Depiction of Fauna

Depiction of animals in the sculptural art of this period is available in four contexts–

1. As mounts of various gods and goddesses.

2. As part of narrating a puranic theme like in the Govardhanadhari and Bhagiratha penance panels at Mamallapuram.

3. Hunting scenes.

4. Serving pure ornamental purpose, adorning either a sculptural panel or an architectural member.

From the study of available scultures of this period, various kinds of animals and birds like: Elephant, Lion, Lioness, Deer, Antelope, Monkey, Cat, Rat, Dog, Boar, Horse, Bear, Cow, Bull, Buffalo, Goat, Lizard, Snake, Tortoise, Swan or Goose, Cock and Hen, Peacock and Peahen, Crane, Eagle, Parrot and Crow can be identified. Apart from these animals, which exist in reality, some of the mythical creatures like the Yali and Makara are also represented.

The various animals along with its sculptural context can be described as follows:

Elephant

The influence of animal in sculptural depiction can be seen right from the inception of Pallava art during the time of Mahendravarman I, in the Rudravalisvaram cave temple (no. 2) at Mamandur. Here the coping stone of the parapets flanking the flight of steps leading into the mandapa are modelled to resemble the curved proboscis of the elephants.

The earliest life size depiction of elephants in this period can be seen in the smaller bas-relief panel at Mamallapuram. It portrays a single bull-elephant identifiable with its large tusk. The larger Bhagiratha bas-relief panel at the same place gives the earliest representation of an elephant family in the sculptural art of this period (fig. 440). In this, panel two adult elephants are depicted. It is known that a bull elephant can be differentiated from a cow-elephant based on its tusk. An African cow elephant has a smaller tusk, when compared to its male counterpart and an Indian one has no tusk at all. The second elephant depicted with comparitively smaller tusk than the preceding one could be identified either as a cow-elephant or a significantly younger one than the preceeding. If it can be identified as the cow-elephant, then it gives the suggestion that the sculptor has knowledge of African elephants. In between the legs and following these adult elephants can be seen the calves. Similar elephant family can be seen executed on a small boulder near the Kotikal mandapam at the same place. In this, the head of an elephant peeping out from the core of the boulder is devoid of any tusk and can be identified as a cow elephant. A life size depiction of an elephant, carved entirely of monolithic stone can be seen by the side of the apsidal Nakula-Sahadeva-ratha at Mamallapuram. The inner face of the prakara between the angalaya and side walls of the Kailasanatha tempele at Kanchipuram often portrays an image of Parvati seated beneath a tree in Himalayan environs. In some such panels representation of an elephant along with its calf can also be seen.

Apart from these natural depictions, elephants as mounts of deities like Indra and Skanda or associated with Lakshmi in the act of bathing her can also be seen in this period. On the east wall of the Arjuna-ratha at Mamallapuram can be seen an image of Skanda seated majestically on an elephant. Some scholars have identified him variously as Indra or as a royal person.

Elephants are also depicted as part of structural members. Both the Arjuna and Draupadi-ratha can be seen carved on an upapitha with alternatively placed elephant and lion heads. The shore temple at Mamallapuram has some of the pilasters with elephant bases (gajapada).

Elephantry is one of the primary compositions of the army of this period as can be seen from the depictions on the panels in the cloister walls circumambulating the central shrine in the Vaikunthaperumal temple at Kanchipuram. From these panels, it can be known that domestication of elephants especially for use by the royalty and its training in warfare is popular in this period. It also hints at the possibility of the prevalence of specialized persons capable of caretaking the elephant and looking after its medical needs as well.

Lion and lioness

The earliest depiction of lion in the sculptural art of this period can be seen in the Avanibhajana-pallavesvara-griham at Siyamangalam carved on the front faces of the top saduram in the facade pillars. Depiction of lions along with yali can also be seen in the Govardhanadhari panel at Mamallapuram. The combined upapitha of the Draupadi and Arjuna-ratha also has lion as its base. A monolithic life-size figure of lion (fig. 441) can also be seen in front of the Draupadi-ratha. Most of the Durga panels also have a figure of lion associated with her in the form of a mount. A very fine example can be seen portrayed in the panel at the Mahishasuramardini cave temple, Mamallapuram. Lion can also be seen depicted as part of depiction of furnitures like the arm-rests and legs of the pedestals of deities and the royal thrones. Earliest such depiction can be seen in the Adivaraha cave temple at Mamallapuram, where the king Mahendravarman is shown seated on a circular stool like throne with its foot modelled resembling that of a lion’s leg. Anthropomortphic representation of lion can be seen in the Narasimha avatar of Vishnu. Earliest such depiction in this period can be found on the wall of one of the angalaya in the Kailasanatha temple at Kanchipuram. Again He is seen depicted as Yoga-Narasimha (fig. 442) in the Svastika tank constructred during the period of Dantivarman at Tiruvellarai in Tiruchirappalli district of Tamilnadu.

Apart from the lion, representation of a lioness can also be seen. The larger Bhagiratha bas-relief panel at Mamallapuram shows the figure of a lioneess relaxing in her den with another one standing and nursing her pair of cubs (fig. 443). A solitary lioness can be seen again depicted on the top portion of the same panel by the side of two Kinnaris. Deer

Deer seems to be one of the favourite motifs of the Pallava sculptor, next to the lion. Its depiction in pure natural setting hinting at the minute observation of the sculptor on its behavioural pattern can be seen in the smaller and larger Bhagiratha bas-relief panels at Mamallapuram (fig. 444). It is also seen as one of the attributes held by Siva in his left hand. As deer is known for its sober and benign nature, it is also commonly associated with the scenes of hermitage and preaching like in the larger Bhagiratha bas-relief panels at Mamallapuram. Almost in all the sculptural panels showing Siva in the form of Dakshinamurti, a pair of deers can be seen seated near His pedestal (fig. 431). Indeed such a depiction finds parallel in the chronologically much earlier of the images of preaching Buddha found from places like Sarnath (Varanasi district, Uttar Pradesh), Mathura (Mathura district, Uttar Pradesh), Sanchi (Raisen district, Madhya Pradesh), etc. datable as early as Kushana period (circa 1^st -2^nd century A.D.).

Antelope

Some of the animals that look similar to deer but have a solid pointed horn in the larger Bhagiratha bas-relief panel at Mamallapuram can be regarded as an antelope. Often an antelope is also seen associated with Durga (fig. 445) and is shown either besides her or at the hind wall of the panel. A fine example of this can be found in a panel of Durga from Memalur (Villupuram district) (now preserved in the Government Museum at Chennai, Acc. No. 90-3/38). In this the animal clearly exhibits the twisted horn pattern found in an antelope (fig. 446). At Periyavenmani (Villupuram district) also similar sculpture of Durga with antelope as Her mount, instead of the usual Lion was found. In this connection it is pertinent to mention here that in the Kalittogai^[1] and Silappadikaram255, there is reference to her mount as a stag with screwed black horns (kariya-tiri-k-kottu-k-kalai).

Monkey

Monkey in the Pallava art can be seen for the first time at Mamallapuram, in the larger Bhagiratha bas-relief panels as well as on the boulder depicting the monkey family and on another boulder near the Kotikal-mandapam, where a solitary monkey can be seen along with the elephant family and a peacock (fig. 447). The depiction of monkey family forms an interesting group as it shows its natural behavior of one monkey picking lices from the body of the other. This again projects the kind of keen observation and knowledge among the sculptors of the period regarding the floral and faunal world. Apart from this purely natural depiction, a moneky faced gana can also be seen in the adhisthana part of the Kailasanatha tempel at Kanchipuram, along with the human faced and yali faced ganas (fig. 448). The same temple portrays a scene inspired from the epic Ramayana, which shows Ravana with Vali worshipping the atmalinga at the top right corner on one of the walls of the angalaya.

Cat

Depiction of cat in the art of this period is seen for the first time in the larger Bhagiratha penance panel at Mamallapuram (fig. 449). The depiction not only hints at the humorous side of the artist, but also suggests at the kind of hypocrisy that existed in the then society. The cat in imitation of Bhagiratha is doing penance and it attracted a group of innocent rats near him which denotes that in yogic posture, everyone, even the enemies forget their enemity and concentrate only on the almightly. It may also denote that, such a portrayal was intended to criticize the lazy people of those times who wore the dress and adapted the behaviour of a sanyasin to earn money and fill their belly easily. This fact regarding the existence of such men is also attested in the plays like Mattavilasa-prahasana and Bhagavaddajjuka authored by the king Mahendravarman I. The same theme of a cat imitating the penance of Bhagiratha is again depicted on the wall of one of the angalaya in the Kailasanatha temple and again in the Vaiukunthaperumal temple at Kanchipuram.

Rat

The humorous portrayal of the cat doing penance in imitation of Bhagiratha in the larger bas-relief panel at Mamallapuram gave scope for the artist to depict group of rats playing nearer him (fig. 449). The portrayal could have conveyed to the viewer the moral lesson that external appearances and actions may not be always true and a proper interrogation reveals the hidden agenda and selfish gain of the supposed to be good or sober actions.Apart from this, seemingly natural and moralistic portrayal, depiction of rat can also be seen as a mount of Ganesa, the worship of whom seems to have gained popularity by the time of Narasimhavarman II Rajasimha as can be seen from the fact that His representation occupied the niches adorning the walls of the Kailasanatha temple at Kanchipuram.

Boar

Depiction of boar in this period is both natural and mythical. In natural form, it can be seen in the larger bas-relief panel at Mamallapuram (Figure 450) and also in the tank besides, the shrore temple at the same place. Again it can be seen in the panel depicting the Kiratarjuna-yudha on the walls of one of the angalaya in the Kailasanatha temple at Kanchipuram. Its mythical portrayal can be seen in the form of Varaha avatar of Vishnu. Fine example of Varaha incarnation of Vishnu can be seen in the Varaha-mandapa at Mamallapuram. Fine depiction of a pair of boar suspended from a stick can be seen carried by Kannappan on the Tirumulasthanattup-perumanadigal shrine in the Bhaktavatsala temple complex at Tirukkalukunram (fig. 34).

Horse

Horse in the art of this period can be seen in two contexts–mythical and historical. In mythical context, it is represented as drawing the chariot of either Tripurantaka form of Siva or Surya. A fine depiction of a horse drawn chariot in the panel illustrating the journey of Krishna and Balarama to Akura’s house can be seen in the Vaikunthaperumal temple at Kanchipuram. In historical context, it is shown as part of the army comprising of the cavalry unit as can be seen in several panels in the Vaikunthaperumal temple at Kanchipuram. The same temple also contains rare depiction of horse in a panel depiting the asvamedha sacrifice (fig. 86). The usage of horses by the people to draw carriage or chariots and army shows that alteast a section of people has knowledge of various aspects of grooming a horse and looking after its medical needs. In the Sundaravaradaperumal temple at Uttiramerur, miniature depiction of a horse, perfect in its anatomical features can be seen depicted in the ornamental block crowining the makara-torana arch of the Rati-Manmatha niche (fig. 439).

Bear

No natural depiction of bear can be seen in the sculptural art of this period. The only representation of this animal is in the form of the mythical Jambavanta playing on the drum, portrayed at the top portion of the Trivikrama panel in the Varaha-mandapa at Mamallapuram (fig. 394).

Cow

Cow, the animal sacred to the Brahmanical faith can be seen in its natural setting as part of the pastoral life depicted in the Govardhanadhari panel in the Krishna mandapa at Mamallapuram. Of intrest is the part showing a man in the act of milking the cow, which in turn reacts naturally by lifting its tail and caressing its calf. Depiction of cow can also be seen in the Kailasanatha temple at Kanchipuram on the inner face of the prakara between the angalaya and side walls, where Parvati is shown seated under a tree. Just near Her legs can be seen a group of three animals, which by its appearance can be identified as cows. Miniature, yet beautiful depiction of a cow with its calf suckling milk from its udder is seen depicted above the makara-torana adorning the niche containting images of Rati-Manmatha in the Sundaravaradaperumal temple at Uttiramerur (fig. 439).

Bull

Depiction of bull can be also seen in two thematic contexts–natural and religious. Natural depiction of a bull sitting by itself can be seen in the Govardhanadhari panel at Mamallapuram. In all other cases, the bull can be seen as a mount associated with Siva. Anthropomorphic representation of bull, either as a mount of Siva or as a son of Jyesthadevi can also be seen. Above the niche of Rati-Manmatha just opposite the scene of a cow nursing its calf, can be seen a passionate scene of a cow licking affectionately a bull (fig. 439).

Buffalo

It is interesting to note that, when compared to the cow and bull, which is associated with sacredness, the buffalo is always linked with evil spirit and death, in the mythical lore of the brahmanical faith. Thus, in the art of this period, buffalo can be seen always depicted as Mahishasura, who was slayed by goddess Durga. A very fine and earliest of such depiction in Pallava art can be seen in the Mahishasuramardini cave temple at Mamallapuram and also on the boulder in front of Atyantakama-pallavesvara-griham at Saluvankuppam. Similarly a huge figurine of Mahishasura can be seen carved on a boulder towards the sea front, besides the Shore temple at Mamallapuram.

Goat

A pair of probably goats can be identified at the top right corner of the larger Bhagiratha bas-relief panel at Mamallapuram (fig. 451). The identification is facilitated by its facial appearance coupled with short pointed horn and most importantly the drooping ears.

Dog

The Gangadhara panel adorning the inner wall of the mukhamandapa in the Matangesvara temple at Kanchipuram depicts an animal seated on its haunches (fig. 452). The shape of its snout and the contour of the body give the appearance of a dog^[2].

Lizard

A rare portrayal of a lizard can be seen in the larger Bhagiratha bas-relief panel at Mamallapuram (fig. 453). Its enormous size hints that it is not of the house lizard variety and could be the Monitor lizard, seen in the outskirts and forests.

Snake

The snake is the only reptile, which is represented in the art of this period exclusively in association with the religious faith of the people. It’s earliest such depiction can be seen in the cave temples of the time of Mahendravarman I, as coiled around the club of dvarapalaka. Its association with Siva is also seen for the first time in the image of Nataraja carved on the sadurama part of a pilaster in the Avanibhajana-pallavesvara-griham at Siyamangalam. Anthropomorphic representation of the serpent in a form described in the puranas and epics like the Naga-devata can be seen for the first time, in the larger Bhagiratha bas-relief panel at Mamallapuram. The serpent’s association with Vishnu is also well known in this period. The Mahishasuramardini cave temple at Mamallapuram has a panel of Vishnu sleeping on the bed formed of Anantasayi, the divine serpent having multiple heads. Anthropomorphic representation of the serpent Seshasayi can be seen in the Varaha panel in the cave temple at Mamallapuram. The snake can also be seen as held by Durga in one of her hands in the Kailasanatha temple at Kanchipuram. The multi-headed serpent Adisesha can be seen again in a panel depicting a scene from Samudramadana on the wall of one of the angalaya in the Kailasanatha temple at Kanchipuram.

Tortoise

Representation of tortoise in the sculptural art of this period can be seen twice in the larger Bhagiratha bas-relief panel at Mamallapuram (fig. 454). Even though an inscription in the Adivaraha cave temple at Mamallapuram speaks of Kurmavatara of Vishnu, no sculptural representation of the same can be found in this period.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Kalittogai stanza 39.

[2]:

Michael Lockwood, Pallava Art, Madras, Reprint 2001, pp. 143–144.