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Last visited on Thursday, 28 May 2009

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Mahamallapuram (in Pallava Kigdom 500-750)

• Varaha saving the Earth (fig. 265) Big sculpted panel. In Varaha Mandapa (Varah’s (Vishnu’s avatar) pillared hall)
• Vishnu Anantashayana (fig. 248) Big sculpted panel. Vishnu lying on the coils of the giant serpent. He’s dreaming of the creation of Brahma. Ands Brahma is popping out of Vishnu’s naval. We see characters at different angles, and other interesting effects.
• Durga Killing Buffalo Demon(fig. 250) Big sculpted panel. Durga (form of the goddess) with many arms and weapons, riding on a lion. She has an army of dwarves. Split right down the middle of the composition, we see a large water buffalo looking demon. Figure of a man, head of a buffalo. He’s leading demons into war with the gods.
o Apparently, these demons one day went up to the water buffalo demon and asked him to lead them to battle, and the gods actually lose the first round. They go running off, and go to Vishnu, and Shiva and beseech them. When they hear this, they are so angry that their angry emotions fuse together, and form Durga. She is the manifestation of the angry feelings of the gods. She sends the dwarf armies into war against them. So every time they kill one form of the buffalo demon, he jumps out and into another form. Soon, he attacks her lion, and they send down celestial wine. She becomes intoxicated, and kicks him in the neck, pins down his neck with a trident, and decapitates his spirit’s head.
o So even though she’s Durga, she’s till part of Vishnu worship. That’s why this is in here.

Kailasanatha Temple, at Ellora (n Rashtrakuta dynasty 753-900)

• Kailasanatha Temple at Ellora (fig. 274) (probably began by King Krishna I started in 760 to 800).Cliff site where they dug two 300 ft. deep trenches, and one more trench 175 ft. wide. A big U shape. Then they carved down from there. Said to be the largest rock cut monument ever. There is a gate on outside, then the first thing you see is the Nandi Pavilion (Shiva’s bull). This is true of all Shiva temples. (Trident imagery = Shiva) Then you get to the center, a Mandapa, with pillars. Once you’ve passed through, further from the world, into the deep thick wall, where you find the lingam. This is what you worship. This corresponds to the highest point of the temple as well.
o This is Southern style architecture.
o Kailasa (the Himalayas) – this is where Shiva lived. He had a mountain home here, but it was a very hard place to visit, so this temple was named Kailasa, and it looks like Kailasa, so maybe the god will come to us! It’s a “reasonable facsimile.”
o Mahabharata, and Ramayana “narrative freezes” on the side of the temple.
• Plan image from Kailasanatha (fig. 275)
• Narrative freezes (fig. 276) Stories of Mahabharata and Ramayana
o Caryatid figures appear to be holding up the building. Here we have elephants peacefully sitting as well as elephants fighting with tigers and suck.
• Animals fighting (fig. 277) Caryatid figures. Appear to hold up temple.
• Flying celestial figure (fig. 276) VERY high relief. Almost 3-D.
• Myth of Shiva and Parvati carving (fig. 281) Parvati as cowering behind Shiva because of Ravana.
o The story: Shiva trapped Ravana, a bad dude, underneath the house of his mountain home. So Ravana grabs the walls of this chamber and shakes them violently. Soon, he’s shaking all of Kailasa. This is why Parvati is cowering. So Shiva merely places his big toe on the mountain, and puts this to an end. When Ravana can not do anything, he worships Shiva.

Elephanta

• Cave temple dedicated to lord Shiva. (Around 7th century)(Probably the Rashtrakuta’s as well) This is a complex temple with three entrances. West – behind the temple. East, and to the North – the large one. Here, there are two focuses. From east entrance, you go in through the Mandapa, into the deepest area, and find the lingam. If you enter from the north, you enter, go through, and find a large sculpture.
1. Straight in from the east, you can see right through to the lingam. Outside there are two large door guardians. To worship, they pour milk, honey or other stuff onto the lingam.
2. Straight in from the northern entrance, towards the southern end, we see a great sculpture.
• Shiva Mahasvara (fig. 285) “Great Lord.” Triple aspect/ unified image. He looks like a lingam, this is called a mukha linga – lingam with a face. We see the usual standards of beauty in him. Three faces.
o Aghora – Wrathful manifestation of Shiva. Destroyer. He has a cobra, fangs, and an angry grimace.
o Uma – Great mother. Represents the birth giving side of Shiva. Very beautiful, and holding a flower.
o Tatpurusha – Central face. Beneficent (good). Peaceful and peacemaking.
You see eight foot tall heads, from the shoulders up, so you wonder where the rest of the body is. It is in the island. They made it his mountain home. He is embodying it.
• Hindu myth of Descent of the Ganges. Ganges river depicted as a female form here.
• Shiva Ardhanari – “Half woman.” Literally cut down the middle as a male and female. Represents Shiva and Parvati, union, marriage. We also have a picture of them together, more in a worldly view. You would go there because you want to be joined in a union with Shiva. A union of human and divine. Represented by union of sexes.
• Shiva Nataraja (fig. 284)– “Lord of the Dance.” Very hectic animated dance. Arms all over the place. Very realistic depiction of Indian dance, with knees bent, facing audience, etc. He’s so frantic that he’s even dancing his hair down in this dance. The significance is he in dancing the universe into existence. Existence is all light reflecting off of his body in the never ceasing kind of dance. It’s creating it, preserving it, and destroying it.