Leg Ornaments

In general leg ornaments visible in the sculptures of this period can be classified into various groups like silambu, kinkini and padaga [padagam] or a combination of all the three.

A study of sculptural depictions of this period in the various rock-cut temples and Rathas shows that initially men are shown without any leg ornaments and only those depicted in dancing form used to wear an anklet. However, in the panels from Thantonrisvara temple at Kanchipuram depicting men and women artisans, curiously only women dancers are shown wearing a silambu type of anklet and men are devoid of any anklet. An anklet of this type is composed of a hollow metal tube and might be filled up with small metal particles inside to produce rhythmic jingling sound, while dancing. The silambu type of anklet seems to be the most popular among women, as it can be seen adorning several sculptures in the rock-cut temples and rathas in Mamallapuram, like Sridevi and Her celestial attendants in the Gajalakshmi panel, Durga in the Varaha-mandapam, Bhudevi (fig. 116) and Kaumodaki in the Anantasayi Vishnu panel and Durga in the Mahishasuramardini panel of the cave temple and Durga and Her dvarapalikas in the Draupadi ratha. However, in the Govardhanadhari panel at Mamallapuram it can be noticed that, while women of upper-class wear anklets, gopikas and men including Krishna and Balarama are devoid of any anklet. Similarly, the dvarapalikas in the Kotikal mandapa are devoid of any anklets^[1]. This differential portrayal may hint at the fact that in earlier days, among women only those belonging to the upper-class and the artisans used to wear anklets, whereas, men do not generally wear them. Probably this fact is clearly reflected in the Ardhanarisvara form of Siva (fig/. 330) carved on the Dharmaraja-ratha, the royal portraits depicted in the Adivaraha cave temple and in the celestial couples on the larger Bhagiratha penance in Mamallapuram. In the Ardhanarisvara form only the left leg proper representing Parvati is shown with an anklet of this type, whereas, the right leg is devoid of any ornament. Even in the royal portraits and celestial figures the silambu can be seen adorning only the queens and celestial women, while kings and celestial men are devoid of any anklet.

A silambu can be either plain in design or may consist of beaded patterns engraved over it. Alternatively, it can also be gems set into the body of the anklet. All the above mentioned examples in the various rock-cut temples and rathas at Mamallapuram are of a plain variety, either thick or thin in appearance. Silambu of beaded pattern begins to appear especially in the Kailasanatha temple at Kanchipuram and can be seen worn by several female chauri-bearers (fig. 331). Durga in the Jalanadesvara temple at Thakkolam is shown wearing another type of ornamental silambu, with floral embellishments.

An earliest depiction of a kinkini type of anklet can be seen adorning the dancing form of Siva carved on the top saduram portion of the southern pilaster in the Avanibhajana-pallavesvara-griham at Siyamangalam. A kinkini comprises of series of globular metal bells attached to a string. Similar depictions can be subsequently noticed on the ankle of Bhudevi in the Varaha cave temple at Mamallapuram. Among the sculptures representing men, the kinkini can be seen especially adorning dvarapalakas found in several structural temples of the period like the Airavatesvara, the Iravatanesvara, the Kailasanatha and the Muktesvara at Kanchipuram. In all these temples, Siva in various dancing forms like Sandhyanritta-murti and Urdhvatandava-murti, as well as in His other forms like Kalasamharamurti and Vinadhara-Ardhanari, is shown wearing the kinkinis. In a rare instance, a sculpture of Narasimha (fig. 332) in the act of killing Hiranyakasipu depicted on the wall of one of the angalaya in the Kailasanatha temple at Kanchipuram is also shown wearing this type.

An altogether different type of anklet resembling the spiral bracelets (fig. 333) can be seen especially in the sculptural creations from the time of Narasimhavarman II Rajasimha and his successors. Since the term kataka refers to a spiral bracelet, an anklet of this type can be identified with the pada-kataka as mentioned in the Amarakosa^[2]. It is also referred to as padagam in Tamil, which is derived from two terms pada (feet) and kadagam (bangle)^[3].

A composite form of anklet, which is a combination of silambu, kinkini and padagam can be seen on Uma in the Somaskanda panel of the Mahishasuramardini cave temple at Mamallapuram^[4]. Depiction of this kind can be most commonly seen adorning the sculptures of Durga in the structural temples of the time of Narasimhavaraman II Rajasimha, like the Airavatesvara, the Iravatesvara, the Piravatesvara, the Matangesvara and the Kailasanatha temples (fig. 333) at Kanchipuram.

Another composite form comprised of only silambu and kinkini can also be seen worn by goddesses like Gajalakshmi (fig. 334) and Kausiki as well as by female chauri-bearers in the Kailasanatha temple at Kanchipuram.

A combination of only kinkini and padagam can be seen worn by a goddess (fig. 335) in the panel depicting Vaikuntha-Vishnu on the north wall of the garbhagriha in the Vaikunthaperumal temple at Kanchipuram. A few sculptures of queens in the historical panels of the Vaikunthaperumal temple at Kanchipuram are also shown wearing this type of anklet. For example, the queen seated to the left of the king (fig. 336) in a panel (lower row) on the northern cloister wall is depicted with this kind.

From this detailed study, it can be said that in the early period (600 to 670 A.D.) men very rarely wear an anklet. If worn it would be of the kinkini type and that too worn only by the dancers. By the time of Narasimhvarman II Rajasimha (690 to 725 A.D.), dancers as well as door-keepers popularly used to wear anklets of the kinkini type. However, from the sculptures belonging to late-Pallava period (750 to 900 A.D.), it can be seen that men, especially of the upper-class, began to wear anklets resembling a silambu, but having more ornamental moldings on it. A fine example of this type can be seen on the image of Shanmukha (9^th century A.D.) from Kaverippakkam^[5].

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The presence of anklets on the dvarapalikas in the Draupadi ratha and the absence of the same on the dvarapalikas in the Kotikal mandapam may also be considered as one of the sculptural features to support the view that the Kotikal-mandapam was chronologically earlier than the Draupadi ratha.

[2]:

Amarakosha: 432.

[3]:

Gift Siromoney, “Mahabalipuram: costumes and jewellery”, in Madras Christian College Magazine Mys. Arch., Vol. 39, April 1970, pp.76-83

[4]:

This differential feature of anklet between the Uma of Somaskanda panel and Durga in the Mahishasuramardhini panel within a same cave temple gives much evidence for the scholars to assign a date later than period of Narasimhavarman I Mamalla, to this Somaskanda group.

[5]:

Now in Govt. Museum, Chennai, Acc. no. 71-5/37.