CHAPTER - V
MAHZSASURAMARDINIIN THE
TEMPLE ART OF ANDHRA PRADESH
( Chi@ to Vijayanagara- A.D. 1 lthto 17thCentury)
V-I.MAHISASURAMARDINI
IN THE CHOLA ART
(A.D 9n to 13*
Century)
Historical Background
The ~ h o l a sof ~&j%vUr(A.D 9' to 13' Century) were great conquerors. who
were not only paramount in South India but for some time extended their sway as far as
the river Ganga in the North and brought Ceylon, apart of Burma, the Malayan peninsula
and some islands of south- east Asia under their influence'. They were also mighty
builders, who erected a large number of temples in their empire, some of them
constituting the finest specimens of South Indian architecture. Inheritors of the Pallava
tradition, their edifices also reflect the power and genius of the Cholas.
The early Ch6la emperor Karikaa of the Sangam age is lost in legendary
grandeur. It was several centuries later that Vijayalaya (A.D 850-871) in Circa A.D 850
established a small kingdom around TaFjivk, which developed into a gigantic empire
under his successors. In the last quarter of 9'h century (A.D 890) the early Ch5la king
xditya-1 (A.D 871-907), son of Vijayilaya invaded Tondaimandalam, the kingdom of
the Pallavas, defeated the later Pallava king Apm3ita (A.D. 885- 903) and put an end to
the Pallava power by annexing their kingdom and extended his power to Tondamaniid
(i.e. the present Ton@andu near ~ r lG&&asti)
i
into the modern district of Chittoor, the
southern most district of Andhra I'radesh2. Thenceforth, the boundaries of the Chiila
empire gradually extended and the newly conquered areas became part of the Ch6la
empire and they remained so till about the middle of 131h century. Adity-I died at
T o n + M d , the northern end of ~ondainidu,where later on, his son Pafktaka-I
erected a memorial temple (Pllippadai)
, .
. in his name in or before his 34& regnal year
(A.D 940-9414.
.
.
Parhtaka-I (A.D 907-955) succeeded his father Aditya-1. In his reign, the
boundaries of the Chbla empire extended from Kany&urn% in the south to the present
Nellore district in the north of Andhra M e s h . However, the RistmkkLta ruler Krishy-111
led a campaign against Parihtaka-1 in A.D. 949 and defeated him at Takkb!am in the
North Arcot district4.The fact that no inscription of Paribtaka-I dated in his regnal years
42 to 44 (A.D 949-951) has been discovered anywhere in the kingdom is perhaps
indicative of the magnitude of the disaster. The recovery of Ch'bla territory lost to the
Rbhtrakita king Krishna-111 in the Takkolam battle began under Parhtaka-I1 (A.D 957973175) and his son Aditya-11 (A.D 960-965) and Ton&iimandaldrn of which the Chittoor
region formed a part, was partially regained. By the time of accession of Uttama Chala in
A.D 970, the re-establishment of a settled and prosperous social and economic life seems
to have been complete.
KjmZa-I (A.D 985 - A.D.1014) succeeded Uttama Ch'ola. His reign marks the
imperial apogee of the Cholas. During his reign, the Chbta empire was further extended
up to the river Tungabhadra well beyond the frontiers reached by Parantaka-I. In the
north, the whole of Tondaimandalam was secured and the areas (Gangavdi, BdalanavZdi,
NoIambav@i) of the northern subordinates were annexed5. The ~rung'ol~iwaraor
~i1akan;t~iwara
temple at Laddigam, PmiganTu mandal, Chittoor district, was erected
early in the reign of fijaraja-16.
Rijarija-I was followed by Rbj6ndra-I (A.D 1012-1044), Rijaaifija-I (A.D
1018-1054), RijZndra-I1 (A.D 1052-1063), ~ k 5 r a j ~ n d r (A.D
a
1063-1069) and
kdhirijendra (A.D 1068-1070), the last Ch'ola prince in the line of Vijaygaya. Then the
Chala throne passed on to Kulottuhga-I (A.D 1070-1120), an eastern Chiukya prince,
married to the daughter of ChFjla king GjGndra-11. Kul&~i~ga-I
defeated the western
Ctiiilukyas in A.D 1076 and re-established his sway over this area and the adjoining
Mysore region7.One striking feature of Kulbttuhga-1's reign was that of the growth in the
number of subordinates and the extent of their influence. The presence of subordinate
chiefs under Kulottunga-1 and his successors in h d h r a region is attested by the
inscriptions of each reign.
KulGttu~iga-1was followed by Vikrama Chiila (A.D 1118-1135), KulGttutiga-I1
(A.D 1133-1150), Efindra-11 (A.D 1146-1172) and %j&irija-I~ (A.D 1163-1179).
During the reign of ~ajidhiGja-11.the ~h:la subordinates staned assefiing themselves
and gradually worked UPto a state when they could shake offthe ~ L l yoke.
a KuGttukga111 (A.D 1178-1218) succeeded ~&~-dhiiija-llin the midst of many troubles to maintain
the integrity of the Ch;!a
kingdom. He was the last great c&!a king to enjoy the benefits
of an extensive empire. His reign witnessed continued war with his neighbouring powers
like the h d y a s and the northern Telugu ch:!as.
The inscriptions and the bronze images
> - -
of Kulittunga-111 and his queen Ch;lamad<vi8 in be srikalahasciwara temple at
'Srikilahasti, Chittoor district, confirm his sway over this region. It was during his reign
that the Telugu cI$as
who were till then the subordinates of the ~holas,rose to
prominence in this as well as in the neighbouring districts. The ~ a d a v a i ~ were
a s one of
the powerful subordinates in the eastern part of Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh.
The inscriptions of Gjaija-lll (A.D 1216-1246) successor of ~ulottun~a-111,
dated upto his 28Ih regnal year have been noticed and they show how the hegemony of
the cho!a power continued to be recognized over the whole of this area in the reign of
GjaGja-111'.
The last ruler of the imperial cholas was ~ijendra-111(A.D 1246-1279). His reign
marks the end of the c h i l a power in South lndia as a whole. In the early years of his
a - 11251-1275) invaded ~h$a country and
reign Jativarman Sundara ~ h ~ ~ (A.D
defeated F$jendra-111, the ~zndyasinvaded again under ~GavarmanKulaGkhara and
with this the c h d a empire ceased to exist and came under the control of the Pindyas who
held sway over the entire territory from ~an);akumirito the river Krishna. The Chila
empire was completely assimilated into the ~indyan~ingdom".
The ~ & ! a emperors were arde~itSaivites. Saivism became very popular in South
lndia with the patronage of the ~ h i l a s .Vaishnavism was considerably less important:
a m both barely managed to
Jainism at a few centers and Buddhism at ~ g ~ a ~ a t t a nhad
survive". During this period, temples were constructed in large numbers and they
became the predominant feature of Hinduism. The temples satisfied not only the religious
urge of the people but also served the purpose of social welfare and religion by
constructing a large number of temples in their empire of which XndhradAa formed a
pan. In i n d h r a d ~ i a , the chila temples are found at places like Ton$amani{u,
~Gimallavaram, Kalavagunp, Ka~manchi, ~ k i f i k a m , Mogili, ~a~ilat%ham".
t - -
Laddigam, Vivilathha, ~Gavikili,Srikalahasti, NandalGr etc. During the chi]? period,
the temple architecture and the disposition of sculptures in the architectural fabric
underwent various changes. A number of ~ahi~aiuramardini
sculptures are found in the
chila temples.
Iconographical features of ~ahi~aiuramardini
in the ~ h c ! aArt
The sculptures of the ~ahi~aiuramardini
of the ~ h o l aperiod are found in the
Kalakada, Laddigam, ~ a t g i m a k h iMogili,
,
and Kalavaguqa.
temples at ~o~imallavaram,
The iconographical features of the sculptures and images of ~ a h i ~ d u r a m a r d ifound
n i in
these places can be studied under the following two categories.
I. Four armed sculptures of ~ahi~aiuramardini.
11. Eight armed sculptures of Mahi;a'suramardini.
I.
Four armed sculptures of Mahisaiuramardini
The Mogil&vara temple at Mogili belongs to the middle of 10"' century of the
Chola period. This temple contains two images of four armed Mahisa/suramardinii3.
The dkab<hfa on the north wall of the
ah tar&^ of the ~ogil6<varatemple at
Here the Goddess
Mogili, Chittoor district, contains an image of ~ahi~aduramardini.
stands in tribhaiga, with right leg firmly placed on the ground and the left leg on the
back of the buffalo. She holds /sunkha in the upper left and cakra in the upper right hand.
The goddess holds trisaa and thrust it into the neck of the buffalo with her front two
lower hands. She is represented as cutting off the head of the buffalo demon. She wears
kir?!arnakz$a and several other ornaments (Plate 45).
In the northern wing of the ~ r ~ d u k s h i tofp the main shrine of ~ o ~ i l & v a of
ra
Mogili there is another similar loose stone image of ~ahisaburam~rdi~i.
In this example,
the Goddess stands in tribhaAgu with the left leg resting on the back of the buffalo and
the right leg firmly placing on the ground. She has four hands. She carries cakru in her
upper right hand, i,ankha in her upper left and holds the mouth of the buffalo with the
lower left hand and thrusts trisila with the lower right hand into the neck of the buffalo.
She wears karan~arnuku[uand several other ornaments (Plate 46).
11.
Eight armed sculptures of ~ahisakuramardini
The ~ u k k a n 6 w a r atemple at Kalavagunta, Chittoor district, of the early
period'4 contains a sculpture of ~ahi~aiuramardini.
In this sculpture, the goddess stands
in t r i b h a b resting her right leg on the ground and the left leg bent at the knee and
placed on the back of the buffalo. She has eight hands and holds cakru, arrow and sword
in the upper right hands and iaikha, bow and shield in the upper left hands. In her lower
right hand she holds trisulu and thrust it into the body of the buffalo. The lower left hand
holds the human head of the demon after he is slain. There is a lion at the bottom left.
-t
The Kulandisvara temple at Kattamakhi, Chittoor district, on the basis of stylistic
features has been ascribed to the early ~ h ! aperiod's. The sculpture of
~ahi~aguramardini
is found in the pillared rnundapu of the ~ ; v ishrine of this temple. In
this sculpture, the goddess is represented as standing with her right leg slightly bent and
resting on the ground and the left leg pressing the buffalo. She has eight hands. The
upper right hands hold cakra, indistinct weapon and a rod. The upper left hands hold
'saikha,
and k h h k a . The lower right and left hands hold a tris;la and thrusts it into
the head of the buffalo (Plate 47).
There is a unique loose sculpture of Mahi?a'suramardini in the temple of
~ g a s t ~ g v a rata Chi!aikG, Kaiapa district. This temple may be assigned to the 8'
century A.D." The goddess has eight hands. She holds cakra, arrow and khudga in the
upper right hands. The upper left hands carry'sankha,kh+ab and hold the horns of the
buffalo. She holds trisiila her lower right and left hands and thrusts it into the neck of the
demon. The goddess firmly places her right leg on the ground and the left leg bent at the
knee, is placed on the thighs of the demon. The demon is represented with a buffalo head
and human body (Plate 48).
The ~iddhZAvara6wirnitemple at KalakaGa, ~ a ~ a l mandal,
~ i ~ Chittoor
u
district,
has no foundation inscription. On the basis of stylistic features, this temple has been
ascribed to the early
period'7. This temple has in its courtyard a loose stone
sculpture of eight handed ~ahi~aguramardini.
The goddess stands in tribhaiiga. Her left
leg rests on the ground and the right leg is raised and placed on the back of the demon.
She has eight hands and holds jGla, khaha, cakra in her upper right hands and p&a,
para$u and shield in her upper left hands. The lower left hand is broken. The demon is
shown in the full animal form and the goddess is piercing a trisulu (broken) into the body
of the demon with her lower right hand. The asura is shown for a second time in full
human form at the bottom left carrying a sword in his right hand and shield in the left
hand. There is a prabhi behind her head and a lion at her right side. Her mount lion is
shown at the bottom right of the D&. She wears kisamaku,fa, necklace and other
ornaments (Plate 49)
REFERENCES:
1. Sivaramamurthi, C., The ~ h o l Temples
a
(New Delhi, 1960) p.3.
2. Minakshi, C., Administation and Social Life Under the Pallavas (Madras, 1938)
p.5, Sastry, K.A.N. The ~h%las
(Madras. 1955) p. 1 13.
3. Douglas Barrett, Early ~hG!aArchitecture and Sculpture (London. 1974) p.2 1.
4. Yazdani, G.,(ed.,) The Early History of Deccan (London, 1960) Parts I-VI, p.294.
5. Naidu. P.N., Chzla and VijayanagaraArt: A Comparative Study of Temples of
Chittoor District (Madras, 1994) p.4.
6. Michel W. Mejster, Encyclopaedia of Indian Temple Architecture: South India,
Lower Dravida Desa (200 B.C-1324 A.D.),( Delhi, 1986) p.229.
7. Sastry, K.A.N., Op. cit., pp753-754.
8. Ibid.
9. Naidu. P.N., Op. cit., p.5.
10. Ibid, p.4-6.
11. Michel W. Meister., Op. cit., p. 149.
12. The detailed architectural, sculptural and iconographical features of these temples
are found in Dr. P.N. Naidu's book entitled Chz!a and VijayanagaraArt: A
Comparative Study of Temples of Chittoor District, (Madras, 1994), pp.
13. Ibid, 75.
14. Ibid, p.43.
15. Ibid.
16. Gurumurthi, A., Temples of Cuddapah District, (Madras, 1990) p.3 I .
- -
17. Nagaraja, E., Temples at vavilitGta, Kalakada, ~ o k u v ~ r i ~ aand
l l e YatavakiliA study, Mphil dissertation (Tirupati, 1983) p.85.
v-2 MAHISA%URAMARDINIIN THE KALYANI C H ~ L U K Y AART
(loth to 1 3 ' Century
~
A.D.)
Historical Background:
After the disintegration of the ~ishtrakilaimperialism came to an end in a
dramatic manner a new line of the Chilukyas came to prominence. That was the Kalyini
line of ChNukyas. Tailapa-11, the founder of the ~alyaniline ruled the kingdom from
973- 997 A.D'. He assumed the title Ahavamalla. ruled from his capital ~anyakhE!a or
~ i l k h Z d ~Some
.
of the earliest inscriptions of Tailapa are found at ~ o l l i p i k a ~ ,
Mirutuhga, in his ~rabaidha cintima?i, gives Tailapa the title ~rikalili~idlii~ati~.
Potlakire or modern ~a$hceru near Hyderabad had been the capilal of the Western
ch;!ukyas5 till S;m?swara
built ~ a l y a nand made it his head quarters.
Satyzsra~a,Tailapa's-I1 son, succeeded him in about 997 A.D. He is also known
by the title Akalankacharita and lyvabedanga6. Satyiisraya fought against the Cho!a
~2jaGja-lwho had succeeded in establishing a protectorate over the Eastern Chi!ukyan
kingdom of
veAgi. His
successors Vikramiditya-V (1008 A.D.) and his brother
Jayasihha (1015 A.D.) made no mark as rulers. Gjgndra-I, who ascended the Ch?o!a
throne in 1044 A.D, fought against the ch;lukyas of Kalyi?i on two fronts both in the
west and the east. He sacked ~alyani'.But ~ijm<kwara,the ~halukyaruler of ~ a l y a ?did
i
not lose heart, By 1050 A.D. he not only made his country secure against the ~h:!as
but
compelled &jar;?ja of v&&, the protCgC of fajendra ~ h G l ato swear allegiance to him.
However, at Koppom in 1061 A.D. ~-d;m&~arawas defeated by the ~hi,las.His attempt
to restore the power of the ~h'alukyasended in failure. Som~hwaraperformed the
Paramayiiga by drowning himself at Kuruvat$ in the Tuhgabhadra River on March,
A.D. 1068. Inspite of his failures, ~omiswaradeserves to be regarded as a great ruler of
his line. He
his power felt by the Paramara's and Pratiharas. The beautiful
capital city of ~al$?i was mainly his creationR.His soon, ~&rt';5swara-llwas obliged by
Ch'o!a intervention to recognize his younger brother, ~ i k r a i a d i t ~asa ~ u v a i j aand
allowed him to rule over the southern half of the ch;!ukyan Empire more or less as an
independent king. This affected ~;m&vara-11 as well as the Eastern c6!ukya prince
Gjjendra, son of ~ ; ? j a i j aof vGgi were passed over in favour of his pro-c&!ukya halfbrother Vijasdit~a-VII.This however, brought the feud between the ch;!ukyas
of
KalyKni and the ChElas to an end9.
The Chilukyas of Kalyiini were great patrons of religion, literature, art and
architecture. They patronised Saivism. The ~ i l a m u k aSaiva sect obtained great impetus
during this period. There was also a remarkable buildings activity. Kalyani kings were
built many temples at Gangipk, Nigunir, and ~ i n d i k a n ~ ietc.
' ' Their temples testing
the architectural glory attained during this period. These temples are crowded with
The
minute details of carvings which include the sculptures of ~ahi~aiuramardini.
material used for the construction of temples was finer-grained black stone. The softness
of this stone has enabled the sculptors to produce so much of that beautiful, delicate, lace/
like tracery which is the characteristic of the Kaly@i chca!ukyan architecture. The Sakti
cult was also popular during this period. There are a number of sculptures of
Mahisaiuramardini found carved in the ~al$qi chajukya temples.
Iconographical features of ~ahisasuramardiniin the ~ a l ~ i ~hi!ukya
ni
Art
There are a few images of ~ahi~agurarnardini
of the ~al$ni ch<!ukyan period in
the Telengi?a region. These sculptures of ~ahisaduramardiniare found preserved in the
Birla and other Archaeological Museums. These sculptures can be broadly divided into
the following three categories.
1. Four armed sculptures of ~ahisaiuramardini.
11. Eight armed sculptures of Mahisdsuramardini.
I. Four armed sculptures of ~ahi~asuramardini
The Birla Archaeological Museum at Hyderabad, preserves a four armed
sculpture of Mahisa'suramardini (Plate 50). It is of Basalt stone and measures 74x65cms.
This sculpture was collected from the Kurnool district. In this sculpture, the goddess is
standing with her left leg bent at knee and pressing the shoulder of the demon ~ a h i j d u r a
and her right leg is firmly resting on the ground. She holds kha&a (broken), shield in her
upper hands. She thrusts t r i i l a into the body of the Mahis$sura with her front right hand
and the front lower left hand is shown pulling out the tongue of the demon. An active lion
with a widely opened mouth is depicted to the right of the Mahisha. She wears
karan$amaku{a, kundalas, hzras, kuchabatidha, kankapas. ki,yCras and anklets.
In the Kolanupika sile Museum at Kolanupika, Nalgonda district is found
preserved a sculpture of Mahigaburamardini. The goddess has four hands. She holds
'saikha, cakra in her upper hands. In her lower right hand, she holds sword and thrust it
into the head of the buffalo and in her lower lefi hand catches the tail of the buffalo. She
wears, mekhala, bracelets, armlets, haras and earings and other ornaments. There is a
prabhi behind her head (Plate 51 ).
In the Archaeological Museum at ~ l a m p i rthe
, sculpture of ~ahi~aiuramardini
is
of grey stone (0.66x0.48 cms). This sculpture depicts Mahisaiuramardini as standing with
the right leg stiff and the left leg bent at knee and resting on the back of the buffalo. The
goddess has four hands and holds cakra and iahkha in the upper right and left hands
respectively. The lower right hand holds trisula and thrusts it into the back of the buffalo.
The lower left hand is holding the tongue of the animal. There is a lion to bottom right.
The devi is adorned with a headgear at the back of which is prabh%nanflala,
makarakunp'alas, hchabahdha and other ornaments. This sculpture appears to be the
product of 1 lth
- 12Ihcentury A.D (Plate 52).
11. Eight armed sculptures of ~ahi~aburamardini
The sculpture of ~ahi~aiuramardini
preserved in the Khazana Building Museum
at Golkonda. This sculpture was brought from ~agncheru,Medak District and it depicts
the goddess as having eight hands. The lower right hand holds viiula and thrust it into
the neck of the buffalo and she holds an arrow, cakra, khadga (?) in her upper right hands
The lower left hand catches the head of the aiura coming out of the animal body .She
holds &kha
and indistinct weapon bow in her upper left hands. There is a demon
~ahi;a&ura on her right side. He catches the right leg of the goddess. She wears
kirqarnaku[a,ear rings, hzras, and other ornaments (Plate 53).
The Rimzwara temple at ~andikan4ivillage in Medak district, contains a good
on the southern pillar of the four central
sculpture of eight armed ~ahi~kuramardini
pillars in the hall". The goddess is standing with the right leg resting on the ground and
the left leg placing on the Mahisa. She has eight hands. In her three upper right hands she
carries a sword, cakra and another object. In her three upper left hands, she holds
khadga, snake and shield. The six upper hands are folded up. The lower left hand is kept
down pressing back the demon's face. The lower right hand is driving a weapon into the
demon's throat.
There is another sculpture of ~ a h i ~ a h r a m a r d i on
n i the north face of the front
temple at
southern pillar of the four central pillars in the hall of the ~~amziwara
~ahdikandi.The deity is standing with one leg resting on her vehicle lion and the other
leg on a falling giant. She has eight hands. She holds trisila, kapala, dagger and cjamaru
in her right hands and in her left hands she is holding or overthrowing the five demons
surrounding her. She is decorated with kapiTla, garland eteI2.
There is yet another sculpture of ~ahi~dsuramardini
placed on a Pihavattam
.. in
the small shrine in the play ground near the bus stand of the village. She is standing with
her left leg resting on the ground and the right leg placing on the back of the Mahisa. The
asura is shown emerging from neck of the Mahisa. The goddess has eight hands. She
holds cakra, sword,arrow in her upper right hands and in her lower right hand she holds
tris?ila and thrust it into the heart of the a h a . Her lower left hand is engaged in twisting
the head of the a6ura. The lion is shown piercing the back of the Mahiga. The goddess
wears a karandamakuia and other ornaments13.
The Birla Archaeological Museum at Hyderabad preserves four eight armed
sculptures of ~ahisahramardini.
The first sculpture is of sand stone and it meatures 76x45 ems. This sculpture was
collated from Pilakurti, Mahaboobnagar district. The goddess is standing with the right
leg stiff and the left leg pressing the shoulder of the demon The goddess has eight hands
and holds iaikhaikho,
bow, khe,taka in her upper left hands and eakra, khadga, Sara in her
upper right hands. The lower left hand holds the tongue of the buffalo and the lower right
hand holds the trisila piercing it into the body of the demon. He is holding a dagger in
his right hand. ~ahisaburais depicted in human form with buffalo head. The lion is
depicted to the right of the goddess. She appears in dvibhuhga posture. She wears
ki$(amakuta, kundaia, kqisiitra, anklets and kariku?us (Plate 54).
The second sculpture measures 137x72 crns and it is of white granite stone. This
sculpture was brought from Ingurti, Warangal district. In this sculpture, the goddess is
depicted resting her right leg on the ground and the left leg is trampling the head of the
buffalo. She has eight hands. She holds iankha, kh&aka, bow, the horn of the buffalo in
her left hands and cakra, t r i d a , khaiga, the tail of the buffalo in her right hands. The
lion is shown with its mouth wide open on the right side of the goddess. The buffalo
demon is shown in a collapsed condition and its tongue has come out. She wears
ki<tamakula, kun!alas, hcras, yagiopa$ta, kzyziras, katiszitra, mikhaia, anklets and
kankayas (Plate 55).
The third sculpture of ~ahi~aguramardini
(granite stone, 83x51 crns) has been
procured from Pa@cheru, Medak district. In this sculpture, the eight armed goddess
holds in her upper left hands iaikhu, bow, khttaku and contents in her upper right hands
have been worn out. Her lower left hand holds the tail of the buffalo and her lower right
ra
hand holds trisula and thrust it into the body of the buffalo. The demon ~ a h i ~ a h u is
shown in buffalo form. Her right leg is resting on the ground and the left bent at the knee
and placed on the back of the buffalo. She wears a makqa. The vehicle lion is depicted at
her right bottom (Plate 56).
The fourth sculpture of ~ah$alurarnardini (sand stone, 76x45 crns) was brought
fmm Kyatiir, Mahaboob nagar district. In this sculpture, the goddess has eight hands. She
holds$aikha, bow, k h i t a b in her upper left hands and cakra, khadgu, sira in her upper
right hands. Her lower left hand holds buffalo tongue and her lower right holding a
trisiila pierces into the neck of buffalo. Her left leg is bent at knee and placed on the back
of the demon and her right leg is resting on the ground. She wears kiritamakuta,
kundalas, haras, yagz6pa&a, kyiiras, ka!isZtra and kaika?as. There is a prabhi behind
her head (Plate 57).
In the KolanuGka site Museum, ~ o l a n u p a a Nalgonda
,
district, there are two
beautiful eight armed sculptures of Mahisaburamardini. In the first sculpture, the figure of
goddess of ~ahi~aiuramardini
is slightly damaged. The buffalo is beheaded and the
human form of a'sura is shown emerging from the body. This is partly mutilated. The
goddess has eight hands. She holds Mahisa, kha$ga, arrow and trishla and out of the left
hands, two hands are mutilated and &a, disc are held by the other hands. She wears the
usual
ornament^'^.
In the second sculpture, the goddess is standing with the right leg resting on the
ground and the left on the back of the buffalo. In this sculpture, the demon ~ a h i ~ a ' s uisr a
seen in human body with buffalo head. The goddess has eight hands. She holds cakra(? ),
arrow, khadga in her upper right hands and shield. hfikha and bow in her upper left
hands. Her lower right hand holds tri.61~and thrust it into the body of the demon and in
her lower left hand holds the horn of the buffalo. There is a prabhamandala behind her
head and a quiver with arrows behind her left shoulder. She wears kuran&rnuku,ta,
vanam2la, necklaces, armlets, bracelets, armlets, anklets. The lion is seen at her bottom
right Plate (58).
In the Victoria Jubilee Museum at vijayaw$a, Krishna district is a magnificent
sculpture representing the goddess as standing with the left leg bent at the knee and
resting on the neck of the buffalo and the right leg stiff and placing on the head of the
buffalo. The goddess has eight hands. The deity holds cakra, bzya, trisila in the back
right hands, kaikha, bow and shield in the back left hands. The front right hand holds
khaiga and the front left hand catches the tail of the buffalo. She wears karanframakura,
makarakundalas, necklace, kuchabaidha, armlets, girdle, ardhzruka, and rna$iras, There
is a lion to her right bottom. This sculpture as its features suggest, can be dated to belong
to loth centuly A-D-This Sculpture was brought from the office of the State Archaeology
and Museums of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad (Plate 59).
Three eight armed sculptures of Mahisa'suramardini are found displayed in the
Khazana Building Museum at Golkonda (Plate 60). The first sculpture of
~ a h i ~ g u r a m a r d i nwas
i brought from Kannekal, Mahaboobnagar District. In this
sculpture, the goddess of Mahi!ahramardini is represented as standing with her right leg
resting on the ground and her left leg bent at the knee and kept on the back of the buffalo.
She has eight hands and holds cakra. h@a, catches the head of the demon Mahisaha
with her upper hands and iuhkha, bow and khituka in her upper left hands. With her
lower right hand, she holds trislila and thrust it into the neck of the buffalo and with her
lower leff hand catches the mouth of the buffalo. She wears kirqamaku{a, kun{alas,
haras, kafistitra, anklets.
was procured from Nalgonda District.
The second sculpture of ~ahi~duramardini
In this sculpture, the goddess has eight hands. She is standing with her left leg resting on
the ground and the right leg bent at knee and placed on the back of the buffalo. She holds
cukra, b&u, kha&a(?) in her upper right hands and Jahkhu('). bow and khGaku in her
upper left hands. She holds trisaa and thrust it into the mouth of the buffalo with her
lower right hand and with her lower left hand catches the tongue of the buffalo demon.
She wears ki"amaku[a, kundalas, hGra, kahkaqas and anklets (Plate 6 1 ).
The third sculpture of ~ahi~aiuramardini
was also collected from Kannekal,
Mahaboobnagar District. This sculpture depicts the goddess as having eight hands. The
goddess holds $aikha, bow and khGaka in the upper left hands and her lower left hand
catches the tail of the buffalo. She holds cakra, ban0 and khag'ga in her upper right hands
and her lower right hand holds tris'ula and thrust it into the body of the buffalo. She wears
kiAtamakuta, hndalas, h$us, kaikanas, katisitra and other ornaments (Plate 62).
REFERENCES:
1. Venkata Ramanappa, M.N., Outlines of South Indian History, (Delhi, 1975),
pp. 95-96.
2. Ramanaiah, J., Temples of South India, A Study of Hindu, Jain and Buddhist
Monuments of the Deccan, (New Delhi, 1989), pp.26-27.
3. They are in the Museum of Kollipaka, awaiting Publication.
4. Epigraphia Andhrica, op. cit.
5. Desai, P.B., Jainism in South India, (Sholapur, 1957), p.102.
6. Venkata Ramanappa, M.N., op.cit., p.97.
7. Sastri, K.A.N., Advanced History of India,Srinivasachari, (New Delhi, Reprint,
1982), pp.291-292.
8. Ibid.
9. Ibid.
10. Dhaky, M.A., Encyclopaedia of Indian Temple Architecture, South Jndia
Upper Dtavidadha Later phase, A.D. 973-1326, (American institute of Indian
Studies lndira Gandi National Centre for the Arts 1996), p.421.
1 1. Radhakrishna sarma, M., Temples of ~elingana,(Hyderabad, 1972) pp.73-74.
12. Ibid, p74.
13. Ibid, p.63.
14. Ramakantham, S., Guide Book to Kolanupaka Site Museum, (Hyderabad, 1976),
p.15.
V-~.MAHISA~URAMARDINI
IN THE TELUGU CHOLA ART
( A . D . I ~to' ~13Ihcentury)
Historical Background:
The Telugu CG!as of Nellore was an important ruling family among the Ch;!a
families that ruled Xndhrad~baduring 1 2 ~-" 1 3 ' Century
~
A.D. The rule of the Telugu
Chdas of Nellore between A.D.1160 and 1205 A.D. was colifined to the present three
districts namely Nellore, Cuddapah and Chittoor .The places from where the inscriptions
of the this period came to reveal that their sway extended over a compact and contiguous
r.
territory. The rule of the Telugu Chslas was confined to the taluks of Siddhavaiam and
~ a j a m @ t in Cuddapah district, the taluks of ~ a ~ u Kovir,
r,
Nellore.
and
Venkatagiri in Nellore district and the taluk of /Sriki!ahasti in Chittoor district'. The
power of the Telugu ~ h s ! a sof Nellore during their hey days extended over the entire
coastal region between ~'aichi~urarn
in the south, the ~ a n n e r uin the north, Eastern
ghats in the west and Bay of Bengal in the east?.
Regarding the early members of the family, the exact period cannot be fixed
because each successive chief is said to have born in the family of predecessor and we
have no means to indicate how many were there in between. The earliest inscription
dated A.D 1 160 belongs to Nalllsiddhi3.
~alla'siddhi or Nallkiddhirasan (1 160-1217 A.D.) is distinguished by the title
~hujabalazra, ~aichi~urava~dh%wara
and ~ i ; c h i g u ~ ~ a mKo~da. His earliest
inscription from Dongala&% dated A.D. 1160 and the latest record dated in A.D. 1226
and the commencement of Erra'siddhis records from A.D. 1226 confirm that ~alla'siddhi
had a long rule4. His sway extended over Pottapi and ~ i n i n d uby defeating ~allidsva
and ~'om&wara as noted in the Dongalas;?ni inscription. By A.D. 1175 he was f m l y
established at Nellore and his forays into Kanchi region and levying tribute by A.D. 1 183
led to the waning
were notable5. The weak rule of LjadhiGja-11 and ~ul&un~a-111
authority of the imperial Ch%!as.
~ ~ d i d d h(A.Dl207-1217)'
i
successor of Nallkiddhi was also known as
~~ahddh%wara,
Bhujabala, Eyra'siddhanadeva, Gandagopala etc .Most of the inscriptions
of ~paiiddhaare from Nellore, Atmakiii, Kovur and ~ i ~ taluks
u r of Nellore district.
Some of his epithets show that he was a great warrior and levied tribute from Kanchi6.
The eldest son of Epahiddhi was also known as dajendra ~anumisiddhiand Na!l,abiddhi.
His records are found at NandalG in Cuddapah district and some places in Nellore
district. His earliest records from Chaganam are dated in the 23rd regnal year of
~ u l o t t u n ~ a111'.
- His records dated upto A.D. 1214 are known8.~hebrother of
~ a l l k i d d h iknown as ~ a m m d i d d h iis known from the records at Kanchi (A.D.1205),
TiruGlan@du (A.D. 1207)' ~ i v a l i(A.D. 1207), Nellore (A.D. 1209T. Tikka-I (A.D
1208-1246) had come to the throne when the power of the ~ h ; o l a - ~ h $ u k ~became
as
weak. The events of his reign are described in the Nirvachanittara ~ i r n i i ~ a yand
a the
~ahakumHracaritrat'. Tikka's victory over Velaniti ~rithGAvaraand the claim of
beheading ~rithGsvaraNirvacanzttara bmayi"a". The defeat of Seuna generals in
the hands of Tikka took place in Anantapur and Cuddapah regions .The Seuna indicate
the forays of the Seunas especially under ~akshmad&adancjaniyaka'2.
Tikkana Somayiji recounts Tikka's sway over Kanchi defeating the
~ambuvafiyasand levied tribute as the Kaiarapati, destroyed the pride of ~ a m i r a
~gm%waraand restored the fortunes of the ~ h o ! aking and earned himself the title of
Ch%lasthipan~c%ya. Epigraphical evidence on these events point out that with the
exception of Karn?ita sim&wara, Tikka's exploits were connected with the events
relating to Hoyasala Narasihha's victory over the Kidava and the pindya, the release of
the Chal:
king from the imprisonment and restoration to the throne . Tikka-I must have
taken part in the restoration and managed to acquire Kanchi as a reward from ~ a j a i j-aIll
or by his own strength .By june of A.D 1230 Tikka has become master of Kanchi which
he held till the end of his reign. The clash between the Hoyasalas and the Telugu ~ h $ a s
was for the
hi region and the first encounter took place in A.D 1239 in which
Hoyasala ~arasimhawas killed perhaps near Jambai in South Arcot district .This led
~im2swara,the son of Hoyasala king ~ a r a s i i h ato, attack GanQagbCala in A.D 1240. In
the battle at Chama~uri.the HoJ'asalas were defeated and thus Tikka -1 achieved greM
-
fame restoring the power of the chGlas13.
Tikka's rule came to an end in C.A.D. 1240 as his inscriptions were not noticed
after this date. Tikka was also known as Ganiag5pila and he issued coins mentioned in
the inscriptions as ~anda@~ala-rnXdai'~.
When the Telugu
power and prestige was at its height, Manumakiddhi was
overthrown in about A.D. 1249 by the usurpers Bayyana and ~ikkana". This event is
narrated in the siddh&wara Caritam and the ~imadba<aj$am. The ~ ; ~ a n i ~ a l l i
epigraph also recounts the incident. According to this epigraph, ~ a k a t iGaaapati had
restored Manumdiddhi to the throne by defeating Bayyana and Tikkana. Siimanta ~ h i j a
in A.D. 1249 was sojourning at Kanchi probably at the conclusion of victorious
a
and Allun
campaign. Bayyana and Tikkana were identified with Bayya ~ h @ i ~ahiriija
Tikka Mah'irija Candagofila respectively whose records at Kanchi range from A.D.
1243 Lo 1248
16.
Alluh Tikka's Queen ~ a k s h i d i v i , the daughter of Vira
~arasiinhaYidavar6~a
as mentioned in Kanchi inscription reveal close alliance between
Allu'n Tikka and the ~ a d a v a r i ~ a s " .
Manumkiddhi was engaged in consolidating his rule over ~ i k a & d u and
Pottapini$u when the chief of ~alukadapura sent general ~akkasaga'n~aagainst
Manumdsiddhi, not only Rakkasagahga was defeated but also Gangaya Sahini was
deputed to govern Cuddapah region''. Another notable victory of Manumafiddhi was
over SZangadEva mahiija who was ruling over Addanki region some time before A.D.
125419.
The ~ a n d a l i rrecord dated in A.D. 1257 mentions that vijayagandaiop?ila was
defeated and put to flight ". Further it also records that ~anumaiiddhihad gone
Godavari region in aid of Ga?qati's campaign against the ~ a l i n g aking. Soon after the
Kalinga campaign Manum&iddhi had to face the p;ndyan invasions into the Telugu
c h 1 a territory,
Jatzvarman Sundara p2dya-I claims to have killed a certain
GanQagZpila in his 7' regnal year i.e., A.D. 1257-5gi2. M.D Sampath had identified
GandagZfila with Alluii Tikka Ganda@@la2'. After this event Ja5varman marched
towards Nellore where he faced stiff resistance from ~anumisiddhiand his allies22.At
MuttukKm Telugu Chblas were defeated and ~ativarmanperformed ~IGbhishikaat
Nellore. However, the Pandyan invasion did not bring any lasting results. Soon
~anumasiddhiregained his territories and had a peaceful reign till A.D.1268.
The decline of the Telugu Chila power began from the reign of Tikka-TI. He
continued to rule over the ancestral dominion while Vijaya Can$a@pala held sway over
the Kanchi region upto A.D. 1291-2 independently. The last ruler of the Telugu ChZ!as
was ~'[email protected] rule had come under the growing control of the K'akaGas.
Probably with the help of ~ a k a c ~forces
a F&jaganda@fila was able to hold Kanchi
-r
region till A.D.1312. But the Panqn king ~ula&kharadrove away ~ajagandagb~ala,
retook of kanchi in A.D 1316 with the aid of fakatiya general MuppiQi Niyaka. Till
A.D. 1326 inscriptions of ~ i j a ~ a n 4 a @ ~ are
a l afound all over the kingdom. After A.D
1326, the Telugu ~ h h rule
a came to an end23.
The Telugu Ch>!as of Nellore were patrons of Saivism and Vaishnavism. They
have constructed many temples in their dominion and extended liberal patronize to these
temples. The temples constructed by the Telugu ~h%,lasare found at places like Nellore.
Kodavaluru, Candavaram, Krishnapatnam, Mallam, sangam, C;d;r,
S"llir@t etc, all in Nellore district. Inscriptions of the Telugu
~imatkham,
times found in
Nellore town and district point to the existence of a number of temples, some built by the
rulers themselves, and also to the donations made by the rulers and the devotees to some
of these temples. But most of these temples are known to us only in name, from
inscriptions where as some of these temples might have disappeared because of the
ravages of time, some others appear to have been destroyed by Muslims. lnscriptions
~~a&lGwara~"
from Nellore town point to the existence of the temples of '&~%wara~~,
and NiigarF!swaraZ6. Further, undated inscriptions also refer to the existence of two other
temples in Nellore town, namely, the ~anuma-biddhifwaraand ~anuma-kziavaand
also register several donations made to them27.The prefix 'Manuma' before the names of
4
the gods iiddhswara and Kesava evidently points out thal these temples were built by
and after the names of either ~ a n u m kiddhi-I,
a
a contemporary of ~ ~ l i ~ ~
(A.D.
~6~~-1
1 178-1216), or ~anuma'siddhi-11(A.D. 1248-1263), most probably by ~anumkiddhi-11.
The only two Telugu ~h'o!a temples now in Nellore town, which are in good condition,
m i on the banks of the river Penna and the temple of the
are the ~ a i ~ a n i ~ a k a ' s w i itemple
village deity called Irukalamma, on the Nellore tank bund in Milapeta. The other temples
of the Telugu ~ h $ a times, apart from those in Nellore town, are to be found at
Krishnapapam, now a village situated twenty five kilometers east of Nellore in Nellore
district. At Krishnapapam there are two temples namely the Manuma- Siddh2swara and
the ~ e n u ~ o p iorl aGan$ap'op'ala which contain sculpture of a high order.
Iconographical features of ~ahi~akuramardini
in the Telugu ~ h o ! sArt
The sculptures of ~ a h i ~ h u r a m a r d i narei found carved in the Telugu
cL!~
temples at Krishnapatnam, Mallam and Pottapi. These sculptures may be classified into
the following three categories.
I. Four armed sculptures of ~ahi~aluramardini.
11. Eight armed sculptures of ~ahi~aiuramardini.
111. Thirty armed sculptures of ~ahi~aiuramardini.
I.
Four armed sculptures of ~ahisaburamardini
The four armed sculpture of ~ahisaiusramardini is found on a pillar of the
dviiramandapa
. . of the Manurn&iddh;svara temple at Krishnapainam, Nelloor district.
-
The goddess stands with the left leg stiff and the right kept on the back of the buffalo.
She holds trisEla in the right hand and hikha in the lefl hand. She wears kiri~amuku~a
and other
11.
Eight armed sculptures of ~ahisa4uramardini
The sculpture of ~ahi~aiuramardiniis found carved on a pillar of the
subrahmaP$svara temple at Mallam. In this sculpture, the goddess is depicted as
standing with the left leg bent and resting on the body of the buffalo and the right leg also
resting on the body of the buffalo. She has eight hands. She holds tri~ulain one lower
right hand and thrusts it into the body of the buffalo. She holds cukra, arrow (?) and
sword in upper right hands, iahkha, bow and khetaka(?) in upper left hands. Her lower
left hand is resting on her waist. She wears kihtarnaku.ta, rnakarakunfJalas,grav~yakas,
kuchabandha and piirnoruka. The a h a in human form issues out of the neck of the
buffalo (Plate 63).
An image of Mahisaiuramardini is found in the M;lasth'an&wara temple at
Pottapi, Ka4apa district. This temple must have been renovated during the last quarter of
the 1 2 ' century
~
A.D~', by Siddhardsa figuring in the epigraph found within the temple. It
is well carved out with full details but in a miniature size. The goddess is shown standing
with her right leg kept firmly on the ground, while the leR leg is bent at the knee and
placed on the neck of the buffalo. The demon is represented in the form of a buffalo
standing on its fore legs and appears helpless. The goddess stance is extremely graceful
and very attractive. She has eight hands. The lower left hand holds the head of the
buffalo, while the lower right hand drives tri&la into its back. She holds arrow, sword
and cakra in her upper right hands and bow, shield and:ahkha
in her upper left hands.
The goddess is shown as a young lady blooming with youth. Her limbs are well formed
and her breasts are full, round and firm. Tne waist is slim. There is a lion at her bottom
right. She wears kit?tarnakuta, h%s and other ornaments.
A loose sculpture of ~ahisdsuramardiniis found within the mukhaman#opa of
the MEpiiru ~hairavzsvaratemple near Nallacheruvupalle, Kadapa district. This temple
with its garbhagriha and the mandapa were built before A.D. 1300~'.In this sculpture,
the ~ i v isi shown standing with her legs parted. Her right leg is placed on the ground,
while the left leg is liRed to rest on the back of the buffalo, pressing him down into a
sitting position, as she effortlessly drives her tris7ilu into the neck of the buffalo. She has
eight hands and holds trisiilu in the two iower hands, coho and b n k h a in the upper two
hands, sword and shield, bow and arrow in the other four hands. She wears ja15makuta
and other ornaments.
111.
Thirty armed sculptures Mahisa'suramardini
In
the
~anum~siddh?svara temple at
Krishnapa!nam.
the
goddess
Mahisa$amardini is well carved. She is shown standing with the left leg bent and
resting on the back of the buffalo and the right leg is placed on the head of the demon.
She has thirty hands. She holds tri&lu in her lower right hand and her lower left hand
kept on the waist. The contents in the other arms are indistinct. She is adorned with
ki~tumakuta,m a h r a and cakrukun~alas,necklace, manim~khalaand phnoruka. Her
breasts are full, round and firm. The waist is slim. To the right of the goddess is the head
of ~ $ u r holding
a
sword and shield in his two hands. There is a lion at her left side. There
is a niga behind her head (Plate 64).
REFERENCES:
1. Mohan, V.K., Art and Architecture of the Telugu chila temples (New Delhi,
1996), p.13.
2. Ibid, p. 14.
3. Annual Report on Epigraphy No. 483 of 1906
4. Annual Report on Indian Epigraphy, 1939-40, Nos. 9-12.
5. Mohan, V.K.,Op.Cit.,p.Ih.
6. Rangacharya, V., A Topographical list of the inscriptions of the Madras
presidency, Vol.1 (reprint) (New Delhi, 1985), No.815, p.647.
7. N.D.I. R.4, p.1212.
8. Ibid, (3.76.
9. Epigraphis Indica, Vol.VI1, Nos.21-3, 17-A: N.D.I., K.39, pp.735-40, s-1.1.
Vol.VNo.494.
10. Yasoda Devi, V., 'The History of Andhra country' (A.D. 1000-1500), Journal of
the Andhra Historical Research Society, Vol.XXI1, pp.86-88.
I I . Ibid, pp.91-92.
12. Mohan, V.K., Op. Cit., pp. 17-18.
13. Ibid, p.18.
14. Ibid.
15. Ibid.
16. Ibid.
17. Ibid.
18. Ibid.
19. Rangacharya, V., A Topographical list of the inscriptions of the Madras
presidency, Vol.1 (reprint) (New Delhi, 1985), Vol.11, No.4 16, pp.796-97.
20. A.RE. 280 of 1907.
21. Sampath, M.D., Chittoor through the Ages (Delhi, 1980), p.93.
22. Ibid.
23. Mohan, V.K., Op.Cit., p. 19.
24. N.D.I., Nellore 81.
25. Ibid, Nellore, 50, 5 1 .
26. Ibid, Nellore 82.
27. Ibid, Nellore 83,85.87,88.91.
28. Mohan, V.K., Op. Cit., p. 155.
29. Ibid.
30. Gurumurthi, A,, Temples of Cuddapah District, (Madras, 1990), p.30.
3 1. Ibid, p.36.
V-~.MAHISA~URAMAUINIIN THE K;~KAT~Y
A ART
(A.D. 1l I h to 1 4 ' ~Century)
Historical Background:
The ~ i k a c y a were
s minor chiefs and their activity in the 9'" - 10"' centuries was
centered in Ku~avZ<iregion, the present Mahabiibabid taluk of Warangal district. They
were the Telugu rulers under whom the 'I'elugu speaking region was united fbr the first
time. The word K'akacyas might have been derived from the goddess ~ a k a t i worshipped
,
by the early ~ikat&as,who served as feudal chiefs under the Ristraku$as, ruling some
parts of ~ e s t e r n x n d h r a d s ain the 9'h century A.D'. After the fall of the Rastraku!as, the
~h?i!ukyas of KalyC!a
ruled over the western and southern parts of Andhrad~ia.
Consequently, the local GkaGyas became vassals of the Kalyiqa Cha!ukyas during the
regnal period of Som&vara-i (1018-54 A.D.). At that timc, B&-I of the K<kaZya line
. was a
was a subordinate of the Kal@a cha!ukyas2. B h - l was succeeded by ~ d a - IHe
great warrior, and accompanied the crown prince Vikramzditya-VI, (1074- I120 A.D.) the
son of S;m&ara-l,
in the victorious wars against the Konkan, Kerala and pangya
country'. For his assistance, Prola-l was amply rewarded with the Anumakonda
Vishaya and it is ~Gla-1who betiame the independent ruler of the relangapa part of
xndhra&sa4. Prola-1 concentrated his abilities for the prosperity of the region under his
rule. He died in 1075 A.D. and was succeeded by his young son known as
Tribhuvanamalla ~ 3 a - 1 1or Bottu when the Kalyina chalukyan ruler Somgsvara-ll and
Vikram'Tiditye-V1 were fighting for the throne5. ~ita-11supported the former who was not
successful in the civil war. 8;ta-ll felt insecured without the favour and sanction of the
Vikrarn?ditya. To settle the issue smoothly, he sent his minister Vaija Dan~anzyakaalong
with Viriyala ~ i r n ~ v & ~wife
n i , of Viriyala chief ~ ~ r a n r i ~Kzmavisani
a'.
was successful
in her mission and got royal sanction and security to the rule of Bza-11. As a result
Vikramiiditya granted him the rulership of the Sabbi-1000. 6Sa-11 got the titles
Tribhuvanamalla and Vikrama chari7. He died in 1090 A.D.
eta-11 was succeeded by
his son DuggaGja ( I 108-1 116 A.D.) and then by his brother ~ d a - l (lI 116-1 I57 A.D,).
Prola-II defeated &daGja and conquered ~ilavasad~ia'.He also plundered the territory
as
of ~ a i l t r a k i t aand repelled the attack of ~agaddzva.The Kalsna ~h;l!ukyan power
disintegrated by A.D.1139 due to its internal problems. In the general scramble for
power, prola-11 rose to prominence and asserted independence9.
The emergence of Gkatiyas as independent sovereign kings from the rule of
RudradEva (A.D.1156-1195) (eldest son and successor of prola-11) is indicated in the
inscription of 1163 A.D. at thousand pillared temple, ~anumakon$a", a document of
great historical importance. His military exploits according to Anmakonga inscription,
brought the entire TelangXna region, extending from the neighbourhood of KalGpi to the
sea in the east and from Godivari in the north to the
ida ail am and Tripurhtakam in the
south under the ~ i k a 6 y arule". A significant event during his rule is the foundation of
the new capital Orugallu-Warangal. His younger brother and successor Mahzdeva (A.D.
1195-1 19819) had a short rule and met his end in an invasion over the Seunas ( ~ i d a v a s )
of ~evagiri.Through his son Gavapati was taken captive, he was set free by the Seuna
king Jaitugi or ~aitraGla-I.Gapapati's (A.D.1199-1262) regnal period was notable for
many achievements. The conquest of costal xndhra comprising Velaipu and
Karmafistra by A.D.1209 and the campaigns into the
la country and Kalitiga firmly
established the ~SkaGyasas supreme masters. His expeditions in Riyalaseema over the
Telugu ~ h < l aKings of Nellore and the Vaiiumbas were successful and Gangaya-Sahini,
the commander of Gapapati was conferred the region of Marjavadi, i.e., parts of
Cuddapah and Chittoor districts". Seuna princes and commanders were given service in
the E i a T y a polity and there existed friendly relations between the Seunas and
Kaka$yas. It was during his reign that the change of capital from ~ f m a k o n ~toa
Warangal was effected and the mud and stone fortifications of Warangal were built.
~udramadevi(A.D.1262-1289), the eldest daughter and successor of Gayapatidgva, could
not wield authority effectively and as a result there was no trace of Kakatiya authority
over Vzngi-manqala between A.D.1262-1278179. The revolts of ~ k b a d e v aand the
~inciyaninvasions led to the instability of the Kikacya power which ultimately caused
the death of ~udramadEviin A.D.1289 in the battle against ~ h b a d g v a . Pratcparudra's
(A.D. 1289-1323) rule witnessed a series of expeditions to consolidate the KakaGya
power. And this cause remained incomplete for the Muslim invasion under Ala-ud-din in
~ . ~ . 1 3 0had
3 threatended the very existence of the KikaGya capital. Later, in another
~ u s l i mexpedition under Ulugh Khan, PratEparudra unable to defend surrendered and he
died as a captive while being taken to Delhi Thus ended the K'akatGa rule over entire
-Andhra d&.a5
The KikatGas were well known for their policy of religious toleration Among
the Bhakti cults which replaced Buddhism and Jainism, though Vaishnavism also
flourished, it was the hey day for Saivism. The ~ i k a z y a were
s devotees of/Siva, at least
from the time of Tribhuvanamalla ~ e t a r z afather
,
of Pslarija-11 and RudradGa took the
4
title Paramamaheswara. CianapatidEva was indeed a Saivite and took to $ i v a d h h a
from ~isv&waraSivadGa, the head of ~olakimat,ha.According to the Pratiiparudra
~ a G b h u s a n a mof ~ i d ~ a n z h the
a , dynasty received the name KakaGa because they
. Warangal (~kaiilangara)there was
worshipped goddess Durga in the name of ~ a k a t iAt
a temple dedicated to Goddess ~ i k a t iMany
.
local cults came into prominence during this
age. Village and family deities such as ikavira, ~ a q a m r n a .Ganpmma, lrukalamma,
Ellamma and ~ i m z s v a r were
i
very popular and their worship was general throughout this
,
period. Many Saivite sects flourished under the patronage of the ~ i k a G a s B
G and
~ his
1
to be the disciples of ~imikwara~anc$ta,a great
two sons Durga and ~ d a - 1 appear
~ ; ? l a m u k hteacher.
~
In the time of Ga?apathide\.a, the Golakimatha established its
branches at many places in xndhra and its pontiff ~isvi!swara hivadka became the
-
Di+gurru
-
/
of ~ ~ ! ~ ~ aInt isuch
' ~ .a congenial atmosphere, the Virasaiva mvement
appears to have made considerable progress in the land.
Like the contemporary rulers the KakaCyas had built innumerable temples and
patronized various performing arts. They expressed their keen interest towards the arts by
building temples and creating wonderful sculpture on them besides a good number of
loose icons meant for cult worship. They also continued the sculptural traits of the
Kaly'sna ~
h
-
z in ~bathkA n ~and ~Architecture.
~
The plastic art culminated during the
~ ' a k a t i ~rule
a which was really a testimony to their aesthetic sense. The Kikatiya an was
represented on the temple walls and cult images in stone, and painting. The artists
exhibited their skills both on the exterior and interior surfaces of temples besides painting
some of the puranic themes, on a few occasions. The important temples of the Kikacya
period dedicated to kiva are the thousand pillared temple at Hanumakon$a. Rimappa
temple at 6larnfit and those at Ghanpir, Riminujapurarn, Jangon, Manthani,
K;l%waram,
Jakaram, ~ejjinki, Ku6urna"nchi, Warangal, Pillalamar~i, ~agulapi!u,
Mkherla, ~ u r a j i l a ,~ a k k s h a p i r Nagnir,
,
~anagal,etc15. The KZka6ya rulers and their
generals and ministers built or enlarged and richly endowed temples all over the empire.
In comparison with the Eastern Chalukyan temples, the Kakacya temples are much larger
in size and magnificent in architectural and sculptural wealth. The thousand pillared
temple at Hanumakonfla and the temples of Pillalamarri and ~alam#,ta, though in
dilapidated condition, are living monuments to the artistic skill of the sculptors of the age
and to the aesthetic sense of their patrons. The thousand pillared temple known as the
~ u d r g v a r atemple at Hanumakonia was constructed by Rudradeva in 1163 A.D. and it
s.
stands as a testimony for the great architectural triumph of the age of the ~ a k a c ~ aThe
great RZnappa temple at falampzta is said to have been built in 1213 A.D, by Richerla
Rudra, one of the generals of ~ a ? a ~ a t i d & v a ' ~ .
During the ~ i k a t i ~period,
a
the sculptors took keen interest in depicting various
divine figures along with their consorts on the architectural members of a temple in order
to educate the mass, visiting the temples at the time of periodical festivals. During the
period under study, Saivism gained ground and innumerable Saivite temples were built
and hundreds of Saivite idols were carved out. Similarly, they also paid equal attention in
depicting the figures of Vishnu, Surya, Brahma, ~ a y i s a Kumara
,
and the associate and
demi-gods. The artists of the KikaGya period exhibited their unparallel inherent talents in
creating such beautiful images on stoneI7. The ~ a k a t G asculptors equally carved the
images of Goddess in varied forms, such as Mahisaduramardini, Durga, Kili, ~nnap;rna,
ChTmundi, Sardswati and Saptamitrikas. Representation of Dcvi in Mahi;a/suramardini
form was a favorite theme which appeared on Kaksasanas and in the form of loose
sculptures18.
~~onographicnl
features of Mahisdsuramardini in the ~ i k ~~ ,t qi ~ ~
The depiction of ~ahisabramardiniin the ~ i k a & aAn can be studied under the
following four categories.
1.
Four armed sculptures of ~ahi~akurarnardini.
11. Six armed sculptures of ~ahi~ahramardini.
111. Eight armed sculptures of Mahipisuramardini.
IV. Ten armed sculptures of MahisaSuramardini.
Four armed sculptures of Mahisaduramardini
1.
The Archaeological Museum at Warangal, preserves the sculpture of
~ahi~aiuramardini(7Ox38cms). This sculpture was brought from Bekkallu village,
Maddur mandal of Warangal district. The four handed goddess holds iahkha, khal'ga in
her upper hands. In her lower right hand she holds trisdu and thrust it into the neck of the
buffalo and her lower left hand catches the tail of the buffalo. The goddess stands with
her left leg resting on the ground and her right leg bent at the knee and resting on the
head of the buffalo. She wears karan{umakufa, kun$olu,~,necklace, yqj%pavh and
other ornaments. Behind her head is a k;lntiman!ala (plate 65).
The Museum at Karimnagar is in possession of a sculpture of ~ahi~&uramardini.
This sculpture was brought from Nzgunsu. In this sculpture, the goddess has four hands.
She places her right leg on the head of Mahisha, who is in animal form. She holds the tail
with one of her left hands while the other hands are mutilated. The head of the ~ e v isi
broken".
In the Birla Archaeological Museum at Hyderabad are found preserved two four armed
sculptures of ~ahi~aiurarnardini.
The
6m sculpture (76x
59cms) was collected from ~ichakonda,Nalgonta
district. In this sculpture, the goddess is depicted as her lefi leg bent at the knee and
resting on the neck of the demon and her right leg firmly resting on the ground. She has
four hands and holds k h h k a , khadga in her upper hands. Her lower left hand holds the
head of the ~ a h i ~ a k u and
r a her lower right hand is piercing tri&la into the back of the
buffalo. She wears jat&akula, kundalas, hiiras, kakutas, katibandha and anklets. There
is a lion at her right side. There is a prabha behind her head (Plate 66).
The second sculpture (69 x 34cms) was brought from hlakurthi, Kurnool district
(Plate 67). In this sculpture, the goddess has four hands. Her left leg is bent at the knee
pressing the neck of the buffalo and the right leg is stiff and placed on the ground. She
holds/saikha in her upper left hand, cakra in her upper right hand. Her lower right hand
holds tris;la and thrusts it into the body of the buffalo and her lower left hand holds the
tongue of the buffalo. She wears karaniamaku!u, kundalas, ha'vas, kuchabaidha,
~ t i s i t r aand kahru?as. There is a prabhi behind her head and also lion is seen at her
right leg
11.
Six armed sculptures of ~ahi~aduramardini
The Archaeological Museum at Warangal preserves a six armed sculpture of
~ahisahuramardini(67x 44cms). This sculpture was brought from Jangala palli, Mulug
taluk of Warangal district. In this sculpture, the goddess stands with her left leg resting on
the ground and right leg kept on the body of the buffalo. She holds cakra, bZva in her
upper right hands. She holds trisga with her lower right hand and thrusts it into the head
of the buffalo and she holds iaikha, and bow in her upper left hands and khefaka in her
lower left hand. She wears kir$arnaku!a, kun$alas, hGas, yajn"o'Paviia, kahuqas and
other ornaments. There is a lion at her left leg. The demon is seen on the right side in
human form (Plate 68).
In a niche of the anlarZ/a of the RFmappa temple at Palampet, Warangal district,
the deity is standing with her right leg resting on the ground and her left leg bent at the
knee and resting on the head of the demon ~ a h i ; a h - a .She holds /aikha, bow in her
upper right hands and cakra( ?), arrow in her upper left hands. The lower right hand holds
trj,~iilaand thrust it into the neck of the demon. The lower left hand is kept on her leR
knee. There is a lion at her back side. She wears ki&amokuta, kundalas. hZra.v and other
ornaments (Plate 69),
The Victoria Jubilee Museum of Vijayawlda contains is its open courtyard the
This sculpture was brought from the State Archaeology
sculpture of ~ahi~aGuramardini.
Museum, Hyderabad. This sculpture depicts the goddess as standing in tribha&y on the
buffalo. The goddess has six hands. She holds khaiga and khctaka in the right hands,
the front lower right hand appears to be in kutihasta and it is partly broken. She holds
trisiilu, bow in the back left hands, the front lower left hand is in abhaya. She wears
kirilamaku{a, graiv&kas, kuchahuhdha and other ornaments. The right breast is also
broken (Plate 70).
111.
Eight armed sculptures of ~ahi~aburamardini
In a niche on the left side of the ga:arbhugr$haof the Ramappa temple at &lam@!,
Warangal district, the goddess is standing with her right leg resting on the ground and her
left leg bent at the knee resting on the thigh of the demon ~ahi?a/sura.The demon
~ a h i ~ a i uisr aseen in fully human form on both the sides of the goddess. The buffalo is
seen at her left side. The demon Mahisa'sura holds kh$aku in the left hand and khadga in
the right hand. The goddess holds cakra, arrow, kha$ga in her right hands and jankha (?),
bow (?) kh2taka in her left hands. The front lower hands are mutilated. She wears
kirtamaku?a, hiiras, kuchabaidha and k u i k a s . There is a prabh? behind her head
(Plate 71).
The Archaeological Museum at Warangal preserves, two eight handed sculptures
,
district.
of ~ahi,sakuramardini.The first sculpture was brought from ~ d i m i n a Warangal
In this sculpture, the goddess is depicted as standing with her right leg resting on the
ground and her left leg kept on the neck ofthe buffalo. She holds cakra, arrow, khuq'Ra in
her upper right hands and hankha, bow, khztaka in her upper left hands. Her lower right
hand holding a triS& pierces into the back of the buffalo and her lower left hand holds
tongue of the buffalo. She wears ki$arnakufa, kuntalas, hiras and other ornaments.
There is a lion at her right side (Plate 72).
The second sculpture represents the goddess as standing with her right leg resting
on the ground and her left leg bent at the knee and resting on the body of the buffalo. She
holds cakra, arrow in her upper right hands and another upper right hand holds khatga
and thrust it into the human body of the demon. The lower right hand holds trikla and
thrust it into the body of the Mahisa$ura. Out of the three upper left hands, two are
mutilated and bow is found in one hand and the front lower left hand catches the hand of
the demon ~ahi;a$ura. She wears kir$amakuta, kundalas, hzras, yaj~;oj7avitaand other
ornaments (Plate 73).
There is a loose sculpture of ~ahi~akuramardiniin the NiguniTru Village,
Karimnagar district. In this sculpture, the goddess is standing with the right leg tirmly
placing on the floor and the left leg kept on the neck of Mahisha. The dura form is
emerging from the neck of Mahisha. She has eight hands. Her lower right hand is driving
t r i s h into the body of the aiura. Two of the left hands hold kheialia and bow. Her lower
hand is twisting the head of the asura. She wears maku~a,hZra, kiyiiras, valayas and
ardhGruka. The aiura is holding a sword and shield in his hands'".
I
There is another loose sculpture of Mahisabramardini in the courtyard of the Siva
temple at Karimnagar. She is standing with left leg steady on the ground and the right leg
kept on the neck of Mahisasura who is in animal form. The goddess has eight hands. She
thrusts trisila into the body of the animal with her lower right hand while she holds the
tail of the animal with her lower left hand. She holds biina, khadgu and Agqi in upper
right hands and shield, bow and spear- like object in upper left hands. She is adorned with
rnaku~a,kundalas, GYuras, kankqas and &iban'dha2'.
An eight armed sculpture of ~ahi~aguramardiniis found in the Birla
Archaeological Museum at Hyderabad. This sculpture (78x 56cms) was brought from
Moravakonfla, Kurnool district. In this sculpture, the goddess resting her right leg on the
back of the buffalo and her left leg is bent at the knee and resting on the ground. She
holds caka, khadga, sZra in her upper right hands and h h h a . khitob. bow in her upper
left hands. Her lower right hand holds tris;ila and thrusts it into the body of the buffalo
and her lower let? hand holds the head of the demon MahisaSura who is shown in human
form. The lion is shown on the pedestal. She wears jatCmakuto, kundulus, kzyuras,
kankanas, ka[isCtra and anklets (Plate 74).
A loose sculpture of ~ahi~aiuramardiniis found in the :~isva~ahbu
6ahbuling~~varaswarn~
temple at Warangal. In this sculpture. the goddess is standing
with her right leg resting on the ground and left leg is bent at the knee resting on the back
of the buffalo. She has eight hands and holds iaikha, khadgu, kh;tuku in her upper leA
hands and cakra, arrow in her upper right hands. The content in another right hand is
indistinct. The lower right hand holds trisz/a and thrusts it into the body of the demon
that is emerging from the neck of the buffalo and the lower left hand holds the hand of
the demon ~ahi;&ura. She wears kiGtamakufa, h%as, kailkayas and other ornaments.
There is a lion at her right side (Plate 75).
The sculpture of ~ahi~akuramardini
preserved in the Khazana Building Museum
at Golkonda. This sculpture was collected from Kondapatri. Warangal district. In this
sculpture, the goddess is in ali@ pose. She is standing with her left leg resting on the
ground and her right leg bent at the knee and placed on back of the buffalo. She has eight
hands and holds bzva, cakra and kha&a in the upper right hands and Gikha, bow and
the hair of the a h a in her upper left hands. The front lower right and left hands hold
trisiila which is thrust into the body of the hura, who is coming out of the mouth of the
buffalo. Her mount, the lion js at the bottom on the right side of the goddess. She wears
ki2[amakute, kun{alas, ha'ras, kuikolas, kaiolbilra and maGjiras (Plate 76).
IV. Ten armed sculptures of ~ahisaiuramardini
A ten armed loose sculpture of ~ahi~aiuramardiniis found in the
pradaQinaparha of the
ha^^ temple at hlamgt:
The goddess is standing with her
right leg resting on the ground and her left leg kept on the thigh of the demon. She holds
cakra, khadga, two indistinct weapons in her upper right hands and iankha, p%a and a
bowl in her upper left hands. She holds trisula and thrust it into the body of the
~ a h i ~ a d u with
r a her lower right hand and the lower left hand catches the hand of the
demon. The demon Mahisasura is emerging from the neck of the buffalo. She wears
karandhamakuta, kuchabaridha, yajn"6Pavita, kankanas and other ornaments. Two female
figures on the right and left in Gjalimudra, and terrific eyes are the noteworthy features
of this sculpture (Plate 77).
REFERENCES:
I. Satyanarayana Singh, B., The Art and Architecture of the ~Lakatbas,(Delhi,
1999) p. 1.
2. Ibid. pp. 1-2.
3. Sastry, P.V.P., The ~a kaCyas, (Hyderabad, 1 978) p.46.
4. Ibid. p.46-47.
5. Ibid. p.46.
6. lbid. pp.47-49.
7. Ibid. p.49.
8. Ibid.
9, Ibid. p.40.
10. Rajendra Prasad, B.,Art of South India: Andhra Pradesh, (Delhi, 1980) p.168.
1 I . Durga Prasad., History of the Andhras upto 1565 A.D. (Guntur. 1988) p. 136.
12. Rajendra Prasad, B., Op, Cit., pp. 168-169.
13. Ibid.
14. Hanumantha Rao, B.S.L., Religion in Andhra (Hyderabad, 1993) p.283,
15. Descriptions of these temples are found in Dr. M.Radhakrishna Sarma's book
Temples of
el angina, (Hyderabad, 1972).
16. Durga Prasad., Op. Cit., p. 161.
17. Satyanarayana Singh, B.,Op. Cit., p.135.
18. Ibid. p.138.
19. Ramanaiah, J., Temples of South India: A Study of Hindu, Jain and Buddhist
Monuments of the Deccan, (New Delhi, 1989). p. 1 18.
20. Ibid. p. 1 17.
21. Ibid. p.151.
Historical Background:
The foundation of ViljayEinagara empire in A.D. 1336 has added a new era in the
history of Andhra M e s h . It was founded by the Sangarna brothers- Harihm and Bukka
in AD.1336, and it lasted for about three and a half centuries. Four dynasties ruled over
this kingdom in succession. They were: (I) the Sangama Dynasty, (2) the Saluva
Dynasty, (3) the Tuluva Dynasty, and (4) the Aragdu Dynasty. The R3yalaseerna area
had remained under the Vijayanagara rule since the foundation of the empire. The
Telangih region more often witnessed continuous wars between the Bahamanis and the
Vijayanagara rulers. Likewise the coastal region was also formed the area for the struggle
between the Gajapatis of Orissa and Vijayansgara Kings.
1. Sangama Dynasty (A.D. 1336-1485)
The kings of Sangama dynasty (A.D. 1336-1485) included Harihara-I (A.D. 1336-
1356), Bukka-I (A.D. 1356-1377), Harihara-II (A.D. 1377-1406), Rvariya-l
(A.D. 1406-
1422), D'evariiya-IJ (A.D.1422-1446), Mallik@una( A.D.1446-1465) and Viriipasha
(AD.
1465-1485). The inscriptions attesting the rule of these rulers are found in the
G,
Cuddapah etc., in 3 n d h r d i b . In the days of
districts of ~urnool',~ n a n t a ~ Chittoor,
Harihara-I, the empire was divided into many provinces generally known as Rajyar and
Mandalas. In the east was the Udayagiri-rijya which included the present Nellore and
Cuddapah districts. A little to its west was the Penugonda-hjyn. To the south of it were
the Cbandragiri-&jya and the Muluviyi~jya3.
All these tenitorial divisions were in
the R5yalaseerna region of Andhra Pradesh. Bukka-I was governing the western districts
of Telugu country during the early years of the reign of Harihara-I. His inscriptions are
found in T-da
and Thpati4. Harihara-I1 was a great devotee of God Mallik5juna of
I .
SriGlm. He built & mukhamandapa in the Malli@una temple at in'silam'.
&va~%~a-11,the greatest ruler of Sangama dynasty, made several benefactions to
Tinunalatemple'.
iwription of avara'ya-I1 dated in sakha 1347 (A.D.14251, records
the building of a giipura to the ~hairav~kwara
temple at Mopk (Cuddapab district) by
Tirumalariya, a servant of the king7. Mallikiujuna, the last of the Sangama family, is
represented in the inscriptions from both Tirwnala and ~iru~ati'.During the rule of
Viriipiiksha, the Bahrnani kingdom, which was ably administered by the Prime Minister,
Mohammad Gawan, invaded Vijayanagara. ViriipPaksha was unable to meet the challenge
of the Bahrnani kingdom. The king was assassinated by his son, who however, renounced
the throne as an act of repentance in favour of his younger brother Prouda fivariya. But
hduva Narasimha, eldest son of ~aluvaGunda, the chief of Chandragiri near Tirupati,
usurped the throne and founded the h+uva dynasty9.
2. kilova Dynasty (A.D.1485-1505)
The &uva dynasty was the (.D.1485-1505) was the second dynasty. There were
only two kings of this dynasty, viz., h u v a ~arasimhaand Immadi Narasimha. A branch
of the ~ y u v family
a
ruled over the CbandragirGriijya with headquarters at Chandragiri
during the reign of Mallikirjuna of the kangama dynasty1'. ialuva Narasimha succeeded
to the family estate of Chandragiri in ~ . ~ . 1 4 5 6 "The
. Saluvabhyudayam written by
Ejanatha Dindima, states that he made Chandragiri his residence for the purpose of
worshipping Vishnu at ~irumala'~.
An inscription mentions kduva Narasiniha as the
ruler of Chandragiri in ~ . ~ . 1 4 6 6He
' ~usurped
.
the throne of the Vijayanagara empire in
A.D. 1486 and the kingdom there after came to be called after himL4.There are several
inscriptions of this ruler in Tirumala and Tirupati templesI5.
3. Tuluva Dynasty (A.D. 1505-1570)
The Tuluva dynasty was the third dynasty which ruled from A.D. 1505 to 1570.
Immadi Narasimha was murdered by Vira Narasimha (A.D. 1505-1509) who ascended the
throne in A.D.1505 and established a new dynasty called the Tquva dynasty. ~ i r a
Narasirnha was a great devotee of God Malliiiirjuna of ~liu'sailatn.He once visited that
temple and paid homage to the ~ o d ' Vira
~ . Narasirhha was succeeded by his famous halfbrother Srikrishnadbvariya, who ruled b m A.D. 1509-1529. He was the greatest among
the Vijayanagara rulers and his reign marked the zenith of the empire. Entire Andhradga
was under his control besides the region down to the Kaa$kurniiri1'. He restored order
throughout the empire and improved the finances of the state. He was the ablest and the
most celebrated of the Rgyas of Vijayanagara. Andhradza reached the acme of its glory
He was a great benefactor of the
in the reign of the illustrious emperor, Kri~hnadevari~a.
temples of ;&ailam, krik~,lahasti,Tirumala, [email protected] returning afier the
capture of the company of his two Queens, Chinnidevi and ~irumalid&i and made
valuable gifts to God ~allikiriuna".
6;
~enka$swara of Tirumala was the patron deity
of this monarch. On every important occasion, he visited Tirumala temple and obtained
the blessings of the Lord ~ r Venkagswara.
i
Inscriptions register seven visits of this
monarch to theTimmala temple which resulted in substantial valuable gifts being made lo
$ri ~ 6 " k a t ~ w a r The
a ~ ~metal
.
images of KrishnaGya and his two Queens, Chinnidhi
and ~ i r u r n a l i d hare
i found in the Pratima-mandapa of the Tirumala temple. The forts
at Penugonda ( ~ n a n t a p i rdistrict) and Chandragiri (Chittoor district) were improved in
the time of ~rishnar;;i~a".The erection of king's palace (Rija Mahal) in the Chandragiri
fort is also attributed to ~ r i s h n a r a y a ~ ~ .
Achyutaraya succeeded Sri Krishnadevaiya A.D. 1529 and he ruled upto A.D.
1542. He was a man of violent temper. He could not govern the empire and the real
power was wielded by his ministerXraGd" RimaGju, son-in-law of Srikrishnad&aGya.
Like his brother ~rikrishnaraya,Achyutar5ya also was a great benefactor of the temples
of Tirumala and '~rikilahasti~~.
As emperor, he visited Chandragiri several times and
~ a &sailam
stayed for some time in its fortress in the year ~ . ~ . 1 5 3 2~*c *h y u t a r a visited
in A.D.1542-1543, and made valuable gifts to the temple. The emperor is credited with
the construction of the Queen's palace ( R G ~Mahal) in the Chandragiri fortz5.The rule
a followed on the throne by
of AchyutarZya came to an end in A.D.1542. ~ c h ~ u t a & ywas
his son v&kats in A.D.1542 who was assassinated by his maternal uncle Silakaiaju
Tirumala. He seized the throne was slain by Aliya ~amaiija. Subsequently
~chyutaraya's nephew ~ad&ivar;ya (A.D.1542-1576) with the assistance of Aliya
Rima&ja, ascended the throne26.He was a weak king and the one dominating personality
who controlled the destinies of the empire during his time was A!iya R h a r i j a
(A.D. 1542- 1565).
4. Ara6du Dynasty
Soon after the battle of ' 6 l i k ~ ~(A.D.1565),
a
the Mulism confederacy was
dissolved and once again they began to fight each other. This gave an opportunity for the
Vijayanagara empire to recoup under ~arna6ja'sbrother TirumalaGya. He shifted the
capital from Hampi (Vijayanagara) to Penukonda in ~nantapur
In A.D. 1570
TirumalaGya set aside the nominal rule of ~adiiivariyaand became the dejure ruler.
Thus, began the rule of the xravidu dynasty, the fourth and last dynasty of the
Vijayanagara. Tirumalariya was the first ruler of the xravidu line of kings. He ascended
the throne in A.D. 1570 and ruled till ~ . ~ . 1 5 7 VLnka{a-l,
2 ~ ~ . the youngest son of
Tirumalarriya assumed the governorship of Tamil country with Chandragiri as his
capital29. His records are found at Madanapalle and Tirumala3'. Tirumalarzya was
-
succeeded in order by his sons k~radga-l(.D.1572-1585) and ~enka~a-11
(A.D.1585-
-
1614). Vztikaia-11 was the greatest prince of the Aravidu line. In A.D. 1585, he
transferred his capital from Penugonda to Chandragiri in Chittoor district and ruled the
empire from that place3'. He restored the prestige and power of the Vijayanagara empire.
In 1597-1598 A.D. he suppressed a rebellion of the Kshatriya feudatories of
Rzyalaseema, captured their leader, Krishnamakju and imprisoned him at ~ h a n d r a g i r i ~ ~ .
After Venkata-11's death in A.D. 1614, the empire passed into the hands of Sriranga-11
(A.D. 1630-1642) and
Srirariga-111 (A.D.1642-1672) whose reigns were uneventful. Sriraiga-111,the last ruler of
(A.D. 1614), ~;rnad&a (A.D. 1614- 1630), Peda V&katP1l
I
*
,
thexravidu family is represented by a solitary record from Ve?ki~ru,Chittoor taluk dated
in ~ . ~ . 1 6 4 4 " After
.
$iraiiga-lll, the empire became smaller in size and lost its
importance as well as its influence. By I786 when Tippu Sultan set fire to Anegonii, the
empire of Vijayanagara had disappeared.
The rulers of Vijayanagara behaved with utmost impartiality in religious matters.
They gave a great impetus and protection to Hinduism during the Vijayanagara period.
The early rulers of the Vijayanagara Were worshippers of iiva. vifi6ksha was their
family god. Later on they came under the influence of the Vaishnava saints. The
legendu~account of the conversion of the Vijayanagara king Virupaksa has been given
in the bishnava work Prapannirnritam. Whatever might be the authenticity of this
legend, the successors of Viriipaksa were faithful devotees of Vishnu. However, they had
C
unstinted devotion to Siva, the protector god of the empire. KrishnadEvaGya worshipped
Vishnu, h a , ~ith'obaand god of Tirumala. AchyutaGya was a great patron of
Vaishnavism. He encouraged the propagation of Vaishnavism in the Tamil country.
~ a d g i v afollowed a very liberal policy. He worshipped &a, Virhnu and ~ a n a a .
Vaishnavism was professed in the various forms. Sri-Vaishnavism of ~imanujawas
highly popular. The Dvaita system was also practiced largelyj4. The rulers developed a
partiality for Vaishnavism and came to be influenced more and more by the Vaishnava
doctrine. As a result Vaishnavism attained a permanent position. Tirupati, ~h:balam,
~ihhichalarn,%k~rmam,~ i ~ a t lVondmi$
a,
Pushpagiri have enjoyed royal patronage.
The Saluvas were Vaishnavas, devoted to Narasimha of ~hcbalamandkii vgnkat~wara
of Tirumala. Under the Tu[uva rulers, Vaishnavism gained further strength and there was
an enormous increase in its influence. However, they were only personal preferences of'
the monarchs. Along with the worship of Saivite and Vaishnavite deities, the worship of
~ahisahramardiniwas also popular during the Vijayanagara period. Vijayanagara
period is rightly considered a golden age in the history of the iconography ofxndhrad&a
as well as rest of South India.
s
ushered in a new phase of Art which mostly followed
The ~ i ~ofa Vijayanagara
the southern traditions, The Rxyas of Vijayanagara, who held sway over3ndhrad&a7
were great builders. During this period were constructed many fortresses, big palaces and
temples. Temples built in Vijayanagara period are well known for their size, details of
decoration, sculpture and painting that they contain. Pure Vijayanagara temples are found
at places like TacJipatri, Penugonda, Kadiri, ~irantla.~i$kshi (Anantspur district),
-
Pushpagiri, ~ i ~ a c h i(Cuddapah
ti
district), ~ i r k a ~ u r a m
iiiailam
,
(Kurnool district),
2 -
Nkayaqavaram, Nigslipuram, Chandragiri, Tirupati. Sri Kalahasti, ~ a n g ~ u r a m ,
~zma$lem (Chittoor district) etc. The ~hennakibvatemple at MGkapur, ~ r a k i i a m
,
-
district and the Ranganayaka and Krishna temples at Udayagiri in Nellore district belong
--
to 16Ih century A.D. In the ~elanganaregion, the Madana Gopalaswami temple at
~ a t ~ r o lthe
u , Madhaviswirni temple at Mahchalakaifa, Mahabubnagar district also belong
to the Vijayanagara period35.
During the Vijayanagara period, the temple building activity produced a new style
of architecture called the Vijayanagara style. Though it is often described as Dravidian
style it had its own distinct features. The sculptural art of the Vijayanagara period shows
the popularity of relief sculptures. The art is influenced by the chila and Kalinga
traditions in the respective regions like the Rayalaseema, Nellore, ~rak;sam, Guntur,
Krishna, West and East Godavari. Visakhapatnam and Sri6kularn districts. The temples
of Vi.jayanagara are famous for the sculptures of Saivite and Vaishnavite gods and
goddesses which include the sculptural panels and loose stone images of
~ahisdsuramardini.
Iconographical features of ~ahisakuramardiniin the Vijayanagara Art
The Vijayanagara artists also showed keen interest in the representation of
Mahisa6uramardini in the temples erected by them. The sculptures of Mahisa'suramardini
are found in the temples at ~epikshi,Tadpatri, ~rik\lahasti, ~ggalipuram,Pushpagiri,
etc. The representation of ~ahi~ahramardini
in the Vijayanagara Art can be studied
under the following three categories.
1.
Four armed sculptures of ~ahi~aiuramardini.
11. Six armed sculptures of Mahi~bsuramardini.
111. Eight armed sculptures of ~ahighsuramardini.
I. Four armed sculptures of ~ahi~buramardini
A pillar of the rnandapa of the northern Mahiidwiira of ~ali~ami'swara
temple at
~nimela,Kadapa district, which was reconstructed in ~ . ~ . 1 3 6 is7 adorned
~ ~ , with a
sculpture of ~ahi~aiuramardini.The goddess stands with her right leg placed on the
back of the buffalo and the left leg resting on the ground. She has four hands. The
goddess holds khadga in the upper right hand and &kha in the upper left hand. cakra in
the lower right hand. In her lower left hand, she holds the head of the demon. The mount
of the deity, the lion is shown seated at the back of the buffalo (Plate 78).
The sculpture of ~ahi(&uramardiniof black stone measuring 70x 4Ocms is found
preserved in the Archaeological Museum at Anantapur, In this sculpture the goddess is
Orepresented as standing with her right leg resting on the ground and the left leg placed
on the buffalo. She has four hands and holds cakra in the upper right hand and iaikha in
the upper left hand. She thrusts trisza into the neck of the demon with her lower right
hand and her lower left hand catches the tongue of the buffalo. She wears ki;tomaku{u,
h z a s and other ornaments (Plate 79).
The hundred pillared tnan!apa in the Sri Kalahastijvara temple at % ~ilahasti.
Chittoor districfwas built by ~rish"ara~a
in 1516 A . D ~On
~ .a pillar of this man!apu is a
sculpture of Mahiskuramardini. In this sculpture, the goddess stands behind a buffalo
and has four hands. She holds cakra in the upper hand and :aikha in the upper left hand.
She holds trisaa and thrusts it into the back of the buffalo with her lower hands. She
wears karanflamakqa and other ornaments3'.
r
A pillar in a mantapa to the north-east of the hundred pillared mantapa in the Sri
~ilahastisvaratemple contains a sculpture of four armed ~ahi~aiuramardini.
The
goddess stands on the buffalo and has four hands. She holds cakra in the upper hand and
&kha in the upper left hand. This deity holds with her lower hands trikla and thrusts it
into the back of the buffalo. She wears kiGtamakura, cakrakun$alas, kuchabandha and
~i4rnhka~~.
Another pillar of the porch by the side of the entrance of the ~ % n aPrasiGmbika
/-
r
shrine in the kikal,&ast%wara temple at SriKaIahasti, contains a sculpture of
~ a h i ~ i u r a r n a r d i with
n i four hands She holds &kha and cakra in the upper hands. The
lower hands are shown holding firmly a spear with which she is killing Mahisa. The a h a
is in the full form of a buffalo. She places her right foot on buffalo head and her left leg
on the tail of the buffalo.
The earliest dated inscription in the Veerabadra temple at ~e$kshi, is dated in
1533 A.D. According to tradition the Veerabadra temple of Gp;?kshi was built by
viGpanpa 40. On one of the pillars of the rnahGrnandapa of the Veerabadra temple at
~Gfikshiin Anantapur district, ~ahi~aiuramardini
is found carved in a most ferocious
form. She has four hands, shown attacking an a h a , who holds a sword and shield in his
hands. It is a life size sculpture in standing pose wearing a karandamakqa. In the upper
hands, she carries a khagga and a bowl, while the lower ones hold a trident, deeply
pierced into the body of the Lsura. There is a J
W
in ~her prabhavali and she wears a
long ka$lamila4'.
The earliest dated inscription, in the Chintala Venkatararnana temple at Tadpatri,
~ n a n t a ~ district,
ir
registering gifts made to the temple is in A.D.1551. The date of
construction of this temple may be ascribed to about the first quarter of the 1 6 'century
~
A . D ~ ~The
. wall of the east g p u r a of Chintala Venkatararnana temple is adorned with a
She has four hands. Her upper right and left hands hold
figure of ~ahi~afsurarnardini.
cakra and;aikha respectively. Her lower right and left hands hold tri&la, which is being
thrust into the neck of the buffalo. Her right leg is firmly placed on the ground and the
left leg is bent at knee and placed on the neck of the animal. The ferocity of the goddess
is rightly represented by carving wide open eyes and thick eyebrows. The demon is
depicted in full animal form. The lifted tail of the animal reveals its anguish (Plate 80).
An image of ~ a h i ~ a h r a m a r d i nisi found on the south g@ura inside the
adhi$&a
part of the ~ i m a l i i ~ g w a rtemple
a
at ~ q ~ a t rShe
i . has four hands. The
goddess stands, resting one of her legs on the body of isura. Her upper right hand holds
tris'ula and the upper left hand is broken. The lower right hand is held in abhaya and the
lower left hand holds the d a r n a r ~ ~ ~ .
The south wall of the ahtar;la of the ~hennakikava temple at Pushpagiri,
Kadapa district contains a figure of ~ahi~buramardini.
This temple was nconstrucled
during in the Vi~a~anagara
period, about 1500 A.D". In this sculpture, the goddess shnds
on the back of the demon trampling him. She is in a dancing pose with her right leg bent
and placed on his back, while her lefi leg stamps on his back, This posture suggests that
she is dancing triumphantly on the back of the demon. She has four hands. The goddess
holds cakru in the upper right and :aikha in the upper left hand and she holds 1ris;lo
with her lower right and ready to thrust it into the body of the demon. The lower leR hand
holds the tongue of the demon and pulls it out from its mouth. Here ~ahi>aiurais
represented with a human body and the head of a buffalo. He has two arms and holds a
sword in his right hand and the left hand is not visible. The lion at the back of the goddess
is shown standing with its fore leg raised. The Devi is charmingly represented with a
slender waist and big bust. She is adorned with kiqamaku!a, LYuras, necklaces,
kuchabaidha, girdle, pirnoruka, and ma%iras(~late8 1).
There is a sculpture of ~ahi~ahuramardini
on a pillar of the porch adjacent to the
kobiinarnan$apa of Lower AhEbilam, in which the deity is seen in dvibha;ga. The
goddess has four hands. The upper right and lefi hands hold cakra and :uhkha
respectively. The lower right hand holds sword and it is raised up to the level of the
crown. The lower left hand holds the tuft of the demon Mahisa tightly. The demon is
represented both in the animal and human forms separately below the feet of the goddess.
The human form of the demon is depicted as if it is emerging out of the head of the
buffalo in an anguished manner. The demon holds khadga and khc!uko in his right and
left hands respectively. The front legs of the buffalo are also shown as folded. The
goddess places her right foot on the back of the buffalo and the left leg rests firmly on the
ground (Plate 82).
The niche on the north wall of the ontor&? of v;daniriYa!a6wimi
temple at
Nigalipuram, Chittoor district huilt by ~ r i s h n a d i v a g ~ina A.D. 1524, has a fine image
of ~ahis&uramardini standing on the head of the buffalo. The goddess is shown in
dvibhariga pose. She has four hands. She carries c a k a in the upper right arm, %kha in
the upper left. She keeps her lower right arm in abhaya and the lower left in the
ka&avalarnbita pose. She wears karandamak~ta,makarakundalas, gr~ivi;~akas,
Eyuras,
kuchabaida, pirnoruka and $davalayas. She stands on a padmaci[ha.
The Birla Archaeological Museum at Hyderabad preserves three sculptures of
~ahisgurarnardini.On the basis of stylistic features, these 'sculptures may be date to
belong to the Vijayanagara sculptural art.
The first sculpture represents the goddess as standing in dvibhanga. She has four
hands. The goddess holds saflkha, and cakra in her upper hands. The lower left hand
holds the head of the ~ahi;&ura who is emerging from the buffalo form and with her
lower right hand holds triszla and thrusts into the body of buffalo demon. Her right leg is
pressing the hind part of the buffalo demon and her left leg is firmly placed on the
ground. The demon is shown with kun+alas. The image has an outer prabh<vali with a
lion's head at the top most part of the juncture. She wears karandamakuta, kundalas,
hiras, kgyuras, kqtisGra, anklets and kankanas. She has wide open protruding eyes and
highly stretched opened eye brows. This sculpture (99x 50cms) has been procured from
Munnanlir, Mahaboobnagar district (Plate 83).
In the second sculpture, the goddess has four hands. She holds cakra in the upper
right hand and:ra;kha
in the upper left hand. She is shown slaying the demon by holding
the buffalo demon's head with her lower left hand and piercing with a trisula holding it in
her lower right hand. A seated lion is shown to the right side of Devi. She is trampling the
buffalo demon with her left leg and her right leg is stiffly standing erect. She wears
kir:!amakuta, kundalas, hgras, hrchaba~dha,Gu'ras, ku$sutra. anklets and kankanas.
This sculpture (49x 3 Icms) was collected from ~annLr,Kurnool district (Plate 84).
The third sculpture represents the goddess ~ah!s$uramanfini in samabhaiko
posture. She has four hands. The goddess holds cakra and iahkha in her upper hands. She
is twisting the tail of the buffalo with her lower left hand and with her lower right hand
she is piercing a trident into the body of buffalo demon. The buffalo demon is resting on
its fore legs. The Goddess is trampling the buffalo demon's head with her right leg and
her leA leg is firmly placed on the ground. A lion is shown on the right of the Godden.
She is adorned with kagakundalas, hiras, yug%paGia, kqti.~Gtra,mikhala, anklets and
/&ioi?as. This sculpture (44x 32cms) was collected from Achampet. Mahaboobnagar
district (Plate 85).
The ~hennakGavatemple at Chippagiri. Kurnool district contains a loose
sculpture of ~ahi,s&uramardini. She has four hands. The demon Mahira;ura is in
anthropomorphic form. The goddess standing with her legs placed on the human body of
the Mahija. She holds cakra in the upper right hand and ;,ankhu, khltuka in the left
hands. The lower right hand holds rrisila and thrusts into the severed head of the buffalo.
She wears kir?tarnakula, h&as, gridle, ardhGruka, and anklets (Plate 86).
The Victoria Jubilee Archaeological Museum at ~ i j a ~ a w i dpreserves
a
into
courtyard a sculpture of ~ahi~aiuramardini.
It was collected from Kondapalli, Krishna
district. This sculpture represents the goddess as standing with the right leg firmly
resting on the ground and the left leg bent at the knee and resting on the back of buffalo.
This deity has four hands. The lower right hand thrusts sila into the head of the demon
Mahiga and the upper right hand holds cakra. The lower left hand catches the tail of the
buffalo and the upper left hand holds Gatrkha. The demon is shown emerging out of the
kun$ala.~,h&, armlets, k a t i . ~ ~ r a ,
neck of the buffalo. She wears karan~arnaku!~,
purni;ruka and anklets (Plate 87).
11. Six armed sculptures of ~ahi~huramardini
The north g@ura of the Bugga ~imaiikg%waratemple at ~iqipatri,which is
said to have been built in ~ . ~ . 1 4 5 0embellished
~ ~ ~ i s with a beautiful high relief sculpture
of ~ahi!&uramardini. The goddess is standing with her left leg resting on the body of the
buffalo and her right leg also kept on it but only the toes touching it. She has six hands
and holds trihla in one upper right hand and thrusts it into the body of the buffalo. She
holds a sword in the lower right hand and thrusts it into the head of the buffalo. She
/
*
carries c a b in the other right hand. She holds damaru, sankha in the upper left hands
and holds khZtaka in her lower left hand. The demon is fully represented in an animal
form. He is shown held under the force of the legs of the goddess. She wears
ki"amakuia, keyuras, makarakuealas, h&a a n d p i i r n ~ r u k a(Plate
~ ~ 88).
The south wall of the mukhamandapa of the Srabhadra temple at ~&ach$i
contains a base-relief of ~ahi~kuramardini.
On the basis of architectural features, the
date of construction of the temple has been ascribed to about 1500 Ail4'. The deity
stands in tribhaka pose and has six hands. Her right hands hold cakra, arrow and sword
respectively from top to bottom. Two of her left hands carry s"aikha and bow and the
other lower left hand is seen in kayavalaibita pose. The upper right hand of the goddess
is lifted up and it holds the cakra in the attitude of prayoga. Dgvi is shown as riding the
lion. The ferocity of the lion is beautifully depicted by the sculptor. The human form of
the demon is depicted as emerging out of the neck of the buffalo. The head of the buffalo
is severed from the neck of the animal and fallen on the ground. ~ i v isi charmingly
represented with high breasts and slender waist. She is adorned withpcrn;ruku. The right
leg of the goddess is placed on the ground and the left leg is bent at the knee and placed
on the back of the lion.
A fine representation of ~ahi~asuramardini
is found on the north wall of the
garbhagriha of the Chintala Venka~aramanatemple at ~ac$~atri,Anantapur district. The
six armed goddess riding a lion, holds the cakra and arrow in her upper right hands, and
iankha and bow in her upper left hands. She holds sword in her lower right hand and
keeps the lower left hand on her left thigh. She wears kir&nakuta, cakrakundals,
graiv&akas and $rnGuka. The front leg of the lion is shown kept on the body of the
Mahi~awhose head is severed. The agura in human form issues out of the neck of the
buffalo (Plate 89).
111. Eight armed sculptures of ~ahi~a'suramardini
The ~ a l l i k ~ r j u n & w htemple
y
at i r i ~ i l a m ,Kurnool district has five eight
armed sculptures of ~ahi~a'suramardini.
'Jhfirst example of the goddess ~ahi~akurarnardini
is found carved on the east
prok&a wall of the Mallikhjuna temple. In this sculpture, goddess is reen standing with
her lefl leg erect and her right leg kept on the back of the buffalo. She has eight hands.
She holds cakra, arrow and sword in the upper right hands and sunkha, bow and shield in
the upper left hands. The lower right hand thrusts a trident into the neck of the buffalo,
while the lower left holds the tail of the buffalo.
The second example is seen on the east prZkZra wall of the same temple, with a
slight difference. The goddess is standing with her left leg stiff and the right kept on the
back of the buffalo. The goddess has eight hands. She holds cukra, arrow and sword in
the upper right hands and iunkha, bow and shield in the upper left hands. The lower right
hand holds the irisiila in the act of thrusting it into the neck of the buffalo, while the
lower lefl hand holds its tail (Plate 90).
The third example of the goddess ~ahi~aguramardiniis carved on the north
pfik7ra wall of the ~allikirjunatemple. The ferocious-looking goddess stands in
~ r i b h a k aresting her right leg on the ground and the left leg bent at the knee, placed on
the back of the buffalo. She has eight hands. The goddess holds cakra, arrow and sword
in the upper right hands and iahkha, bow and shield in the upper left hands. The lower
right hand thrusts triscla into the body of the buffalo. The lower left hand holds tightly
the tuft of the demon who is in the form of human being. The demon holds a sword and a
shield. The buffalo is represented as lying on the ground and the human body of the
demon is shown emerging from the neck of the buffalo. The lion, the vihana of the ~ e v i ,
is seen at her back and its forepaw is raised. The adhCvasthru of the goddess curiously
has the pattern of a dance skirt. The goddess wears kir?amakuta, chakrakunduliar,
graivZYah,r, bchabaAdha, pirnzruka, ma;&
and pZduvalayas (Plate 9 11.
The fourth sculpture of ~ahiphramardiniis carved on the south ~;&ra wall of
4 k
the ~allikirjunatemple, Srrsailarn. The deity has eight hands and bears all the attributes
described in the third example. But in this sculpture, the goddess is bereft of
kuchabaidha and she wears $rnzruka. The buffalo in this example also lies on the
ground with the head severed from the body. The demon is also shown emerging from
the neck of the buffalo. Unlike in the above example, the vzhana of the goddess is
depicted differently. Here the lion is seen as if it is pouncing upon the buffalo (Plate 92).
The fifth sculpture of ~ahi~agurarnardini
is found on the west pi%&ra of the
~allikzrjunaternple,%&ilam, Kurnool District. The goddessis standing with the right
leg bent at the knee and resting on the back of the buffalo and the left leg kept on the
neck of the animal. She has eight hands. The deity holds cakra, khadga and p a r a h in the
upper right hands and iaikha, po'sa and khGaka in the upper left hands. The lower right
hand thrusts trisila into the body of the buffalo and the lower left holds the head of a
demon coming out of the mouth of the animal. There is a lion to bottom right4'.
A loose sculpture of ~ahi~aguramardini
is found in the ~imalik@'swaratemple at
~ i $ ~ a t r i It. represents the goddess as standing with right leg stiff and left leg firmly
placed on the body of the Mahi~a'suramardini.The eight armed goddess in her upper right
hands hold the cakra, p a r a h , q'amaru. She holds trisiila in her lower right hand and
thrusts it into the body of the Mahi$uramardini.
Her upper left hands hold the &kha,
p$,a and the lower left hand catches the tail of buffalo49.
The ~edanirGan&wimitemple at ~ i ~ a l i ~ u r Chittoor
a m , district has two eight
armed sculptures of ~ahi~aguramardini.
This temple, as per the epigraphical evidence is
said to have been built by Sri krishnad&araya in ~ . ~ . 1 5 2 4 ~ ~ .
The first sculpture of the goddess is depicted on one of the pillars of the man$apa
in front of the ~ah;;man~lapa of the ~ e d a n a r i ~ i n a g w ~temple.
mi
In this sculpture,
Mahi2a is shown with the body of a human being and the head of the buffalo. The
goddess has eight hands. The three upper right hands of the goddess carry cakra, kha$ga
and arrow and her left hands carry :ankhs, shield and bow. She holds t r i d a in her lower
right and left hands and thrusts it firmly into the back of the demon and the left leg is
firmly resting on the ground.
The Second sculpture of ~ahi~ahramardini
is also found carved on a pillar ofthe
same pillared manda~ain the ~idan'a6yan&wam~
temple. The Devi is shown seated on
the back of the buffalo. The buffalo is shown in full animal form. She has eight hands.
Three of her upper right hands carry cukru, sword and arrow, whereas the three of the
upper left hands carry ;arkha, bow and shield. She holds a tri~iluwith the Iowa right
and left hands and thrust it into the back of the buffalo.
A sculpture of ~ahi~aiuramardini
is found on the wall of the ~himeivaratemple
at Pushpagiri, Kadapa district. In this sculpture, the goddess is represented as standing on
r a keeping one leg on his head and the other on his legs. She has eight
the ~ a h i ~ k u by
hands. She carries cakra, khadga, arrow, shield and one hand in kapavulamhitha pose.
The contents in the other hands are indistinct since they are worn out with time,
The Birla Archaeological Museum at Hyderabad preserves three eight armed
sculptures of ~ahi~aGuramardini.These sculptures were collected from Munnan'iir,
Mahaboobnagar district.
In the f rst sculpture (103x 62 cms), the goddess has eight hands. The goddess
holds iankha, bow, &xnaru in the upper left hands and oakra, arrow, khaiga in her upper
right hands. Her lower right and left hands holds trident piercing into the body of the
buffalo. The demon ~ a h i ~ a i u emerges
ra
from the severed neck of the buffalo. Her left
leg is placed on the ground and her right leg bent at the knee and resting on the head of
the lion. She wears j@maku?~, kundalus, h&s, k&urus, ka!isctra, mekhala, anklets and
kaikanas. She has heavy breasts and a thin waist. There is a prabh; behind her head
(Plate 93).
In the second sculpture (60x 47cms), the goddess is standing with her right leg
resting on the ground and left leg bent at the knee and resting on the body of the buffalo.
She has eight hands and holds cokra, amw, khadp in the upper right hands and iaikha,
damaru, bow in the upper left hands. Her lower right hand holds tri$la and thrusts it into
the body of the ~ a h i ~ i s u rand
a her lower left hand holds kh&ka. The body of
~ahi?&urais in animal form but the human head is emerging from the severed buffalo's
neck. She wears ki$tarnakula, kundalas, h&s, Gyuras, kunkaps, kqtibaiidha and
anklets (Plate 94).
In the third sculpture (60x 39cms), the goddess is seen,in tribhanga posture. The
goddess is standing on her left leg resting on the ground and the right leg is pressing the
human body of the buffalo. The demon Mahiga6ura is emerging from the severed neck of
the buffalo. She has eight hands and holds cakra, arrow, khadga in her upper right hands
and ;aikha, bow, khepku in her upper left hands. Her lower right hand holds t r i d a
-
piercing into the body of the buffalo. Her lower left hand holds the tail ofthe buffalo. She
wears kiriramakuta, kar!akundalas, hzras, kiyuras, IqtisZra, yqj;&a$a
and other
ornaments (Plate 95).
A loose sculpture (39~21cms) of ~ahi~durarnardiniis found in the
Archaeological Museum at Anantapur. This sculpture was collected from the kth6du
village. In this sculpture, the goddess is standing with her left leg resting on the ground
and the right leg kept on the back of the buffalo. She has eight hands. She holds~aikha,
ba?a in the upper right hands and cakra, bow, khGaka in the upper left hands. In another
upper right hand she holds kha$ga and thrusts it into the back of the buffalo. The lower
right thrust trisila into the body of the buffalo and the lower left catches the neck of the
buffalo demon. She wears kir$amaku[a,kundalas, haras and other ornaments (Plate 96).
The State Archaeological Museum at Hyderabad, preserves two sculptures of
Mahi;a&rarnardini.
The first sculpture (92x 86cms) represents the goddess as standing with her right
leg resting on the ground and the left leg bent at the knee and resting on the body of the
buffalo. She has eight hands. She holds cakra, b&a, khadga in her upper right hands and
'sankha,bow, tail of the buffalo in her upper left hands. The deity holds tri&la and thrusts
it into the neck of the buffalo with her lower right hand and catches the mouth of the
buffalo with her lower left hand. There is a prabhi behind her head. Her vehicle, lion is
seen at her right side. She wears ki<tamakura, kundulas, hiras, kuhkanas and other
ornaments. This sculpture has been procured from Nalgonda district (Plate 97).
The
sculpture (72s 50cms) depicts an eight handed goddess
~ahi~aiuramardini.
The goddess is in ili+ pose. She is standing with her leA leg
resting on the ground and her right leg placed on the human body of the demon. She has
eight hands. In one right hand she holds khudga which is thrust it into the human body of
the demon and with the front right hand she holds trident and thrusts it into the back of
the buffalo. Two other right hands are broken. She holds in two left hands how, khqaka,
and other upper left hand is broken. The front left hand is kept on the head of the aiura
emerging out of the animal body of the demon. There is a prabhimancjala behind her
head. She wears kirqurnakuta, kundalas, harus and other ornaments (Plate 98).
The Victoria Jubilee Archaeological Museum at vijayaw;da also preserves two
eight
armed
sculptures
of
~ahi~aguramardini. These two
sculptures of
~ahi~agurarnardini
were procured from ~ u g E r uKrishna
,
district.
In the first sculpture, the goddess is standing with the left leg resting on the
ground and the right bent at the knee and resting on the neck of the buffalo. She has eight
hands. The deity holds a pitru
[?I,
an indistinct content and khadgu in the back right
hands, khGaka, bow, khafvaka [?I in the back left hands. The front right hand holds
and thrusts &la into the back of the buffalo and the lower left catches the tail of the
animal. She wears ~jr?amakutu, rutnakundalas, necklace, armlets, girdle, ardhiiruka,
and anklets. This sculpture on the basis of its features can be assigned to 1 4 ' - 15'
Century A.D (Plate 99).
The second sculpture represents the goddess as standing with the left leg stiff
resting on the ground and the right bent at the knee, and resting on the neck of the
buffalo. The goddess has eight hands. She holds nisi10 in the front right hand and thrusts
it into the body of the buffalo. She holds khadga, arrow and indistinct weapon in the
other right hands. She carries vajra(?), bow and khFtaka her left hands and catches the
tail of the buffalo with the front lower left hand. There is a demon Mahisa to bottom
right. She wears KivTamaku[u, kundalas and other ornaments Plate (1 00).
A loose sculpture of ~ahi~kuramardini
found in the ~ukkantfsvaratemple at
Kalavagunta, Chittoor district. The ferocious looking goddess s b d s in tribhanga, resting her
right leg on the ground and the left bent at the knee and placed on the back of the buffalo. She
has eight hands and holds cakra, arrow and sword in the upper right hands and;ahhz, bow
and shield in the upper left hands. The lower right hand thrusts trisiila into the body of the
buffalo. The lower left hand holds a human head an kura. There is a lion at the bottom left.
The goddess wears kizamakuta, cakrahndalas, graiviyuka.~,hchahaidha, pirniruka, and
-I:
rnanjlras.
REFERENCES:
I . M.E.R., 1953-1954, N0.57.
2. Ibid. 1927, No.1021,
3. Mahalingam, T.V., Administration and Social Life under the Vijayanagara
Empire (Madras, 1940), pp. 177-178.
4. T.T.D.I., Vol- I, NO.]78.
5. M.E.R., 1915,No.ll.
6. T.T.D.I., Vol- I, Nos.192-216.
7. M.E.R., 1906, No.496.
8. T.T.D.I., Vol- I, Nos.217-227.
9. Mhd Waheed Khan (Ed), A., Brief History of Andhra Pradesh, (Hyderabad,
1972), p.30.
10. Subramanyam, R., Suryavamsi Gajapatis of Orissa, (Waltair, 1957), P.46.
11. T.T.D.I., Vol- 11, No.4.
12. Ayyangar, S.K., Sources of Vijayanagara History (Madras, 1919), pp.90-91.
13. M.E.R., 1919, No.53.
14. Sastry, K.A.N., A History of South India (Madras, 1958), p.263.
15. T.T.D.I., Vol- 11, Nos. 1-168.
16. S.I.L, [X-2, N0.475.
17. Rajendra Prasad, B.: Afl of South India- Andhra Pradesh (De]hj, 1980), p.201.
18, T.T.D.I.,
"01-
111; M.E.R., 1904, Nos.619-628; s.I.I.,
vol-111. ~0.495.
19. M.E.R., 1915, No.18.
20. T.T.D.I., Vol- Ill, Nos.32-39,48-68; 76-79 & 83-86.
21. Ayyangar, S.K., Op. Cit., pp.99-101.
22. Heras, The Aravidu Dynasty of Vijayanagara, (Madras, I 927), p.3 I 1.
23. Sastr~,K.A.N., & Venkatararnanayya, N., Further Sources of Vijayanagara
History, (Madras, 1946). VoI-I, p.235; S.I.I., Vol.XV1, No.98; A,R.E, 1924
Nos. 157 and 158.
24. Venkataramanayya, N., Studies in the History of the Third Dynasty of
Vijayanagara, (Madras, 1939, pp.30,3 1 & 42.
25. Heras, Op. Cit., p.3 l I .
26. Sastry, K.A.N., Op, Cit., pp.288-289.
27. A.R.E., 1912-13 C.P.No.1.
28. Mahalingam, T.V., Op. Cit., p.4.
29. Sastry, K.A.N., Op. Cit., p.296,
30. A.R.E., 1912-13; T.T.D.L, Vol-V, No. 168, Vol-VI, Part-l No. I .
31. Saletore, B.A., Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (Madras,
1934), Val-I, pp. 140- 14 1.
32. Sastry, K.A.N., Op. Cit., p.288.
33. Naidu, P.N., Chela and Vijayanagara Art- A Comparative Study of Temples
of Chittoor District, (Madras, 19941, p. I 1.
34. Venkata Ramanappa, M.N., Out lines of South Indian History, (Delhi, 1975),
pp. 187-188.
35. Rajendra Prasad, B., Op. Cit,, PP.208-210.
36. Rami Reddy, D., Select Temples of Karnalapuram Taluk (May, 1999)7 P . ~ ~ .
3 7. Kameswara Rae,
v.,
(Hyderabad, 1976), p. 1 11.
38. Ibid. p. 164.
Select Vijayanagara ~ e m ~ l eofs ~;~alaseema,
39. Ibid.
40. Ibid. pp.77-80.
41. Hanumantha Rao, D., L2piikshi Temp1e;A Cultural and Architecture Study,
(Delhi, 2004), p.46.
42. Ibid., p.69.
43. Jayaprada, V., Vijayanagara Temples at Tadapatri, (Delhi, 1998), p.66.
44. Kameswara Rao, V., Op. Cit., p.52.
45. Ibid. p.63.
46. Ibid. p. 164.
47. Ibid. p.6 1.
48. Rarna Rao, M., Saivite deities ofzndhrad&a, (Tirupati, 1966), p.59.
49. Jayaprada, V., Op. Cit., p.66.
50. Kameswara Rao, V., Op, Cit., p.229.