Coiffure of Men

Men in this period used to grow their hair at length and wear it in different styles as following:

Hair combed backward and allowed to fall on the shoulders in spiral locks

In a panel (fig. 164) from the Thantontrisvara temple at Kanchipuram, a dancer depicted in profile is shown with his hairs combed backwards and those which fall over his nape are modeled as spiral locks. If the same sculpture can be assumed to be frontal in position, then such spiral locks could be seen hanging on either side of his head. Such a coiffure gives the appearance of a head cap worn by the judges of the Colonial times. It seems that such a type of ornamental twisting of the locks of hair was especially adopted by theatre artisans like dancers. However, a similar coiffure can also be seen in the sculpture of Manmatha in the Sundaravaradaperumal temple at Uttiramerur.

Jatamakuta type

This type of hair-do was especially popular among sages, ascetics, brahmanas and Saivite figures. The Gangadhara panel in the Lalitankura-pallavesvara-griham at Tiruchirappalli gives a first glimpse into the jatamakuta form of hair-do in this period. Unfortunately the method of tying the jata in the form of makuta in this case is not much clear due to weathering. However, the devotee (fig. 165 and 472) kneeling to his left gives picturesque details. In this, his jatas are arranged by gathering them at the top of his head and assembled them in the form of a knot resembling a damaru. The makuta is bounded together by means of a kesapatta having floral appendages. Further, he wears a band around his forehead to prevent misalignment of the hair.

The sculpture of a dancer (fig. 166) carved in a panel from the Thantontrisvara temple at Kanchipuram, had his long tresses in spiral curls one above the other with receding diameter in conical form i.e. a jatamakuta. Perhaps, a ribbon was used to fasten his locks and its ends are seen hanging as tassels. The entire mass of hair is fronted by an ornamental tiara. This method of arranging the hair is also popularly noticed in the sculptures of Saivite dvarapalakas as well as Siva Himself. From the study of many sculptures of Siva (fig. 167) adorning the walls of the Kailasanatha temple at Kanchipuram it can be said, that the jatamakuta of Siva in particular has an ornamental medallion in front formed of motifs like beads, finials, kirtimukha and makara. As a whole, it gives the impression of a kirita-makuta.

The Trimurti cave temple at Mamallapuram, which fortunately preserves much of the sculptural art intact, without any erosion, gives a magnificent insight into the dressing style of ascetics and devout worshippers. The pair of devotees kneeling on either side of the image of Brahmasasta in the shrine-cell, shows that they had gathered their jatas to form a loop at the apex of the head, tied around it in the form of a band and then the free ends are folded and inserted into the loop. Additionally they are also seen wearing a forehead band (agrapatta) in order to keep the hairs in its position. On the band worn by the devotee kneeling to the left of Brahmasasta a bejeweled clasp like thing can also be seen (fig. 168 and 471). Similar hair-do was also worn by the sages and His disciples in the larger Bhagiratha penance panel (fig. 169). Comparatively the hair-do of the two devotees kneeling on either side of Vishnu (fig. 473 and 474) are more ornamental and elaborative hinting of the fact that they may be royal personages. A glance at their hair-do leaves the onlooker to wonder, whether there existed special treatise on the art of arranging the hair and bedecking it in ancient times. Here, the arrangement of the jatas is a little different and the band (karpata) around the locks has an ornamental appendage in the middle. They also wear a plain forehead band to keep the jatas in position (fig. 170).

Another method of tying the jatas can be seen in the Brahmasiras-chetakamurti depicted on one of the angalaya in the Kailasanatha temple at Kanchipuram. Here the hair-do of a person (fig. 171) seated in profile with folded hands, by the side of Brahma is shown having His jata tied over His head by means of a band having an ornamental badge in the middle.

An altogether different form of jatamakuta can be seen in the two celestial figures kneeling on either side of the image of Sarasvati in the Sundaravaradaperumal temple at Uttiramerur (fig. 172 and 173). The difference lies in the method of encircling the jatas over the head.

Curly hairs tied into a knot at the top of the head

In the Govardhanadhari panel at Mamallapuram, the cowherd (fig. 174 and 475) seen in the act of milking the cow is depicted having curly hairs, which he has gathered at the top and fastened it with a band. A little above the forehead he wears a fillet, which helps to keep the curly hairs in order. Similarly curly hairs can also be seen in the sculpture of a dvarapalaka standing adjacent to the Gajalakshmi panel in the Varaha-mandapa at Mamallapuram and also in a sculpture of Gana (fig. 175) in the Mahishasuramardini panel of the cave temple at same place. In both the cases, the hair-do is of jatamakuta type and the curly hairs can be clearly seen. Depiction of curly hairs in Indian art can be taken back to Satavahana period, as can be seen in the several sculptural panels^[1] adorning the torana of the stupa no. 1 at Sanchi. It can be datable to about the middle of 1^st century B.C. on the basis of an inscription belonging to the reign of the Satavahana king Satakarni II^[2]. The origin of the depiction of the curly hairs in Indian art can be ultimately taken as due to the Hellenistic influence, which infiltrated through political, cultural and maritime contacts.

Hair combed backwards without parting line in the middle

In this type, the hair is simply combed backwards, allowing them to fall behind the head. A man with an infant over his shoulders in the Govardhanadhari panel at Mamallapuram, is seen with his hair arranged in this style. Again one of the gana (fig. 176) in the Mahishasuramardini panel of the cave temple at the same place, has his hairs combed backwards from the top and allowed to fall behind the neck, without any parting line (kesavithi) in the middle. As the depiction is from front side, nothing is known whether the hairs are gathered at the back to form a lock or let loose. Similar type of hair-do can also be seen worn by the kinnara in the larger Bhagiratha penance panel at Mamallapuram.

Sikhanda type

A man playing the flute in the Govardhanadhara panel at Mamallapuram, has worn his hair in the form of a bun by gathering them at the top and fastening it with a band. Similar bun like arrangement of the hair on the apex of the head can be again seen worn by the hunters in the larger Bhagiratha penance panel at the same place. Such a type of hair-do can be called as Sikhanda type of coiffure. Similar type of hair-do can also be seen worn by a princely male figure (fig. 177) seated on the ground in front of the king, depicted in a panel (upper row) on the northern cloister wall of the Vaikunthaperumal temple at Kanchipuram. He further seems to have ornamented his sikhanda with chains formed of pearls or beads and also worn a forehead band as a support. Another variant of this is also seen worn by a hunter in the same panel, where the bun shaped locks is made to appear flat at the top.

Hair combed backwards with a parting line in the middle

This type of hair-do can be seen in the image of a disciple listening humbly to the teachings of a sage, portrayed on the left flank of the niche, enshrining an image of Yoga-Dakshinamurti, on the south facing karna shrine in the Kailasanatha temple at Kanchipuram. A similar hair-do can also be seen in a panel (lower row) carved on northern-western (fig. 178) and eastern cloister walls in the Vaikunthaperumal temple at Kanchipuram. But in the latter the kesavithi is not clearly seen and is indicated only by a slight depression in the middle.

Matted hair let loose behind the head

In the sculpture of a bard on the eastern face of the second tala of Dharmaraja -ratha at Mamallapuram, this type of hair-dress can be seen. In this the Panan carrying an ektara vina or yal is depicted as having his jata flowing behind his head. Similarly the figure of a bearded ascetic (fig. 179) seated on a stool and facing the king in a panel (lower row) on the northern cloister wall in the Vaikunthaperumal temple at Kanchipuram appear to have the same kind of coiffure, as can be seen from the depiction of three lines indicating jatas on his head. Here the jatas were let loose at the back. In contrast, his disciple standing behind and holding a staff in his hand has a normal type of hair, without any indication of a jata. Such a depiction for the disciple hints at his status as an apprentice.

Jatabhara type

This type of coiffure can be seen in an image of Siva carved on the aditala (western face) of the Dharmaraja ratha (aditala, western face) at Mamallapuram. The jatas, which seems to be long locks of hair forms a halo like appearance around the head of Siva and is bounded together at the forehead by means of an agrapatta. Similar type of hair-do can be seen in the sculptures of Dakshinamurti, Dakshasamharamurti and Bhikshatanamurti as well. An image of Dakshinamurti from Kaveripakkam^[3] (fig. 180 and 476) and Kanchipuram^[4] (fig. 181) has the hair arranged in similar fashion. However the individual strands of hair are shaped in the form of a snail curl. In both the cases an agrapatta is also seen to hold the hair unruffled. Another variant is seen in the image of Dakshasamharamurti depicted on the wall of an angalaya in the Kailasanatha temple at Kanchipuram. Here the matted hair is parted in the middle and its strands are left hanging on either side of His head without any curls.

Jatabhara cum Jatamakuta type

In this type of coiffure a few locks of hair are arranged to form a conical shape at the apex of the head in the form of a jatamakuta and at the same time the remaining locks of hair are let loose to hang at the sides in the form of a jatabhara. Thus, this type of coiffure can be best described as a combined form of jatabhara and jatamakuta type. Such a type is best seen in several of the dvarapalaka sculptures flanking the facade and shrine cells in the rock-cut cave temples^[5] as well as in the various forms of Siva like Bhikshatanamurti, Bhairava and few images of Dakshinamurti (fig. 182). All the three above mentioned forms of Siva seen on the walls of angalaya and in the niches of the main shrine in the Kailasanatha temple at Kanchipuram has similar disposition of hair. A sculpture of Bhikshatanamurti preserved in the National museum at New Delhi^[6] can be described here as a type. Here few locks of His hair are parted in the middle and was let to dangle on either side of His head in the form of a jatabhara. The remaining mass of hair was carried aloft and tied in the form of a makuta at the apex of his head. This makuta formed of jata is further embellished with ornaments.

Jata arranged in the form of a turban

This type of hair-do can be seen worn by Siva and His followers belonging to ascetic class. On the northern face of the second tala of Dharmaraja-ratha at Mamallapuram, Siva in the company of His attendant Tandu, is shown wearing His jatas in the form of a turban by twisting the jatas round His head and fastening it at the centre perhaps with a band having a circular jewel in the middle. Similar coiffure is again seen on the same ratha in the sculpture of Vrsabhantikamurti (fig. 183). In this, it seems that the turban like arrangement of jatas are fastened by means of the loose end of the jata itself. Additionally, a band is also seen encircling His head and supporting the jatas along the forehead. It is interesting to see here that even the hair-do of a Siva-bhakta flanking the niche enshrining an image of Dakshinamurti on the third tala (southern face), was also fashioned in a similar style. Likewise, this type can be seen again worn by an ascetic figure (fig. 184) listening attentively to the preaching of a sage carved on the left flank of the niche (southern wall) enshrining the image of Dakshinamurti in the Iravatanesvara temple at Kanchipuram. A variant of this type can be seen in a saintly figure from Kaveripakkam^[7] (fig. 185). Here the jatas are arranged above the head into spiral folds and tied by means of few vertical locks from the forehead in the middle. Few more jatas are also seen hanging to His side and falling on His nape.

Long hairs combed upwards and arranged in the form of peacock feathers

In this type, the hair above the head is arranged to resemble the feathered tail of a peacock, when ruffled. Siva in the disguise of a kirata depicted on the wall of an angalaya in the Kailasanatha temple at Kanchipuram, can be seen having His hairs arranged in this type. In the then contemporary literature Dasakumaracharita, its author Dandin describes a coiffure of this style as “lila-mayura-barhya-kesapasam” i.e.resembling the peacock feathers. Similar type can be seen again in an image of Vinadhara-siva (fig. 186) depicted on the wall of an angalaya and also in the panel of musicians on the left flank of the main niche enshrining Sandhya-nritta-murti on the wall proper (facing west) of the same temple.

Tonsured head with a sikha

This type of hair-do is normally seen worn by the priests even in the present day. In the Dharamaraja-ratha at Mamallapuram (eastern face, second tala) can be seen a sculpture of a priest (fig. 3) having a cleanly shaven head with a small tuft at its apex. This can be identified as the purvasikha, maintained customarily by the brahmanas engaged in Vedic studies and performing daily rituals as required by the agamic texts in the temples. This type of hair-do can also be seen in the image of Vamana in the Kailasanatha and Vaikunthaperumal temples at Kanchipuram. However, in both the cases only the tonsured part of the head is seen and the sikha is not visible.

Hair combed backwards, with the locks hanging behind twisted into concentric curls

This is the most interesting and artistic of the depictions of hair-do of men in this period. It is seen adorned by a male dancer (fig. 187) standing in the middle of two female dancers in a panel (upper row) on the northern cloister wall of the Vaikunthaperumal temple at Kanchipuram. In this type, the hair from the forehead is combed back and those that fall over the nape are especially twisted to give the appearance of the concentric rings similar to those formed on the conch. It seems that this type of hair-do is especially popular among theatre artisans like dancers.

Hair combed backwards and knotted loosely at the end

This type of coiffure can be seen in a panel (upper row) on the northern cloister wall of the Vaikunthaperumal temple at Kanchipuram. Here a man seated to the left of the king with hands folded in salutation is depicted having his hair combed backwards and their ends are loosely knotted (fig. 188). This is the simplest type of hair-do, which can be seen even today among the priestly community. Normally in this type a small portion of the hair above the forehead was shaven. However, due to the damaged state of the face of the figure thus depicted in this panel, it is difficult to determine about the prevalence of this custom during the Pallava period.

Long locks of hair knotted to the side of the head

This type of hair-do can be especially seen worn by soldiers sculpted in the row of historical panels adorning the wall of the cloister circumambulating the Vaikunthaperumal temple at Kanchipuram. In one such panel (northern wall, lower row) a sword yielding soldier (fig. 189) is shown with his hairs gathered to the right side of his head and knotted in the form of a bun. Similar method of tying the hair is also seen in a horse rider in another panel on the same wall. Such a type of hair-do was also known in popular terms as kudumi in Tamil and is different from the one worn by the priestly class, which is normally seen either at the back of the head or nearer to the neck and sometimes even beyond it or at times on the top of the head.

Long locks of hair knotted to the back of the head

This is similar to the previous mentioned one, but with the hair tied near the nape in the form of a bun, instead of to the side. Two men in a panel (upper row) on the southern cloister wall of the Vaikunthaperumal temple at Kanchipuram display such a coiffure. Both are portrayed with their head slightly tilted to a side revealing their hair tied in this fashion (fig. 190).

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

M. K. Dhavalikar, op.cit., p. 29.

[2]:

John Marshall and Alferd Foucher, The Monuments of Sanchi, 1940, Vol. I, p. 177.

[3]:

Now preserved in Govt. Museum, Chennai, Acc. no. 71 -22/ 37.

[4]:

Now preserved in National Museum, New Delhi, Acc. no. 59.153/30.

[5]:

Seen flanking the shrine-entrance at Dalavanur and Tiruchirappal/li and the facade at Siyamangalam.

[6]:

Acc. no. 59.153/138.

[7]:

Now preserved in Govt. Museum, Chennai, Acc. no. 2545.