The Chalukyan Architecture of the Kanarese Districts c47: Zodiacal Stones
The Chālukyan Architecture of the Kanarese Districts c47
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Zodiacal Stones
c47.1
NEAR the village of Naregal, in the Hāngal *tāluka*, a curious old stone was found beside the temple of Sarveśvara on which were carved the twelve signs of the zodiac, arranged around a central lotus. The stone is shaped like a *yoni* or *sālunkā* of a liṅga, but it was not used for this purpose as there is no hole in it. The central lotus is probably symbolical of the sun. The slab is about two feet square with a projecting spout on one side for water to run off, from which it is evident that it was an object of worship. It stood in the open, having been placed upon another stone as a pedestal. The stone has since disappeared, but a drawing had been previously made of it (Plate CLVII).
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A strange thing about this representation is the fact that the signs are not arranged in their proper sequence, but they have a certain order of their own. Starting with Aries, and going round the circle three times, taking one and missing two, that is, taking every fourth sign, we get the proper order.
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| Correct order. | | On the stone. |
| 1. Aries. | Mesa, | the ram. |
| 2. Taurus. | Siṃha, | the lion. |
| 3. Gemini. | Dhanus, | the bow. |
| 4. Cancer. | Vṛishabha, | the bull. |
| 5. Leo. | Kanyā, | the virgin. |
| 6. Virgo. | Makara, | the crocodile. |
| 7. Libra. | Mithuna, | the twins. |
| 8. Scorpio. | Tulā, | the scales. |
| 9. Sagittarius. | Kumbha, | the waterpot. |
| 10. Capricornus. | Karka, | the crab. |
| 11. Aquarius. | Vṛishchika, | the scorpion. |
| 12. Pisces. | Mīna, | the fish. |
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Perhaps the reason for this unusual order was that the list of the signs was given to the sculptor written out in three columns as below, and he, by mistake, read them off in the order of the letters instead of in the order of the numbers, no numbers being attached to guide him:—
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1. Aries. (*a*)
2. Taurus. (*d*)
3. Gemini. (*g*)
4. Cancer. (*j*)
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5. Leo. (*b*)
6. Virgo. (*e*)
7. Libra. (*h*)
8. Scorpio. (*k*)
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9. Sagittarius. (*c*)
10. Capricornus. (*f*)
11. Aquarius. (*i*)
12. Pisces. (*l*)
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The only strange sign among these is that of the *makara*, which was not an alligator or crocodile as is now understood by the name, but a tapir or rhinoceros.¹ Sagittarius is represented by his bow, and Aquarius by his waterpot. Mithuna means rather a pair or couple than twins, and refers more to two of opposite sexes, such as a boy and a girl.
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¹ See an article on the *makara* in the Archæological Survey of India Report for the year 1903-4, p. 227.
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A somewhat similar stone was found built into the side of a square well at Aurāth, not far from Nārāyaṇpur, in the Nizām’s territory; another, a very small one, measuring but eleven inches across, is in the museum of the Bombay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. Two more, found near Haidarābād (Dakhan), were presented to the Bombay Government and will be placed in the new Prince of Wales Museum at Bombay. In all of these the signs are shown in their natural order. The last two, which are blocks rather than slabs, have, in addition, the *aṣṭadikpālas* or regents of the eight points of the compass, arranged around the sides of the stones.
c47.11
Other celestial bodies which are frequently found upon Hindu temples are the *navagraha*, or nine planets, in a line above the shrine doors, but they are seen oftener upon temples north of the Narmadā.