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South-Indian Images of Gods and Goddesses c9.s10: XVII

South-Indian Images of Gods and Goddesses c9.s10

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XVII

c9.s10.1

Gangādhara, “the bearer of Gangā (the Ganges),” is a form of Siva which illustrates a well-known Purānic story. The story of the descent of the heavenly Ganges into the earth to purify the ashes of the sinful sons of Sagara, a king of the Solar race, is related in the Rāmāyaṇa. At the prayer of Bhagīratha, a later member of the same family, “the river of the gods” consented to direct her course to the earth, but her force was such that the earth was unable to bear the shock. So Bhagīratha prayed to Siva and the latter consented to receive the Ganges on his matted locks. The river, proud of her might, came down with all her force as if to crush Siva, but found herself lost altogether in the tangled maze of Siva’s locks. Gangā then became humble and Siva let her flow forth again from his locks in a tiny trickle. The river-goddess, the heavenly Ganges, is believed since then to abide in Siva’s matted hair as one of his consorts. This latter subject of letting the Ganges flow out of his matted hair as a tiny rivulet is represented in figures generally known as Gangāvisarjanamūrti. No distinction, however, has been made in the Āgamas between Gangādhara and Gangāvisarjana. He stands on a lotus pedestal with the right leg straight and the left slightly bent. The image is represented as embracing the goddess Gaurī, consoling and assuring her that his affections would not be transferred to the river-goddess.² One right arm holds up a lock of his hair, on which is seen the goddess Gangā. A left arm holds the antelope. The goddess Gaurī with a dejected face (virahitānanā) is represented in the samabhanga posture with her left leg placed straight on the pedestal and the right leg slightly bent. Her right hand stretches down or is sometimes held akimbo while the left holds a flower. The god and the goddess are highly decorated (figs. 84 and 85). In the first illustration from Gangaikondasōlapuram, Gaurī appears as if she is desirous of being let alone but her anxious husband is holding her fast. Figures of Gangādhara are sometimes seen without Gaurī on the side. In such cases he has four hands, of which the right upper supports Gangā on the lock and the left upper holds the deer. Of the two others the right fore-arm rests on the face of the bull against which the god leans and the left rests freely on the waist (fig. 86). The bull, not seen in the illustration, is distinct in a similar figure from the Siva temple at Kodumbālūr. Bhagīratha, who was the cause of the descent of Gangā, may also be shown standing together with other rishis to the right of Siva. This is found only in an illustration from Burgess's *Elura Cave Temples*.¹

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² The Śilpasangraha says that the right lower arm of Siva may be in the posture of giving boons. The illustrations, however, show it holding the face of the goddess Gauri.

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¹ Plate XLIII, fig. 1, and Plate XXVI, fig. 1.

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FIG. 82. — Gajahāmūrti ; Dhārāsuram.

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FIG. 83.—Gajahāmūrti; Tirutturaippūndi.

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One other figure (or rather group of figures) representing Gangādhara (fig. 87) comes from the rock-cut cave at Trichinopoly and deserves notice. The central image is Siva with four hands. The upper right hand holds a lock of hair in order to receive evidently the goddess Gangā descending from the clouds. The upper left seems to hold a rosary. The left lower hand rests on the waist and the corresponding right holds by the tail a serpent with the raised hood. The left leg of Siva is placed straight on the ground and the right which is bent at the knee is placed on the head of a demon (perhaps Musalagan) who also supports the leg with his left hand which is raised up. The god is fully decorated. Round him are four attendant sages, two of whom are kneeling at the feet, the other two worshipping from behind. Above the group are two dēvas flying in the air on either side of the god's head. Although the details given above do not agree with any particular description given in the Āgamas, it appears to me that it represents Siva standing ready prepared to receive in his locks the rushing torrent of the river of the gods. One of the attendant sages may, in this case, be Bhagīratha at whose request Gangā descended from the heavens.

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