The Development of Hindu Iconography c8.49.3

c8.49.3

Urumātrocchritāyāme... i.e., “Śrī and Puṣṭi holding a lotus flower and a lute respectively in their hands and shown up to the thigh of the main image in their height should be carved on either side of the figure of Viṣṇu” (Agnipurāṇa, Ch. 44). There can be no doubt that the application of the respective texts mentioned above was regional in character, the three latter texts being followed in the north; and the Vaikhānasa, in the south. We can further substantiate our point by referring to the two varieties of the images of the Sungod—north Indian and south Indian,—and the different iconographic texts describing the Sūrya image. The most important characteristics of a north Indian Sūrya are its udīyaveśa (consisting of the close covering of the body and top-boots of the legs—gradually these features were subdued) and its waist-girdle, the viyanga or avyaṅga; these are conspicuous by their absence in the south Indian images of Sūrya. Now, if we study some relevant iconographic texts descriptive of the sun icons, we find that they also can be classified into two well-defined groups on the basis of the mention or non-mention of the particular iconic features noted above.