South-Indian Images of Gods and Goddesses c9.s9.7

c9.s9.7

A similar composite image of Siva is the one called Harihara or Sankaranārāyaṇa. In this image the left half is Vishnu and the right half Siva. Accordingly we see on the left side of the figures of Harihara, the conch, the pearl-necklace, the mark Srivatsa and the brilliant ear-ring characteristic of Vishnu and on the right side the skull, the garland of bones, the river Gaṅgā, the serpent coil of the ear-ring and the trident or axe, characteristic of Siva. So too the colour of the body is blue on the left and white on the right. Similarly, Garuda, the vehicle of Vishnu, may be seen standing on the left and the bull of Siva on the right. Sankaranāyinārkōyil in the Tinnevelly district has a famous temple dedicated to this combined form of Sankara (Siva) and Nārāyaṇa (Vishnu). The illustration given (fig. 81) comes from Nāmakkal. A similar but more finished figure of Sankaranārāyaṇa is found at Chidambaram in which attendant sages and demi-gods are also depicted.