Elements of Hindu Iconography v1.c8.160

v1.c8.160

Besides the above *āsanas* there are some others also assumed by the images, such as the *āliḍhāsana* and *utkuṭikāsana*. Of these, the *āliḍhāsana* is defined as a particular attitude adopted while shooting, the right knee being thrown to the front and the left leg retracted. This attitude is assumed by Śiva as *Tripurāntaka* while destroying the three cities, and also by the goddess Mārīchi.∗ The *Utkuṭikāsana* is a peculiar posture in which the person sits with his heels kept close to the bottom and with the back slightly curved (see the figure of Kēvala Nārasiṁha elsewhere).