The Colas c36.90

c36.90

Fig. 74. Bhikṣāṭanamūrti. Bronze. In the Śiva Temple at Tirunāmanallūr. Śiva wears, as usual, a pair of sandals and is naked. The arrangement of *jaṭas* with the locks standing on their ends and forming a halo behind his head is beautiful. A skull and a serpent are seen on the head. The upper right hand holds a *ḍamaru*; the lower one is in *siṃhakarṇa* pose; the upper left is in *kaṭaka* pose (the trident which should have been held here is missing) and the lower left holds a *kapāla*. A simple broad necklace (*kaṇṭhī*), prominent *yajñōpavīta*, *udarabandha* and a *nāga* waist-band are seen on the body. The nude study shows bare the fine quality of the modelling. The grandeur of the image is accentuated by the realistic features, the beautiful expression and the restrained but finely worked details. All these make the image a superb example in bronze.