Images of Dvarapalas

The Dvarapalas bear different names like Chanda and Prachanda. Jaya and Vijaya, Dandi and Mundi, and so on.^[1] The Dvarapalas or doorguardians always in pairs are seen at the entrance of the sanctum in a temple.^[2] Dvarapalas are found to have emblems or weapons symbolizing the sectarian affiliation of the temple like trident and hand drum in Siva shrines, conch and discus in Vishnu shrines and goad and noose in Sakti shrines.^[3]

The earliest of representations Dvarapalas in Tamil country are found in the cave temple at Mandagapattu. In some of the images of Dvarapala during the Pallava period they are shown with horns. The images of Dvarapalas with two hands were engraved before the days of Nandivarma Pallava I. After that, these images were had four hands.^[4] This can be seen in the Matangesvarar temple at Kanchipuram. In the early period of the Cholas like the Pallavas, they are also found with horns. The Dvarapalas pertaining to the period of the imperial Cholas reflect a superior grace than that of those in the Pallava period.

In this Adavalleswarar temple at Munnur, the four armed Dandi on the right side and Mundi on the left side are the guards at the door -way of the first prakara. They are standing in abhanga position. The front hands are in the gesture of warning or tarjani hasta and the left rest upon the large clubs placed on the sides. The rear hands are in abhaya and vismaya mudras. They wear distinctive tall makutas with jatamukhas. The prominent bands with discs placed above the foreheads form the centre pieces of the distinctive lower parts of the makutas. The third eyes are planted on the broad foreheads. The wavy hair locks extending fan-wise are seen behind the heads.

These figures wear patrakundalas, four sets of kanthi, skandamalas, drtimukha keyuras and padasaras. They have udarabandhas composed of twined serpents' and thick yajnopavitas across the body resting on the left shoulder and going down to the navel zone. The facial features appear stern and awe inspiring with terrible fangs in their mouths, protruding noses and threatening eyes. They have waist bands on their waists with simhamukha clasps. Katibandhas are held under the waist bands at the sides with loops and hanging ends. They lower cloth made in a kaccha fashion is taken above the knee. The festoons and tassels are shown from the waist bands. They belonged to the 13th century A.D.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

S.K. Ramachandra Rao, Op.Cit., p. 144.

[2]:

Ibid.,p. 144.

[3]:

Ibid.,pp. 142 -144.

[4]:

E. Ekambaranathan, Op.Cit.,p. 29.