Stone Images (4): Saiva Images

The Sirpur museum has preserved a number of Saiva stone sculptures from Sripura. Many Siva Lingams (phallus) with the Yoni Pithas are commonly found. Besides the images of Ardhanarisvara, Sankara-Parvati, Gansa, the vehicle-bull Nandi are some other Saivite arts.

The Pancamukha Siva Linga, preserved in the gallery of the Sirpur is 2 ft 8 inches high and made of basalt rock. The special feature of this Lingam is that the uppermost portion represent the beautifully sculptured five faces of Lord Siva, where the four faces are being present on four sides while the top of the Lingam represents the fifth face justifying his epithet of Pancanana (the fivefaced). The four head are ornamented with Kirita and Mukuta while the necks are with the Rudraksa malas.

The Siva Lingam in the same museum catalogued Accession No. 26 with it Yoni Pittha is one beautiful and polished among the Lingams. The Yoni Pittha are being made from red-sand-stones while the Lingam is a sculpture of basalt rock.

The beautiful black granite polished Lingam, which is found installed in the Garbhagrha of the Balesvar Siva temple is also very significant. The 1.20 m high Lingam with the Yoni Pittha is one of the finest quality of Sripura.

The four temples in the Surang Tila Complex significantly contain four lingams in white, red, yellowish and black meant for the worships of four varnas–Brahmanas, Kstriyas, Vaisyas and Sudras respectively. The lingams are often found placed or mounted on a square pedestal Yoni pitha). A few lingams which are displaced or tiled to one side shows nine circular holes at the bottom, a big hole surrounded by eight small holes located at equal distance from each other.

In the Balesvara temple, the lower part of the lingam called Brahmabhaga is within the square socket of the pedestal, the middle portion, called Visnubhaga, is within Yoni Pittha and the upper visible part is called Rudrabhaga. A small channel (pranala) runs towards the north.

The images in the niches of the temples, as in the case of the principal shrine of Balesvara contain images of deities (Bhadra-devata), like Surya, Karttikeya, Yama, Mahisamardini. Mithuina (erotic) figures dancing maidens, roaring lions in the pose of pallus erectus (urddhva-linga) and importantly, a scene of quarrel between two ladies–interpreted as two wives of the Panduvamsi king Balarjuna with the king hiding behind them–are described as masterpieces sin delineation, expression and anatomical details.

The campus of Gandhesvara Siva temple has preserved the artistic stone image of Lord Narataja-Siva, images of Siva-Parvati in Lalitasana and some other Saivite sculptures like the image of Karttikeya with the bird-vehicle (the peacock).

The Nataraja is one of the rare images of its kind in entire South Kosala. It is an eight-handed nude image with Urddhavalinga (phallus erectus) and elongated tongue. He is in Nrtya mudra (dancing pose) whose hands are holding different weapons and a serpent.

The Siva-Parvati images, seated in Laitasana, in various designs and sizes are present. These black granite stone images are the most developed sculptures of the period. One of the finest of sculptures of Siva-Parvati depicts Parvati sitting on the left thigh of Siva while the right arm of Parvati is on Siva’s neck, the left arm of Siva embraces, that of Parvatiis shoulders. This closed eyes posture emanates serenity and peace.

One of the shrines of the 3-shrine structure (Trinity temple) contain a Dhara Siva Linga which is 1.10 meter in height. It is fixed on a high polygonal (sixteen sided) Yoni pitha. The lingam is white in colour.