal recumbent bull, placed opposite to the famous *vimāna* of Tanjore. It is hewn out of one block of black granite and measures 16 feet in length and 13 feet in height. A remarkable bronze Nandin, which is found at Brāhmor (Chambā) in the Western Himālaya and which, on the evidence of an inscription, may be assigned to the seventh century A.D., is illustrated in the *Antiquities of Chamba State* (*Archaeological Survey of India*, New Imp. Series, Vol. XXXVI, Part I, Plate X).
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The description and measurements of the various limbs of the bull are given in great detail. From the description it would appear that the bull of Śiva is white in colour except the four legs, the hoofs, and the ears, which are red. He is covered with a tiger skin and wears not only garlands round the neck but even foot-rings or anklets (*nūpura*).
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THE LION (*Siṁha-lakshaṇa-vidhāna*)
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The lion is the last of the four divine *vāhanas*, to which a chapter is devoted.¹
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¹ At the beginning of the chapter (and again in the concluding verse) the lion is loosely indicated as 'the riding animal of the gods' (*devānāṁ vāhana*). It is, however, well known that the lion (or the tiger) is more particularly the animal of Pārvatī, the consort of Śiva. It is hardly necessary to point out that of the other deities, both male and female, each, as a rule, has his or her own *vāhana*, e.g. Kārttikeya, the peacock; Gaṇeśa, the mouse; Indra, the elephant; Yama, the buffalo; Sūrya, a chariot drawn by seven horses; Varuṇa, a crocodile (*makara*); Kubera, a man (whence his epithet *nara-vāhana*), etc.
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As in the case of the bull, the image of the lion is not measured in any *tāla* system. The absolute measurements of the various parts of the lion, expressed in *aṅgulas*, are enumerated. The lion is made in an erect, sitting, or recumbent posture. His tail is generally equal to his height. His four legs are like those of the tiger. His colour is white, but his mane should be red. The shape of his nails and teeth is compared to that of the crescent (*bāla-chandra*, *ardha-chandra*).