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Studies in Indian Art c12.s14: 29. An Early Brāhmanical Relief from Mathura

Studies in Indian Art c12.s14

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29. An Early Brāhmanical Relief from Mathura

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The present relief [Mathura Museum No. 2520], which is 7¼" in height, 10" in length and 2" in breadth, was in 1933 selected by me from the collection of the late R. B. Pt. Radha Krishna and subsequently acquired by the U.P. Government for the Curzon Museum. On a close study it appears to be one of the earliest Brahmanical pieces of the Kushāṇa period, and from its contents may be taken as an iconographic document in sculpture. There are in all four standing human figures, three male and one female; but if we take into account the first hermaphrodite figure combining characteristics of both sexes, the number of goddesses represented would become two. (Fig. 106)

The First Figure : Ardhanārīśvara

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The first figure (6½" high) shows a composite form of man and woman. It represents Śiva as Ardhanārīśvara, *i.e.*, the aspect in which he had become one with his consort Pārvatī, and in which the fusion was symbolically expressed by representing the great God as combining both male and female characteristics in his own person. The description of the Ardhanārīśvara form is given in the *Mastya Purāṇa*, ch. 258, and the genesis is also well explained in a sotry of the *Śiva Purāṇa* :—

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'Brahmā first begot a number of male beings, the Prajāpatis, and commanded them to create various other beings. They were found later on to be unfit for the task for which they were intended and Brahmā feeling uneasy at the slow progress of creation, contemplated on Maheśvara. The latter appeared before him in the composite form of male-female and asked him to cease feeling distressed. Thitherto it did not occur to Brahmā to create a female also, and at the sight of this composite form of Maheśvara he realised his error; thereupon he prayed to the female half of Maheśvara to give him a female to proceed with the act of creation: Brahmā's request was complied with and the creation went on afterwards very well.' [Gopinath Rao's *Hindu Iconography*, Vol. II, pp. 321-322].

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This story accounts for the Ardhanārīśvara form of Śiva. The present relief from Mathurā represents the earliest iconographic form of Śiva's *ardhāṅga* aspect which has been found in Indian art so far. At Mathurā too, although independent image of Śiva and Pārvatī or Umā-Maheśvara *mūrtis* are common enough, this is the only specimen of Ardhanārīśvara belonging to the Kushāṇa period.

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The image has two arms. The right hand is shown in *abhaya mudrā* as usual in the Buddha-Bodhisattva images of the Kushāṇa period and is connected with the slab by means of a projection similar to that in the Katra Bodhisattva image of the Mathura Museum [Dr. Vogel, *Catalogue*, A. 15]. The left hand holds a round mirror like the one held by the woman on railing pillar No. J. 5. Above the head is a prominent *jaṭā-jūṭa* covering slightly more than half the portion of the head. The coiffure on the left side is not clearly preserved as the image probably remained under water. The ear-pendants are alike in both ears. The chest on the right side is that of a man, and of a woman on the left marked by a stana-parisara. The girdle is sharply distinguished on the right and left sides of the loin. But the most important iconographic feature is the ūrdhva-liṅga :— लिङ्गाध्र्धमूध्वं कुर्यालिङ्ग, -- मत्स्यपुराण 258, 7.

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This feature also occurs on the four-armed combined Śiva-and-Liṅga image of the Kushāṇa period from Mathurā, which was first described by Dr. Coomaraswamy. [cf. History of Indian and Indonesian Art, p. 67. fig. 68].

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The right leg is slightly bent, the left is straight and wears a dhoti reaching down to the ankles, and also has a pāda-valaya.

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It is evident from this image that Mathurā must have been an important centre of Śaiva religion during the early centuries of the Christian era, when numerous liṅga and purusha vigraha images of Śiva were produced. Dr. Bhandarkar, working out the genealogy of the Śaiva teachers in his discussion of Chandra Gupta II Pillar Inscription, has shown that Mathurā was the centre of the Pāśupata school of Śaiva religion during the first quarter of the second century A.D., and that the ascetics in the line of Lakuli's first pupil Kuśika were settled at Mathurā. [Ep. Ind., Vol. XXI, pp. 6-7].

Second Figure : Four-Armed Vishṇu

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The standing figure next to Ardhanārīśvara is that of four-armed Vishṇu. Vishṇu images make their first appearance in the Mathura art of the Kushāṇa period, and even amongst them, this image is decidedly one of the few earliest specimens which show the connection of Vishṇu with the Bodhisattva iconography of that period. Images of Bodhisattva Maitreya are two-armed, holding the right hand in abhaya mudrā and a nectar flask in the left hand. The earliest Vishṇu images were provided with two additional hands, holding gadā and chakra on the right and left sides respectively The mace tapers downwards, and is touched at the top by Vishṇu with one of his hands.

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In this relief Vishṇu shows all the above features. Holding gadā on right and chakra on left, he shows his right hand in abhaya mudrā and holds an alabastron with the left hand. There are two other statuettes in the Mathura Museum, No. 933 from Palikhera and No. 948 from Isapur, in which the two front hands are similarly shown. According to the orthodox canons Vishṇu is required to hold padma and śankha in these hands.

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We have evidence in Mathurā art that the amṛita ghaṭa was soon replaced by the conch, held in the front left hand near the girdle. But the abhaya attitude continued much longer, probably accommodating the lotus in the palm of the right hand.

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The miniature figure on the left of Vishṇu is not very distinct, but in all probability his vehicle, Garuḍa, seated to front.

Third Figure: Gaja-Lakshmī

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The third standing figure is a two armed female representing Vishnu's consort Lakshmī. Her right hand is shown in *abhaya mudrā* and with her left hand placed near the girdle she holds a lotus stalk surmounted by a full-blown lotus flower, which may more appropriately be called a lotus parasal or *padmātapatra* described by Kalidāsa in association with Lakshmī [*Raghuvamśa*, IV, 5, पद्मा पद्मातपत्रेण...].

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Lakshmī has a hood on her head as found on most of the goddesses of the Kushāṇa period. This representation is in every detail similar to that of Kushāṇa period Hāritī portrayed with Kubera or independently. To discriminate her from Hāritī the sculptor has shown a pair of miniature elephants surmounting the hood and standing facing each other. The images of Gaja-Lakshmī are the first to have been represented in sculpture amongst all the Brahmanical gods and goddesses. She is repeated twice on the portions between the architraves of the right pillar, belonging to the north toraṇa of Stūpa I at Sanchi [*Cf.* Coomaraswamy, *H.I.I.A.* fig. 53]. Another early but conspicuous form is found on an arch of the Ananta Gumpha cave in Orissa [*Cf. Cambridge His. of India*, Vol. I, fig. 75], which was a Jaina monastery [150 to 50 B.C.]. Dr. Coomaraswamy writes: ‘In Buddhist art this would represent the Nativity of Buddha, in Hindu art Gaja-Lakshmī, but what it represents in Jaina art, unless perhaps the Nativity of Mahāvīra, we do not know.’ [*H.I.I.A.*, p. 38]. Most probably it was an ancient motif commonly understood to be representing beauty and prosperity (Śrī-Lakshmī).

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The Kushāṇa art shows several examples of Gaja-Lakshmī carved independently, but the present relief is the only specimen in which Vishnu and Lakshmī have been shown together.

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Between Lakshmī and the next figure there is also a miniature elephant head marking her vehicle.

Fourth Figure

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The last in order is a two-armed standing male figure, who from the *abhaya mudrā* of his right hand appears to be of divine rank. In left hand he holds a purse placed near the waist. His dress and ornaments are identical with those of the Vishnu figure. There is a long staff near his left shoulder clutched under his armpit.

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In a relief depicting Ardhanārīśvara Śiva, and Vishnu with his consort Lakshmī, Brahmā would have fitted most naturally to make up the *Trimūrti*. But there is no distinguishing mark to take the figure as Brahmā. The purse points to its identification with Kubera, and the absence of a pot belly though uncommon for Kubera, should present no insurmountable difficulty in the way of his identification. We find in Mathurā art both Brahmā and Gaṇeśa figures without their protuberant belly and the usual corpulence. It is the same here with Kubera. This statuette represents the earliest iconographic forms of Śiva, Pārvatī, Vishnu, Lakshmī and Kubera, five important deities of the Brahmanical pantheon, 30. INDIA REPRESENTED ON A SILVER DISH FROM LAMPSACOS.

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Lampsacos was an ancient Greek colony in the Mysia district of Asia Minor situated immediately opposite Gallipoli on the Hellespont. Its ancient name is preserved in the modern village of Lapseki. It was the chief centre of the worship of Priapus, a gross nature god closely connected with the culture of the vine. It was celebrated for its silver utensils in ancient times and is now well known for the discovery of the Lampasacos treasure consisting of many precious objects of art.

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For students of Indian history the place is of special interest as here a beautifully carved silver dish was discovered bearing a strikingly original representation of India as a woman seated on a chair supported on elephant tusks. The dish is now preserved in the Istanbul Museum of Antiquities.¹ According to Warmington² who published this silver dish, India is surrounded by mammals and birds which reflect Rome's commerce with India by the land route which was chiefly in use for such itmes of Indian export. He assigns the dish to the first or second century A.D. (Fig. 112)

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¹ I am indebted to Mr. Aziz Agaw, Director of the Museum of Antiquities, Istanbul, for kindly sending me an enlarged photograph of the dish from which the present illustration is reproduced. (Fig. 112)

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² The Commerce between the Roman Empire and India, 1923, p. 143.

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The female figure occupies the centre of the dish, and the birds and animals are arranged in three rows and in pairs, one on each side of the figure. The bird on the proper right is of the parrot family, representing the large Indian parrakeet found throughout India. It resembles the many other representations of this bird in Indian sculpture and art.

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The bird in the corresponding left position is according to Warmington a Guinea fowl representing some African species, although he sees that its head is unlike that of a Guinea fowl. He thinks that it was added amongst things Indian under some mistaken notion of the artist. Dr. Coomaraswamy on the other hand takes it to resemble a Himalayan quail.³ But the quails do not have the pair of lappets on the throat as seen in this figure.

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³ Coomaraswamy in a review of Warmington's book in Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 51, p. 181.

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The two animals in the second row near the ivory legs of the chair were supposed by Warmington to be Hanumān monkeys, but that is not correct. They represent dogs of the tigirine breed which was produced as a cross between a bitch and a tiger.

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Fortunately we possess a detailed account of this class of animals as recorded by Alexander's historians. A demonstration of their extraordinary strength and ferocity was given in the presence of Alexander himself, who witnessed one of them matched to a lion and cut to pieces bit by bit but not yielding before his adversary up to the last. This filled him with great regret that a specimen of such superb fearless spirit should be lost. However, four dogs of this class were presented to him.¹ This breed was reared in the old Kekaya country of the Salt range as recorded in the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa :

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¹ Merindle: *Alexander's Invasion*, pp. 363 ff., where the material is brought together in an appendix.

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अतःपुरेऽतिसंबृद्धान् व्याघ्रवीर्यबलौपमान् ।
दष्ट्रायुक्तान्महाकायान् शुनश्चोपायनं ददौ ॥

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(Ayodhyākāṇḍa, 70, 31).

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'The king of the place presented to his nephew Bharata dogs of enormous size, who were brought up in the palace, had terrible fangs, and possessed extraordinary strength equal to that of tigers.' These creatures formed an important item of trade between India and the Western world and their fame had reached even up to Greece in very early times.

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In the third row two human keepers with flowing scarfs are restraining with ropes two carnivorous animals, the one on proper right being a tiger and the other on left a panther or leopard bearing ring spots on his body.²

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² Warmington takes the right one as a leopard and the left one as a tiger; Coomaraswamy as a hunting cheetah and a lion respectively. The left one with ring spots is certainly what we call *guldār tendua* (गुलदार तेंदुआ) in Hindi a panther.

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The female figure is seated in the centre on a chair supported on elephant tusks resting on the ground. She wears a *sārī*, most likely with one end tucked behind, *i.e.*, the sakachchha style common amongst Maratha women in Western India. The sandals (*chappals*) on the feet deserve notice and are a Roman feature. In proper Indian art women generally do not wear shoes. She wears on her head a turban with a twisted role in front. Under it is shown the front line of frizzled hair, arranged on each side of the face in three superimposed tiers each consisting of three strands. We have yet to know if this style of coiffure was known to aristocratic Roman matrons in the first or second centry A.D. In India this style of hair appears on the terracotta figurines of the early Gupta period, about 4th century A.D. The significance of the two small rods projecting from the turban is not clear.

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The crooked object in the left hand is a bow.³ The right hand is held in *abhayamudrā*, *i.e.*, the pose for imparting protection. It is a happy conception of Mother India to show in one hand the *abhayamudrā* and the bow-wielding attitude in the other hand. The attributes and emblems of the figure suggest its most obvious identification with India [Bhārata-Lakṣmī] as Warmington suggested.

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³ I am indebted to Col. Stuart Piggot of the R.A.F. for this suggestion conveyed to me in a letter by Mr. T. G. E. Powell of the R.A.F.

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There seems to be no support to identify in the form of this figure any particular goddess from the Hindu pantheon. The attributes in her hands and the associated birds and animals do not convey the details of any religious figure.

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Western Asia was familiar with carved Indian figures, and especially Indian ivory from very early times. In the Palace Inscription of Darius from Susa the import of Indian ivory is specially mentioned for building the Palace.

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The artist who carved this beautiful dish in silver deserves much praise for his ingenuity in one respect, viz., associating Indian ivory in the representation of the figure in the form of the legs of the delicate chair. This feature pointedly refers to India as the object of portrayal. The art of this dish is distinguished by a remarkable freedom from conventions. It is eloquent in its expression and shows some independence of technique. For portraying a subject like this, no ready-made conventional formula existed before the engraver. He had therefore to fall back on his own resourcefulness to devise an effective symbol language for conveying the intended theme. There is no doubt that he succeeded eminently well in portraying India as a woman with fidelity to formal elements then associated with India in the contemporary commercial world. The entire conception is no doubt original and happy.

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Fig. 112 Silver Dish from Lampsacos

Cites (5)