Elements of Hindu Iconography v1.c7.108

v1.c7.108

name is Sanskritised into Kachchhapēśvara. The literal meaning of the correct Tamil form of the name of the god is the ‘ god Kachchiyappa’ or ‘ the Īśvara set up by Kachchiyappa.’ But kachch-hapa is the Sanskrit word for the tortoise; and Kachchhapēśvara, the Lord of the Tortoise, must be Śiva as worshipped by Viṣṇu in his Kūrmāvatāra or tortoise-incarnation. This linguistic fancifulness has been perpetuated in sculpture, and an image embodying this fancy is set up under a tree in the prākāra of the temple (See Pl. D.). This newcomer into this ancient temple is, however, entirely forgotten, and even the pūjāris in the temple are not able to say what that piece of sculpture really represents.