Studies in Indian Art c11.s3.8

c11.s3.8

We, therefore, submit that the reading '*śiṃśumāra-śiraḥ*' as preserved in the Vulgate is correct. '*Śiṃśumāra-śiraḥ*' has been used as a synonym for '*makara-toraṇa*', the well known motif of the ancient gateways in Indian architecture. The verse says: "The citizens clamorous like the surging sea, as well as the other kings approached the *śiṃśumāra-śiraḥ* (the architrave of the gateway adorned with fish-tailed crocodile), and thence entered the arena".