Elements of Hindu Iconography v1.c7.121

v1.c7.121

In going through the descriptions of the various images, as given in this volume, the reader will come upon a few instances, in which the sculptures of two different parts of the country differ in some important details. Taking the images of the sun-god Sūrya, for example, we find that the *Āgamas* lay down the rule that the two hands of this deity should hold two lotuses, going up to the height of the shoulders. In the sculptures of Bengal, Orissa and parts of Central India, we meet with images, wherein the hands of Sūrya are at the level of the waist, while the lotuses are made to reach the height of the shoulders. In other instances the hands themselves are invariably raised up to the level of the shoulders. This appears to be due to a difference in opinion with regard to the interpretation of certain passages in the *Āgamas* and other allied works. In this case, it is clear that some sculptors understood the passage as referring to the hands being raised up to the shoulders, while others took it as referring to the position of the lotuses. A number of other instances in exemplification of differences in sculptures arising from differences in the interpretation of the original texts are drawn attention to in the body of this treatise.