Artist: Unknown
Title: So-called "Bhima ratha"
Material: Granite outcroping
Site: Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu, India
Current Location:
Period/Date: Ca. 7th century, under the Pallava dynasty
Iconography/Iconology: The interior image, although unfinished, demonstrates
that this shrine was intended to be dedicated to the deity, Vishnu (Huntington,
AOAI, 308). The specific form is Anantashayana in which the Vishnu
reclines on the coils of the serpent Sesha at the beginning of the creation
of the Universe. In this form Vishnu is called Narayana. (Huntington, AOAI,
210).
Stylistic Comments: The oblong, rather than square or rectangular, shape
of the building is dictated by the reclining positiion of the interior image.
The designers have responded to this format by providing a barrel-vaulted
roof at the uppermost level. This probably reflects a contemporaneous wooden
architectural practices.
Huntington, Susan L. with contributions by John C. Huntington.
The Art of Ancient India, New york, Tokyo: Weather Hill, 1985.
