Elements of Hindu Iconography v1.c7.125

v1.c7.125

more of the aforesaid materials. The precious stones enumerated in the āgamas for the purpose of making images are sphaṭika (crystal), padmarāga, vajra (diamonds), vaiḍūrya (cat's eye), vidruma (coral), pushya, and ratna (ruby). Of these, sphaṭika is said to be of two kinds, the sūrya-kānta and the chandrakānta. Another authority adds brick, kaḍi-śarkara (a preparation the chief ingredient of which is the lime-stone) and danta (ivory) to the materials noted above. Almost all the dhrūva-bēras, that is, the images set up permanently in the central shrines of Indian temples, (Hindu, Bauddha or Jaina), happen to be generally made of stone. There are a few instances of such principal images being made of wood; the most famous instance is in the temple of Jagannātha of Puri. The figure of Trivikrama in the central shrine of the large Viṣṇu temple at Tirukkōyilūr, (South Arcot district, Madras Presidency), is also made of wood. Brick and mortar or kaḍi-śarkara images are also occasionally met with in several temples; in the famous temples at Śrīraṅgam and Trivandram (Anantaśayanam), the main central images are understood to be of this kind. Metal is rarely employed in the making of dhruva-bēras; this material is almost exclusively used for casting utsava, snapana and bali images. Instances are not unknown in which precious gems are employed as material for images. The palace of the king Theebaw of Burmah is said to have contained a large ruby image of Buddha. The temple at Chidambaram has a *sphaṭika-liṅga* which is about nine inches in height and has a *piṇḍikā* (base) of as many inches in diameter.