Elements of Hindu Iconography v1.c8.81

v1.c8.81

Among these are to be found the representations of certain animals and birds. Śiva is almost always shown as carrying a *mṛiga* or deer, and his son Subrahmaṇya is made to hold a *kukkuṭa* or cock in his hand. Parrots and beetles are represented as being carried in the hands of Durgā and other goddesses. The earliest known image of Śiva, that on the Liṅga at Guḍimallam, carries a ram. Later sculptures show a buck. In the case of the ram, it is held by the hind legs, with the head hanging downwards, whereas in the case of the buck though held by the hind legs, it is represented in the actual pose of "bucking" up (see Pl. III, figs. 15 and 16). We see, moreover, certain utensils in the hands of the images. The chief ones among them are the *kamaṇḍalu*, the *sru k*, the *sruva*, the *darpaṇa* and the *kapāla*. The *ājya-pātra*, or the vessel to contain ghee is sometimes found in association with the figure of Brahmā, who is, however, more generally seen to carry a *pustaka* or book in one of his hands. The book is also held as an emblem by his consort Sarasvatī.