Studies in Indian Art c13.s3: 36. A Note on Gupta Śiva Liṅga at Mathura

Studies in Indian Art c13.s3

Language: English

36. A Note on Gupta Śiva Liṅga at Mathura

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The Museum at Mathura though rich in sculptures of the Kuṣāṇa period, still has some specimens of the Gupta age which are of excellent artistic merit. The famous standing Buddha of the 5th century A.D. is a well-known example as representing a quality of art unachieved by other less fortunate centres. It is proposed through this Note to introduce a group of Mukha-liṅgas of the Gupta period found at Mathura.

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The temple in which the liṅgas are still found stands on a raised mound on the slopes of the Mahāvidyā Devī Temple from which locality many specimens of Kuṣāṇa and Gupta art were collected. A description of the temple and the Liṅgas is given below :—

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The temple stands on a solid plinth 10' square. The flat roof of the main shrine is supported on four columns each bearing two brackets which support four horizontal architraves. The height of the roof is 8' from the floor. The main image faces to the East. It is not in a state of good preservation. It is an Ekamukhī Śiva Liṅgam, which is 2'-6" above the floor. The Mukham is the chief object of interest and artistically an excellent specimen of the Gupta-Vākāṭaka period resembling the Śiva Liṅgas at Khoh, Bhumara and Nachana, etc. (Fig. 141) and displaying the characteristic serenity of Śiva's contemplative mood (Samādhi). It is remarkable that in an age when cultural life found its utmost expression, India instead of allowing herself to debase in a sensuous appreciation of beauty regained her self-consciousness and worshipped the ideal of eternal self-control as embodied in Śiva, who had subdued even the God of Love. On the forehead of Śiva is shown the third eye in a vertical position. The strands of the matted hair are shown in parallel flutes turning upwards and terminating in an Āmalaka shaped knot on which is shown the beautiful crescent. Round the neck there was a very rich necklace of several strings. The first string of this necklace shows arranged round the central rectangular bead four big pearls, then one smaller plaque, and again five pearls on each side. The biggest pearl is of the size of an ordinary Āmalaka and the smallest of a plumbery. In all there are eighteen pearls (muktās) and three rectangular beads in the string. Below this is a precious necklace of metallic plaques whose number probably was seven. Its breadth in the centre is about 2". This has two strings of smaller pearls attached to it one above and the other below. In the neck above the first string of the big pearls are shown the three lines of the Grīvā. On either side following from the root of the upper crest of the fluted locks are shown three loose locks falling parallel to each other and coming down to the base of the Liṅgam. The circumference at the upper end of the hair knot is 3'-4", at the base 3'-6", at the nose 4'-1", at the third eye 4'-4". Height of the locks including the top-knot is 11". Distance from the floor to the roof of the locks above the third eye 1'-4½".

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The five liṅgas are arranged in two rows. In the first row there are three only, one of which is well preserved, the remaining two have completely decayed. The first one is a four-faced liṅgam (Ht. 2'2'', circumference above Mekhalā 2'8'') having near the top a Mekhalā consisting of two inter-twining cords whose inter-twined spaces alternate with circular plaques. Of the two Śiva liṅgams in the second row the more important one has been described above, the other is a plain shaft (Ht. 2'—3'', circumference 2'—11'', Ht. of the nut 1'—10'', Ht. of the shaft below the nut 8''). In the middle of the nut is a rasanā consisting of three inter-twining cords, probably representing the Iḍā, Piṅgalā and Suṣhumnā.

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Between the two rows of the liṅgams is placed the Nandī, which also seems to be of the same age as the liṅgams. It is a well carved lively figure of a bull.

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It may be added that in the principal shrine above the mound are found embedded in the wall two sculptures of the Gupta period, one a Brāhmanical Goddess of seducing features holding a bowl in both hands, and the other a typical standing Buddha with halo and folded drapery as found in specimens of this period.

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Fig. 141

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MOTIF

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This word occurs in the following passages of the *Padma Purāṇa*:

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(१) नत्वा यदेतलंकाराद्रे दृश्यते दारु पञ्चवक्त्रं शुक्रेणोक्तमेतेन च्छिन्नेन रावणो हन्यतेऽथ च दारुच्छेदन- समनन्तरं पाताले गन्तव्यमिति भार्गव भाषितं शासनं लिखितं तस्मात्त्वमिदं दार्वेक प्रयत्नैकेबाणनिपातेन पञ्चधा छिन्धि ततस्तव शक्तिं ज्ञात्वा युद्ध मतिदृढं कुर्वहे ॥२०८

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अथ भार्गववचो विज्ञाय रामः पूर्वकोट्यां स्पर्शमानेऽस्त्रेण सज्ज्यकृत्वा धनुर्बिबाणं संयोज्य रक्षोभ्यां हनुमता श्रावयन्नेव बाणं मुमोच ॥२०९

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बाणं धनुष्चलितं तौ राक्षसौ बाणमार्गं निरीक्षमाणौ दारुबाणेन पञ्चधा छिन्नं निरीक्ष्य रामं व्यज्ञापयतामा- वयोः शिशवो रक्षणीयास्त्वयेति ॥२१०

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(२) गोपुरस्थं तथा दारु पञ्चवक्त्रमथेधुणा । च्छिच्छेद पञ्चधा तेन राम स्वां मारयिष्यति ॥२३३

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I. Atikāya and Mahākāya spying in Rāma's encampment were caught but treated kindly by him. They divulged this secret of Rāvaṇa's ruin: 'In the entrance gateway to Laṅkā is a beam carved with *Pañcha-vaktra* motif. Śukrāchārya has said that as soon as this beam is cut into pieces, Rāvaṇa will meet his death. Therefore, when this event takes place you should move to Pātāla to save yourself. This prophecy of Bhārgava Sūtra is engraved on a plate. Therefore, O Rāma, you cut that *Dāru* into five pieces by a single shot of your arrow. We shall thereby know your might and offer stiff resistance' (208).

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When Rāma learnt it as Śukra's prophecy, he put an arrow on his bow and communicating (his intention) to the two demons through Hanumān let the arrow fly (209). The shaft so discharged from the bow split the wooden beam (*dāru*) into five pieces. The demons when they saw this prayed to Rāma to spare their family (210).

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II. 'The wooden beam that forms part of the Gopura (in Laṅkā) and which is carved with the *Pañcha-vaktra* motif would be split into five pieces and thereby Rāma will cause your death',—thus spoke Vibhīṣaṇa to Rāvaṇa (233).

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(*Padma Purāṇa*, Pātāla-khaṇḍa, ch. 112)

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It is clear from the above that there was a deep-seated superstitious belief in Laṅkā that the destruction of the *Pañcha-vaktra Dāru* which formed part of the chief entrance to the capital, would result in the death of Rāvaṇa, the ruler of the kingdom. The apparent meaning of *Pañchavaktra* is 'five-faced', but it was an architectural term meaning the decorative motif of a lion's face carved on the lintels of doorways or frienzes of buildings. A lion is called *pañchānana* or *pañchāsya* because of its wide gaping mouth (the word *pañcha* being derived from *pachi vistāre*, *Rāmāśrami* commentary to the *Amarakośa*)¹. The *Pañcavaktra* motif was the same as the *Kirtimukha* motif of ancient Indian art. Originally the word *Kirti* signified an excavated *chaitya*-hall, and then a temple or palace, and its earliest use in the sense is recorded in a copper-plate inscription from Kanheri dated A.D. 493: तात्कीर्तिः स्थिरेयं भजतु शुभकरी सत्सुतं पुष्यनाम्नः ।

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¹ For this meaning of पञ्च, see also, सेकसुकुमारयबांकुरदंतुरैः पंचास्यैः कलशैः कोमलवर्णिकाविचित्रै- रभिन्नमुदैश्चोद्भासितपर्यन्ताम् (*Bāṇabhaṭṭa*, *Harshacharita*, Nirnaya Sagar 5th Edn., p. 147; my Cultural Commentary on it, p. 83, where this difficult passage has been correctly explained in preference to Cowell & Kane.

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The large window or opening with which the hollowing out of the rock started and which remained as the most conspicuous part of the whole operation, was naturally called *Kirtimukha*, i.e., the opening to the interior *chaityamandapa* or *selaghara*. This *kirtimukha* design was employed as a decorative motif on the facade of the earlier *chaitya*-halls. Later on it was used to enclose or frame beautiful human faces in the frieze of Gupta buildings, and in the third stage the human faces were replaced by lion-faces, when the word *Kirtimukha* became synonymous with the lion-face motif:³ कीतिवक्त्रं हरेर्वक्त्रं चोक्तवत् कारयेत् सुधीः । (*Mānasāra*, 18.151)

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³ See my article, Kirti, Kirtimukha And Kirtistambha, *VAK*, no. 5 (Feb, 1957), pp. 147-151, Deccan College, Poona.

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According to the *Mānasāra* the front portion of the doorway (*mukhabhadra*) was to be decorated with the design of a *gavāksha*, a circular motif enclosing the figures of a *deva*, *bhūta*, *vyāla*, *simha*, *hamsa*, etc. and adorned by plants or creepers of foliated pattern, and this was beautified on the top by a projecting *Kirtivaktra* or *Kirtimukha* design: नासिकावृतबाह्ये तु गवाक्षाकारं तु पत्रयुक् ॥१४४॥ तस्मादन्तर्गतैश्चादिदेवभूतादिरूपकैः । व्यालसिंहादिहंसाद्यैर्मवल्ल्यादिभूषितम् ॥१४५॥ तदूर्ध्वं कीर्तिवक्त्रं तु निर्गमाकृति भावयेत् ।

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This *Kirtivaktra* became a favourite motif in Gupta art, and dozens of sculptures are preserved in the Sarnath museum illustrating this ornamental design, showing a conventionalised grotesque form, with several features specially noted in the *Mānasāra*, viz, (a) large goggle eyes (दीर्घनेत्रं विशालं स्याद्), (b) round plump cheeks (वृत्तं गण्डस्थलं), (c) fan-shaped ears like those of an elephant (गजश्रोत्राकृतिश्रौत्रं), and (d) wavy lines on the lower portion of the cheeks (गण्ड चान्ते तरंगवत्, *Mānasāra*, 18. 147-148).

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This motif began to be considered auspicious and expressive of the divine power of Rudra in warding off evil. The lion became an integral part of Śiva's retinue, as stated by Kālidāsa: कैलासगौरं वृषमारुरुक्षोः पादार्पणाऽनुग्रहपूतपृष्ठम् । अवेहि मां किंकरमष्टमूर्तेः कुम्भोदरं नाम निकुम्भमित्रम् ॥ (*Raghuvamśa* II. 35)

Linked texts (5)

Mānasāra — Sanskrit
Raghuvaṃśa — Kālidāsa, Sanskrit
Padmapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit
Harṣacarita — Bāṇabhaṭṭa, Sanskrit
Tibetan translation ('Chi med mdzod) — Classical Tibetan