Artist: Unknown
Title: view of the Durga and Shiva shrines
Material: Granite outcroping
Site: Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu, India
Current Location:
Period/Date: Ca. 7th century, under the Pallava dynasty
Iconography/Iconology: The so-called "Arjuna and Draupadi Rathas,"
are most likely dedicated to the Hindu gods Shiva and Durga, respectively,
as suggested by the sculptural decoration on the walls of the shrines(Huntington,
AOAI, 305-8). The kneeling bull seen in this view is most likely
associated with the Shiva shrine. Images of Shiva's animal mount, the bull
Nandi, is frequently present outside Shiva shrines in later Hindu temples
and may have been a continuation of an early practice as seen in Mamallapuram.
Stylistic Comments: The Durga and Shiva shrines share a common plinth,
and as such, may have been carved from a single rock. However, the two shrines
are vastly different in appearance and decoration. The Shiva shrine has
a stepped, tiered roof, while the Durga shrine has a tatch-like roof.
Huntington, Susan L.The Art of Ancient India, New
york, Tokyo: Weather Hill, 1985.
