Indian Art: A History of Indian Art from the Earliest Times up to the Third Century A.D. c13.s7.41

c13.s7.41

BALARĀMA : He was worshipped under the name of Saṅkarshaṇa along with Vāsudeva in the early Bhāgavata religion. A very early image of Balarāma was found near Mathura which is now in the Lucknow Museum. Balarāma is standing and has a canopy of serpent hoods round the head as well as the coils of the serpent at his back, and he holds a musala (club) in his right hand and hala (plough) in the left hand. It shows that the iconographic formula of Balarāma had already been determined in the Śuṅga period. His dress is similar to that of the Yaksha images consisting of a heavy turban, conspicuous ear-rings, a scarf and a dhoti. Balarāma images continued to be made during the Kushāṇa and Gupta periods. But they are distinguished not only so much by the serpent hoods but also by the wine cup held in his left hand. In the Gupta images he also wears a long garland on his body and he is showen with four arms.