The Development of Hindu Iconography c13.3

c13.3

Some writers on Indian iconography and iconometry have noted the importance of chapter 57 on Pratimālakṣaṇam of Varāhamihira’s Bṛhatsaṃhitā (Sudhakar Dvivedi’s edition) and have utilised its contents to some extent; but practically no notice has as yet been taken by them of the next chapter, viz., Vanasampraveśādhyāya and its bearing on the art of image-making in ancient India. The latter lays down details regarding the ceremony of securing wood from the forest trees, and bringing it home for the purpose of making images of gods and goddesses. We are first told that the image-maker should enter into the forest on an auspicious day selected by the astrologer and be careful about the omens which he might see on his way to it. Then a list of trees which are to be avoided in the search for proper wood is given ; trees which grow in cremation ground, by the side of roads, near temples, or on ant-hills, in gardens and hermitages, caitya or sthala vṛkṣas, those growing by the confluences of rivers, or which are planted by human hands, extremely bent ones, trees growing very close to other trees or overgrown with creepers, trees struck by lightning or broken by storms, falling by themselves or damaged by elephants, dried or burnt trees, or those on which bees make their hives, are not to be selected by the sculptor. Next are given the names of those the wood of which is to be used for making images ; deodar, candana, śamī, madhuka for images to be set up by Brahmans ; ariṣṭa, aśvattha, khadira, bilva for those to be made for the Kṣatriyas ; jīvaka, khadira, sindhuka and syandana are auspicious for images (to be enshrined) by the Vaiśyas ; tinduka, keśara, sarja, arjuna, āmra and sāla are (proper) for the Śūdras.¹ Before the selected tree is to be felled by axe certain rites are to be performed by the sculptor. First he is to mark off on its trunk the various sections of the Liṅgam or image to be made out of it in order that the top, bottom and the sides of the object to be fashioned may correspond to those of the trunk of the tree.² Next he will propitiate the tree with various offerings and worship the gods, manes, Rākṣasas, Nāgas, Asuras, Gaṇas, and