South-Indian Images of Gods and Goddesses c8.s3: III

South-Indian Images of Gods and Goddesses c8.s3

Language: English

III

Varāha, also known as Ādivarāha, Dharanīvarāha or Bhūvarāha, is beautifully illustrated by the image in the Varāha-Perumāl cave-temple at Mahābalipuram. Here the boar-faced Vishnu is seen standing with his right foot resting on the hood of the serpent-god Sēsha. On the right thigh is seated the goddess Earth,² supported in position by the two lower arms of the god. He wears a high crown and has in his two upper hands the discus (held sideways) and the conch. As these images however have recently been covered with a thin coating of plaster and painted fantastically in variegated colours, it is not possible to say what sculptural peculiarities the original may have exhibited. Fortunately, a panel representing this same Varāha-avatār of Vishnu (fig. 15) with attendant deities, is found in another rock-cut mandapa at that village and is decidedly a true copy of the sculptures found in the shrine of the Varāha-Perumāl cave-temple. The scene depicts the primeval Boar rescuing from the depths of the ocean the goddess Earth, who had been kidnapped thither by the demon Hiranyāksha, an enemy of the gods. Sēsha, on whose wide-spread hoods the earth is generally supposed to rest, is also represented as rising from the ocean along with the Boar-god. He is folding his hands in the attitude of worship. The dēvas worshipping the god from above, the sages on the right, and Brahmā and Siva on the left indicate the joy felt by the entire universe on this occasion. This representation exactly follows the description given by Hēmādri in his *Chaturvarga-Chintāmani*. The hand with the discus is sometimes also shown as raised in the act of killing Hiranyāksha. The god may be represented as smiling after having killed Hiranyāksha and revived him by divine grace. Figures of the Man-boar in meditation or of a full Boar digging the earth in the midst of many demons, are also sometimes represented. In the pictures of Lingōdbhava (Siva) noted in the sequel, is seen the full Boar form of Vishnu digging the earth.

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² The Brāhmiya-Silpa states that Lakshmī (i.e. Srī) is also to be depicted on the side of Varāha.

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FIG. 15.—Boar incarnation of Vishnu; Seven Pagodas.

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Temples dedicated to the Boar-incarnation of Vishnu are not many. This incarnation was a particular favourite of the Western Chalukya kings in the early centuries of the Christian era. A fine sculpture of Varāha carrying the goddess Earth is found in the Chalukyan rock-cut temple at Bādāmi (*Ind. Ant.*, Vol. VI, p. 354).¹ In later times, too, the Kākatīyas, the Reddis of Kondavīdu and the Hindu sovereigns of Vijayanagara, paid particular reverence to Varāha, adopting the boar as their royal crest. At Srīmushnam in the South Arcot district is a beautiful big temple dedicated to this god and so also is another at Tiruvadandai near Mahābalipuram in the Chingleput district.

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¹ See also *Visvakarma*, Part VI, No. 99.

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NARASIMHA or the Man-lion incarnation.

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Narasimha or Nrisimha, the Man-lion is more popular than Varāha. A large number of families in the south, Brahman and non-Brahman, own him as their tutelary deity. In Tamil, the name is corrupted into Singa (Sanskrit Simha) or Singa-Perumāl, and in the other vernaculars into Narasa (a contraction of Narasimha). The story of this incarnation of Vishnu is briefly as follows:—

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Hiranyāksha and Hiranyakasipu were two demon brothers, naturally hostile to Vishnu. Hiranyāksha was killed by Vishnu in his Varāha-avatār. Hiranyakasipu then became the king of the demons and vowed eternal war with Vishnu. His young son, Prahlāda, however, became a devoted adherent of Vishnu and was always praising him as the all-pervading lord of the universe. Exasperated with this, Hiranyakasipu asked the young boy whether his god Vishnu, if he was all-pervasive, could be found in the pillar in front of him; and then hacked at it with his sword. The pillar cleft in twain and out burst from it, to the astonishment of Hiranyakasipu, the angry god in the shape of a Man-lion, (fig. 16), who forthwith tore to pieces the impious demon king.

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FIG. 16.—Narasimha bursting forth from the pillar; Ahōbalam.

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The angry god is called Ugra (the terrible)-Narasimha (figs. 17 and 18). When, however, his anger subsided at the earnest prayers of Prahlāda he became serene and in this form he is known as Lakshmī-Narasimha. Yōga-Narasimha (fig. 19) is another form in which the god is seen squatting in a meditative mood. Simhāchalam in the Vizagapatam district, Ahōbalam in the Kurnool district and Nāmakkal¹ in the Trichinopoly district may be mentioned among the places sacred to Narasimha. The usual Vaishnava symbols, sankha (conch) and chakra (discus), are seen in the two upper hands of the image of Narasimha in all his forms. The monolithic Ugra-Narasimha found in the ruins of Vijayanagara was there established by king Krishnarāya in A.D. 1528. It may be noted that here the god, though called Ugra-Narasimha, is not represented, as may be expected, in the posture of splitting open the bowels of the demon Hiranyakasipu.

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¹ A detailed description of the images in the rock-cut temples at Nāmakkal is given in the Madras Epigraphical Report for 1906, Part II, pp. 75 and 76.

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Hēmādri states that Narasimha must be represented with muscular shoulders, a stout neck and a slender waist. Half man and half lion, his face must be fiery and so also the mane round it. Standing with his right foot bent forward (ālidha) he splits with his sharp nails the breast of the tyrant Hiranyakasipu, who, as the wise men say, is an embodiment of ignorance. The Pāncharātrāgama thus describes the form of Narasimha suited for meditation:— "(Terrible) like flaming fire, he has a lion-face with a human body, furious fangs, a protruding tongue, an open mouth, a thick mane and muscular chest. He stands in the ālidha posture in an angry mood and splits the breast of the giant, thrown flat upon his thigh, with the sharp nails of both his hands. In his two other hands he holds the symbols of the club and the discus." The Mayamata, while giving almost the same description of him, states that the cruel form of Narasimha is installed on mountain-tops, caves, forests or the enemy's territory when the enemy has to be destroyed; when installed, however, in villages and towns he has four hands, two of which wear the conch and the discus.

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FIG 17.—Ugra-Narasimha; Ahōbalam.

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FIG. 18.—Ugra-Narasimha (metal) ; Madras Museum.

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FIG. 19.—Yōga-Narasimha ; Tirupati Hill.

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VĀMANA or the Dwarf incarnation. Vāmana or the Dwarf incarnation of Vishnu is worshipped in its ultimate manifestation, under the Sanskrit name Trivikrama or the Tamil Ulagalanda-Perumāl. The former means "the god who took three strides" and the latter "the lord who measured the universe (with three strides)."

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The story is that a powerful demon king named Bali, the great-grandson of Hiranyakasipu mentioned above, conquered the three worlds and ruled them, in spite of his birth, in charity and with justice. Indra, the chief of gods, was thus superseded. Vishnu as the avowed destroyer of the demons (*dānavas*) and the upholder of the gods had to restore Indra to his legitimate position. Vishnu could not go to war against Bali, as he was a virtuous king. So he went in the guise of a Dwarf Brāhmana, a student of the Vēdas (*brahmachārin*), and begged of Bali for three feet of land on which he could sit and meditate on Brahman undisturbed. The generous Bali granted the request. But what was his astonishment when he saw the cunning god grow to a height transcending the world, take in at one step the whole earth, covering the sky with the next, and demanding of Bali to show him room for the third. True to his promise, Bali offered his own head, on which the god placed his foot and sent him down to the lower regions. Greatly pleased with the king's nobility and firmness of character, Vishnu is still supposed to be guarding as his servant the palace of Bali in the world below.

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TRIVIKRAMA. There are not many temples dedicated to this god. At Tirukkoyilur in the South Arcot district is a celebrated shrine of Trivikrama. Another one is the Ulagalanda-Perumāl temple at Kānchī. In the Varāha-mandapa at Mahābalipuram, on the panel opposite to the Varāha-avatār described above, is a fine representation of Trivikrama¹ (fig. 20). Here the god has eight hands. The foremost arm on the right side is artistically made to support the lintel, while the remaining three hold the discus, club and the sword. Of the arms on the left side two hold the bow and the shield;

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¹ There is also a panel in the rock-cut temple at Nāmakkaḷ, representing Trivikrama with more details.

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FIG. 20.—Trivikrama; Seven Pagodas.

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the third has the conch and the fourth is pointed towards Brahmā seated on the lotus. This Brahmā has four hands and four faces (?). He reverently touches with one of his hands the toe of the uplifted leg of Trivikrama and with another touches the finger of the god pointed towards him. On the corresponding right side of Trivikrama is found apparently Siva, also on a lotus-seat. The Sun and Moon, with circles of light behind their heads, perhaps to distinguish their respective functions, are seen flying in the air half way down the high face of the god. Two other heavenly beings, one of which is on a level with the head of Trivikrama and has a horse-face,¹ are also flying in the air. The seated figures at the foot of Trivikrama are apparently Bali and his retinue who are struck with amazement at the sudden transformation of the stunted Vāmana into the all-pervading Trivikrama. In the Rāmasvāmin temple at Kumbakōṇam is a sculptured pillar (fig. 21) on which the story of the Vāmana-avatār is well represented. The lower section shows Bali and his wife granting boons to Brāhmaṇas. In the upper section is the god Trivikrama under a floral arch. His right foot is placed in the two open palms of the Earth. On his right is the image of the Dwarf. His vehicle Garuda is behind him. On the left side are evidently Bali and his wife standing. This description of Trivikrama exactly coincides with what has been given above, except that the hand supporting the lintel in the Mahābalipuram panel is here shown as offering protection. Tumburu is also seen above on the floral arch, flying in the air.

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¹ Evidently Tumburu with drum in hand, leading the hosts of gods. Mr. Venkayya takes the same figure in the Nāmakkal rock-cut temples to be Jāmbavat; see Madras Epigraphical Report for 1906, p. 76.

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The exact form of Vāmana, prior to his manifestation as Trivikrama, is, according to Hēmādri, that of a fat young student of the Vēdas with crooked joints, holding a staff in his hand and wearing on his back the skin of a black buck (*kṛiṣṇājina*) (fig. 22). Representations of Vāmana figures with water-pot in one hand and an umbrella in the other² on demarcation stones of fields granted in charity, were quite common even down to the end of the nineteenth century. This auspicious figure evidently denoted fortune and was appropriately connected with boundary stones and the measurement of land. A festival in honour of Bali is still observed by the people of Mysore on the first day after the Dīpāvali-Amāvāsyā. In Malabar people connect Bali with their national harvest festival, the Ōnam, in which they worship a clay figure of this high-minded emperor. It is supposed that the king is permitted by Vishnu to visit every year the fair earth over which he once ruled and to satisfy himself that the people are quite as happy and glad as in his time.

Linked texts (5)

Mayamata — Maya, Sanskrit
Badami
Namakkal
Caturvargacintāmaṇi — Hemādri, Sanskrit
Abhayawæwa pillar inscription of Lag Vijayasiṅgu Kit — Prakrit