Ornaments For Animals

Regarding the kind of ornaments with which the animals are adored, they seem to follow the same design like the ones worn by the men and women of this period. Ornaments adorning the animals can be seen especially on the sculptures that can be assignable to the time of Narasimhavarman II Rajasimha and his successors. Broadly these ornaments can be divided into three categories based on the part of the body, which they adore viz., head, neck, trunk and hind.

Ornaments adorning the head can be seen especially on the elephants depicted in the historical panels in the Vaikunthaperumal temple at Kanchipuram. The panels depict number of elephants mounted either by soldiers engaged in war or by feudatories carrying presents. In all the panels the elephant can be seen adorned with a head-dress having concentric designs, covering the two round domes on the head. A fine ornamental variety of this type embellished with gems, tassels and pendant can be seen adorning an elephant (fig. 337) in a panel (lower row) on the northern cloister wall. Judging from its appearance it can be compared very well with the nettipattam (caparison) with which, the elephants used in temple festivities and other such processions are adorned. However, when compared to the one used in modern times, the nettipattam in the sculpture are shorter in length and covers only the head.

The ornaments adorning the neck can be grouped under two varieties viz., formed of series of beads and bells or kinkinis. A fine representation of an ornament composed of beads can be seen gracing the neck of a monolithic lion (fig. 338) near the Shore temple at Mamallapuram. Similar type is also noticed on the lion with Durga seated on its back, carved on the wall of one of the angalaya in the Kailasanatha temple complex at Kanchipuram. However, it has to be mentioned that there are also depiction of lion in association with Durga without any ornaments in the same temple. Another ornament, which can be seen especially on the lions (fig. 339) in rearing posture adorning the pillars in the same temple is the diagonal band composed of series of bells, across its trunk.

Several animals like the deer (fig. 340), the bull (fig. 341), the elephant (fig. 342) and the horse (fig. 343) carved in the temples viz., the Agastisvara, the Kailasanatha and the Vaikunthaperumal at Kanchipuram are shown wearing an ornament formed of either globular kinkinis or series of bells around their neck, which has both functional and ornamental value.

A head-less animal (fig. 344), probably a deer sitting by the side of the monolithic lion near the Shore temple at Mamallapuram is shown with heavy ornamentation on its neck, trunk and hind part. Similar ornament on the hind part can be seen on a lion in rearing posture, with Durga mounted over its back in the Kailasanatha temple at Kanchipuram.