Over 2 weekends in September 2024, we visited Mamallapuram, as part of the Tamil Heritage Trust's Docent Training Practical sessions. Although, over the years, I've visited Mallai, at least 20 times, on my own and with my friends, this was an entirely different experience.
Badri, Gopu, Ravi, Vallabha and Shivshankar Babu of THT, gave an all too new and additional dimension to the monuments and the sculptures within. What I gained in the process, is not just a fresh insight or a different perspective but an entire additional layer of information, analysis and inference that completely changed my perception of these monuments so far.
Viewed from this fresh angle, what struck me the most, filling me with amazement at Pallavas creativity, is the plethora of Mahishasuramardhinis at Mamallapuram.
Artistically, they are heads and shoulders above most of the Mahishasuramardhinis elsewhere. Over and above the perfect anatomy, grace and rhythm of the Devi and her entourage, or the dynamic quality of the panels including the Asura and his men - these sculptures seemed to whisper to me, something that we are struggling to understand and come to terms with even today.
The identification that I feel with these depictions is so complete, that I was forced to look into the Puranic, Iconic, Historic and sculptural attributes of this form of the Devi, before I could articulate my own personal findings here.
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| Ellora Cave 16 and Ekambareshwarar Kanchipuram - Harihara Subramanian(Shutterbug Iyer) |
One of the most magnificent and formidable Goddess of the Hindu pantheon, Mahishasuramardini
is worshipped as a supreme power under the Shaktham sect of Hinduism.
Endowed with incredible cosmic super powers, her mission is to destroy evil and establish Dharma. It is her epic battle against the bull-demon Mahishasura that gives her the name. Mahiṣāsuramardinī is an epithet of Durga, literally meaning, "the slayer of the demon Mahisha"
Among Puranas, she is referenced in Agni Purana, Markandeya Purana, Matsya Purana and Vishnu Dharmottara Purana. Among Agamas she is mentioned in The Shakta Agamas, also known as Tantras, that focus on the goddess Shakti or Devi, and include the Tripura Upanishad and the Devi Upanishad. She is also mentioned in the epic Mahabharata.
Her most prominent reference is in Devi Mahatmiyam, a portion of the Markandeya-purana, written around 5th Century CE. It is the first such text that revolves entirely around the figure of the Goddess (Devi) as the primary deity.
The work has been passed down as a self-contained text that is memorized and recited, word for word, as part of the religious practice of those Hindus who worship Devi as the highest divinity.
The Legend...
Mahishasura, the demon, was born as a union of Rambha and a she buffalo (Mahishi) and consequently was a half man and half buffalo. The mighty demon was rendered more powerful as a result of a boon from God Agni, according to which he could be killed only by a woman. He managed to wreak havoc in heaven by chasing away all Gods from there.
All the Gods then approached lord Vishnu and lord Shiva who were aware that only a woman could kill Mahishasura. They decided to create a Goddess out of the collective powers or 'Tejas' of all the Gods
Radiant energy emanated from all of them and this dazzling energy coalesced into a brilliant whole which seemed like a never-ending mountain of fire. The mountain of radiant energy transformed into the feminine form of the incomparable Devi – the Adishakti (the primordial being and/or energy).
She was endowed with all divine weapons including the conch (shankh), the spear, the wheel, the lotus, the arrow and the mace. Her trident came from Shiva, Sudarshana Chakra from Vishnu, the Lotus and the kamandlam of Holy water from Brahma, the Lion from Himalayas and bows and arrows from Vayu. The Goddess, filled with combined power and anger of all the Gods, was fierce to behold and her very sight scared the demons.
Mahishasura waged a valiant fight against her and assumed the form of a buffalo, a lion, a man carrying a sword, an elephant and lastly again a buffalo. The battle raged for 9 days and finally the Goddess was able to pin down Mahishasura and chop off his head. The Gods, rid of the demon, showered the Goddess with innumerable praises and with reverence, prayed her to appear every time they were in need of her. Granting the same to the Gods, she disappeared to appear again when called with devotion.
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| Folk Art representations across India - From the Net |
The Iconography...
Mahishasuramardini is normally depicted as a warrior figure with elaborate jatamukuta and her legs spread out on either side of the lion, similar to a horse rider with either 8 hands or 10 hands, and is mostly shown to be fighting the Mahisha.
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| Baijnath temple - Himachal Pradesh, Baital-Deul temple - Odisha, Aihole - Karnataka Harihara Subramanian(Shutterbug Iyer) |
However, normally she is depicted with 8 or 10 arms, with other variations of 4, 6, 12 or more arms. In the eight arms of the Goddess are seen in a clockwise direction, disc, trident, arrow, sword, darjani mudra, the tuft of the hair of the demon, shield and a bow.
Art Historians have noted that the no of arms is often dependent on the iconography of the Mahishasura and the dynamic composition thus formed.
Mahishasura himself is depicted in 3 major forms.
- As a hybrid, where his body is human and head that of a buffalo;
- Where he himself is emerging from the severed head of a buffalo;
- A demon in complete animal or theriomorphic form.
This development of the iconographic portrayal of the Mahishasuramardhini with her lion vahana and the Mahishasura saw a marvelous development in the sculptural art across India, moving from earlier static images to animated dynamic forms which were stand alone or part of narrative panels.
Earliest depictions...
Mahishasuramardinis found in Nagar (1stc. BCE – 1stc.CE ), Mathura (c.200CE) L.A County Museum.Gurajala in Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh (4thc CE) - From the net.
Here, in the pre Kushana and Kushana era, Mahishasuramardinis are simple in form and lack the complexities of the ‘Devi Mahatmya’ iconographic descriptions. The devi wears the typical Kushana era styled dhoti and girdle, and carries a sakti (spear) and trisula. One important aspect to be noted here is that in the fight between devi and the mahisha, the battle is more of a bare handed fight than the use of weapons. The devi has no attendants and even her vahana simha is absent some of the times.
One can also easily trace the evolution of the sculptural form right here, although the core idea is borrowed from the Puranas.
Later Developments...
Udayagiri Caves, Gupta Period (401 CE), Nalanda, National Museum (600-700 CE),
Chandra Gupta II Coin (375 CE) - From the net
Beside stone representation, there were depictions in Bronze and Gold coins too. In the Nalanda representation, one can see an iguana below her, which got associated with the devi in Sakta worship, followed in the Mauryan-Sunga period figures of Mother Goddesses seen with alligators.
The late Gupta period also show her as the Simhavahini where she is four armed, sitting on a lion in Padmaasana.
A few famous Depictions...
1. Betal Deul Temple in Odisha - The Mahisasuramardini sculpture here is depicted with eight hands. The goddess is seen to be piercing the theomorphic demon with trisula. Her other hands holds weapons like sword, shield, snake etc. A fierce lion is seen to be biting the demon on his hand.
The Mahisha in the front hiding the lower part of the Devi, her proportions, grace, detailing and the expression on the Devi's face make this one of the best artistic representations through the ages.
2. Durga Temple in Aihole, Karnataka - A full relief panel in classic tradition, this 8 armed Durga is mesmerizing in her grace. Statuesque in her dignity and unperturbed in her demeanor, her face is glowing with peace and contentment. She is not only a young lady, full of charm with high breasts and wide hips, wearing ornaments but also a warrior on battle ground as seen by the weapons and intricately carved armour in her hands. The valour depicted here is truly one of a kind.
3. Rani ki vav, Gujarat - One of the most exquisite of all Mahishasuramardinis, Goddess Durga in this Solanki sculpture is killing the Mahisha demon in both animal and human form. She is the most ugra of forms and has sixteen hands, yet her expression reveals her innate calmness and inevitable acceptance of her intent and purpose.
The Pallavas...
Some of the most exquisite Mahishasuramardinis have been created by Pallavas not only in Mallai, but in Kailasanathar Koil in Kanchipuram and other temples as well.
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| Kanchi Kailasanathar Koil (me) and Panamalai Durga (Rajavel) |
The sculptural beauty ofcourse peaks with the the 2 narrative panels in Mallai.
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| Mahishasuramardhini Mandapam, Mallai (me) |
One of the best examples of Pallava art, in the war scene, the goddess appears with eight hands riding a fierce-looking lion. She is holding a khadga(sword), dhanush(bow), bana(arrows), ghanta(bell) in her four right hands. Her four left hands display pasa, sankha, and dagger. An attendant holds a chatra (parasol) over Durga's head.
She is in the battlefield with her army of female warriors and ganas (dwarfs). She is shown attacking, with arrows, the demon Mahisha, causing him to retreat with his followers. Mahishasura is armed with a gada (club).
This image of Mahisasuramardini is also unique because, unlike in the majority of the images, the asura appears in his anthropomorphic form, which is his only depiction. There is no decapitated body of the buffalo. On the other hand, he is given equal weightage in the composition, with his stance, a clear indication of retreat and impending defeat.
She is clearly the aggressor, the one charging forward, sitting astride her lion. Her hands are in action, pointing the sword, holding the bow and pulling out arrows and managing all her other weapons. Yet even in this path of destruction and mood and ethos of anger and aggression - her feminine qualities are all too evident. In her attire, demeanour and expression, there is no attempt to imitate the male. She is unique and different and that is displayed in every chisel stroke that has shaped her.
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| Panel outside Athiranachanda Cave Temple, Mallai (me) |
Here the Goddess has 6 arms, carrying all her weapons and she is in the process of alighting from her lion mount. The asura has accepted defeat and is retreating and his demon army is being chased and vanquished by her army of Ganas. Again her feminitity, her prime trait, is supreme. While almost every other figure in the panel is charging or retreating in a violent pose, she is calm. Her mission accomplished, she is sure and secure in her skin.
What is unique about the Pallava Mahishasuramardhini ?
A question that is bound to haunt any art connoisseur is - 'what is it that makes the Pallava depictions of this Goddess unique?' They have something extra, something special, that sets them apart from the hundreds of other depictions all across India, through the ages.
Thorough scrutiny of the sculptural details and attempting to understand their essence, led me to realize that for Pallavas - Durga is a Devi, a Goddess, a woman first and foremost.
Circumstances may have led her to take on a man's role and don his mantle. She may, well be, out of a traditional womans's role here; not a nurturer, but a destroyer. Her modus operandi is that of the men around - after all she is vanquishing a male prototype - an able bodied, strong, asura - no less. But even in these contradictory circumstances where the ethos is fully male, her femininity, is intact. She is innately a woman - a dignified, graceful, charming entity. She is capable of rising to any occasion, to win her battle in a male dominated scenario without compromising her identity.
The Pallavas thus have embodied the principles of the Puranas where Mahishasuramardini is the formless divine (nirguna) who assumes form (saguna) to re-establish Dharma or the moral order. In her saguna she is feminine, she is independent, and she is timeless. As Adishakthi, she feels no need to either merge or compromise her persona, with that of her counterpart.
Only in the Pallava depictions, do we see this very clearly, not only in her physical and anatomical attributes, but her charm, grace and expression of calmness bely her actions. Through the actions of violence, aggression and destruction, she is timelessly embodied as this quintessential woman. Her femininity is her main trait and that is what sets the Pallavas creations apart.
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| Reiteration of the feminine form - Mallai (me) |
It is this essence that makes Pallava Mahishasuramardhini, a role model for the modern woman. Shorn of her safe physical boundaries and traditional roles, the modern woman finds it very difficult to hold on to her identity.
I have repeatedly questioned myself, both about the way I dress and project myself and about the adoption of a competitive, aggressive non feminine attitude. On one hand, am I thrusting my femininity in the face of others? Do i need to be more unigender in my representation? On the other, am I too loud, too fierce, too male in my stance and attitude? Am I losing my identity in the process?
These are questions faced by every modern woman, trying to come to terms with her ethos and find her true identity and hold onto it, no matter where she may work, or with whom or for that matter, the very nature of her work.
We may well have entered the male bastions and taken on, at least, some of their roles, but in our overall equation with them and society at large, we are women and would like to remain so.
This total acceptance of my persona, my identity, is what the Pallava depictions were urging me to do with their whispers. To be who I am, with no apologies whatsoever. I am a woman, first and foremost. Where I perform or what I choose to do, can not alter this basic fact. I need not always celebrate my gender, but I dont need to hide it either, nor apologise for it.
Timeless art can, not only enhance our aesthetic sensibilities, but at times, also teach us basic life lessons.
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