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Elements of Hindu Iconography v4.c31: Kshetrapala

Elements of Hindu Iconography v4.c31

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Kshetrapala

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FOR the protection of the towns and villages from evil deities and from bad men, the shrine of the Kshētrapāla should be in the north-east corner of the town or village, the image of the Kshētrapāla being set up and pūjā offered to it systematically. It is best (uttama) for the shrine to face the west; it may face the south, but it is not very good to do so (madhyama) and to make it face the east is the worst (adhama).

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The image of the Kshētrapāla should be always a nude standing one with three eyes; it may possess two, four, six or eight arms. The sātvika image has either two or four arms; the rājasa six arms and the tāmasa eight. In the sātvika form alone, the image, though it might possess side tusks should be of pacific look, whereas, in the other cases, it should be of terrific look only. Similarly, the colour of the body differs in different aspects of the Kshētrapāla; it is white if the image is a sātvika one; it is red if it is *rājasa* and black if it is *tāmasa*.

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In the case of the *sātvika-mūrti*, if the image of Kshētrapāla has only two arms, there should be the *triśūla* in its right hand and a *kapāla* in its left. On the other hand, if there are four arms, there must be the *khaḍga* in the back right hand, and the *ghaṇṭa* in the back left hand, or *śūla* and *kapāla* or *śūla* and *ghaṇṭa* respectively. The two front hands should be held in the *varada* and *abhaya* poses.

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In the case of the *rājasamūrti* the image of Kshētrapāla should carry in its three right hands the *triśūla*, the *khaḍga* and the *ghaṇṭa* and in its three left hands the *khēṭaka*, the *kapāla* and the *nāga-pāśa*. And, in the case of the *tāmasamūrti*, there should be, in addition to the articles mentioned above, the *dhanus* in the additional fourth right hand and the *bāṇa* in the additional fourth left hand.

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All the three aspects of the Kshētrapāla should have the hair on the head standing erect all round the head and of blazing red colour; the figure must be standing erect (*samabhaṅga*) on a *padmapīṭha* and be adorned with different kinds of snake ornaments. As has been observed above, nudity is the most characteristic feature in all these images. Such is

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KṢĒTRAPĀLA.

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the description contained in the *Aṁśumadbhēdāgama*.

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The *Suprabhēdāgama* and the *Kāraṇāgama* have each some slight variations in their description of Kṣētrapāla. The former authority mentions that the image of Kṣētrapāla should be adorned with a *nāga-yajñōpavīta* on its body and a garland of skulls on the head; that the eyes should be circular in shape and that if the image has four arms, there should be the *triśūla* and the *khaḍga* in the right hands and the *kapāla* and the *khēṭaka* in the left hands; if there are six arms, in the additional right hand there should be a *nāgapāśa* and in the additional left hand the *tōmara* (a weapon); and if there are eight arms, together with the articles mentioned above, the additional right hand should carry a *ḍamaru* and the additional left one the *khaṭvāṅga*.

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The *Kāraṇāgama* agrees with the above descriptions in all details except in regard to the articles held by the image which has eight arms; in this case, according to this authority, there should be in seven out of the eight hands the *kapāla*, the *śūla*, the *ghaṇṭā*, the *pāśa*, *agni*, the *ṭaṅka* and the *khaṭvāṅga* and the remaining hand should be held in the *abhaya* pose.

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Aghōraśivāchārya in his *Vighnēśvara-pratishṭhavidhi*, gives a *dhyāna-ślōka* in which the dog is said to be the vehicle of Kshētrapāla.¹ The Tamil *Nighaṇṭus* agree with this authority in this respect; the *Piṅgala-nighaṇṭu* distinctly mentions that Kañchuka, Kāri, Mukta, Nirvāṇi, Siddha, Kapāli, Vaṭuka and Bhairava are the other names of Kshētrapāla. From this it will be evident that the so-called Kshētrapāla is no other than Bhairava described elsewhere and therefore need not have been treated here in a separate chapter; but since the *āgamas* deal with this aspect of Śiva, which is said

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Fig. 1. Kshētrapāla : Stone : Ajmere : Merwara.

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Fig. 2. Kshētrapāla : Stone : Haḷebīḍu.

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