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12. Shiva Vrishavahanamurti Northern India - Western Madhya Pradesh or Rajasthan Late 9th or early 10th century sandstone Height: 82cm |
A sandstone stele depicting Shiva Vrishavahanamurti, standing with his/her weight resting on the left leg, the right-hand side of the body resting against the head of the bull Nandi, who stands behind. The god is four armed, holding a lotus and trident on his right side and a waterflask and a book on his left. At his feet are two attendants; one is soothing Nandi whilst the other looks on. Vrishavahanamurti, the form of Shiva resting against Nandi, is the form he assumes when blessing devotees with freedom from the cycle of existence. Those granted this release will remain with Shiva in eternity. This is one of the primary icons of Shiva as a benign god. Shiva rests rather languidly against Nandi, in a pose designed to depict him in his fullness of beauty; this is one extreme of his character, the other being that of unimaginable ferocity. His is a contradictory nature and one can never take him for granted. In essence, Shiva is an embodiment of the forces of nature and it is through him that the elements can at one moment protect and encourage the growth of crops, whilst at the next they can destroy, bringing poverty and despair. This is one of the earliest iconographical forms of Shiva, evidenced by coins of the Kushan period which have this image on the reverse. The easy sway of the god's body allows the arms to pose evenly around him, displaying the various attributes which he holds. One right hand holds a lotus, the other, now broken, clasps a trident of which the handle is visible. This identifies the god as Shiva, and is not intended to be used as a weapon in this image which is essentially benign; it also acts as a reminder of male strength. On the left hand side one hand clasps a water bottle, which contains the water of life and identifies Shiva's role as the universal healer. The other hand holds a book. The attributes on the left represent natural wealth and intellectual forces, reminders of Shiva's role as a bringer of abundance, both physical and spiritual. Two tiny devotees stand at the god's feet. Whilst one looks outwards, the other is engaged in keeping Nandi still, in order not to disturb the god. Nandi, whose name means "bringer of joy", represents reliability, in contrast to the character of his master. His presence is effectively a reminder of the benign side of Shiva's nature and in the temple context his figure is usually seated outside, guarding the doorway through which the devotee approaches Shiva. According to Kramrisch (1982:xxi) he embodies Dharma, the principal of cosmic and human law. He also represents the taming of animal nature and the notion that everything in nature can be controlled by the power of Shiva. The squared-off shape of the stone slab indicates it was one of a group of sculptures depicting Shiva in his various guises, which usually appear high up on the outer walls of a temple. The column on one side suggests it was integral to the temple architecture, rather than being a stele placed in a separately built niche. The devotee on first entering the temple compound, circumambulates the outer walls of the building where he sees the great god in all his forms, reminding him of the encompassing personality he is. In contrast, the representation of Shiva inside the Garbi Griha, the central shrine, is normally the aniconic lingham, i. e. the essential core of his nature. The images outside fire the imagination and compete with the outside world for the devotee's attention. Once inside the temple and away from the temptations of the profane world, the lingham concentrates the thoughts and reminds the worshipper of the timeless, unchanging power it contains. The statues also enhance the temple, attracting worshippers and thereby increasing its importance and religious significance. In India temples are generally sited at river crossings where travellers might naturally stop for a while and they would become popular pilgrimage places. If the building was admired, this reflected on its patron, usually a local ruler or official. After the collapse of the Gupta Empire, in the early 7th century, a mass of Rajput clan leaders came to power, the more ambitious of whom extended their territories as far as they could. Some of these Rajput princes had dubious claims to their thrones and solved the problems this caused by patronising the local Brahmans and building temples. In return, the Brahmans supported them, confirming their sometimes spurious Kshatriya status. Rivalry between rulers and between state officials within a principality, created pressure on the individual to build fine temples. The architects and sculptors travelled from state to state satisfying the demands of their employers and the result was a wealth of beautiful temples spread across north India. At the same time, localised cults became absorbed into mainstream Hinduism. Local Brahmans would draw diverse gods into their orbit since they were empowered by the rulers to look after the religious affairs of the state. At the same time the itinerant sculptors who produced statues to satisfy the demands of one area would take the idea to the next place they went to work. This may explain why Shiva, in particular, and Vishnu, to a slightly lesser extent, take on so many guises. In this image of Shiva, there are elements which help to arrive at a date and place of origin. The rapt expression of the face, the jewellery, in particular the jasmine flower-shaped beads of the collar, and the lotus aureole behind the god all point to an early 10th century date. The wonderfully carved chignon too seems to be of this period as later on in the 10th century it loses the intricacy of detail and appears more dome-like. An almost identical form is seen in a late Pallava image of Kalyanasundara Shiva, dated 875 (Nagaswamy 1983:1) The general appearance points to Rajasthan or Western Madhya Pradesh as the place of origin. BIBLIOGRAPHY Blurton, T. Richard: Hindu Art, London, 1992 Harle, J. C. : The Art and Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent, London, 1986 Kramrisch, Stella: Manifestations of Shiva, Philadelphia, 1981 . |