History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v3.c41.s13.7

v3.c41.s13.7

Varāhamihira’s Brihatsamhitā is by name quoted by Al-Beruni here with regard to how the idols of different gods were to be fashioned. Two or three interesting points may be first noted which appear from this quotation. First, it is doubted by many if there were temples of Rāma before Rāmānanda; but Varāhamihira refers to idols of Rāma, son of Daśaratha and as Al-Beruni quotes this statement, it shows that there were idols of Rāma certainly from the 6th to the 11th century A. D. Secondly, idols of Viṣṇu are said to be with *eight, four and two hands*, and in these, different weapons or things are to be placed. The idol of Viṣṇu with two hands has to be made with conch in one hand and as drawing water the other; a description which is rather strange and which does not apply to the idol of Vithoba at Pandharpur. Thirdly, there were idols of Baladeva, of Pradyumna, of Sāmba, of Brahmā, of Indra, and Yama, of Revanta son of the sun, of the sun himself, of the seven mothers, of Bhagavatī and lastly of Vināyaka* with the elephant’s head or a human body.” All these except the last two have latterly gone out of fashion. We, however, ourselves saw in the Baijanath temple in Kangra at the entrance an idol of Gaṇeśa with six hands with weapons in the several hands as described by Jñāneśvara in his famous Marathi commentary on the Bhagavadgītā. This Baijanath temple has images of different gods carved on the outside of its walls and its pinnacle which are so charming and so true in detail to the description of the different Āyudhas, Pārishadas and Vāhanas of the several gods that they are worth studying. This temple was built about 1200 A. D. as an inscription in it records.