Shiva in the Architectural Stone Relief Sculpture of the Douls built by the Ahoms

Images of Shiva, in the stone relief sculptural art forming a part of the architecture of the Ahom built Douls in eastern/ upper Assam, are found to be very less. In comparison to the stone sculpted images of anthropomorphic forms of Shiva, metal sculpted, free-standing, movable anthropomorphic images of him are found to be much larger in number in the extant range of the sculptural art patronized by the Ahom royalty. Two such exquisite examples of metal images portraying anthropomorphic forms of Shiva worshipped as Chalanta or Utsava Vigraha-s are from the Umananda temple at Guwahati and another from the Kameshvara temple at Hajo, near Guwahati in the Kamrup district. These are said to be sculpted in the ateliers under the patronage of the Ahom royalty and donated by the Ahom rulers.

Figure-1. (Photo - Siddhant Medhi)

Shiva’s characteristic matted hair and his bull mount or ride is seen to be depicted in all of his images extant in the architectural relief sculptural art of the Douls. Shiva, in the sculptural imagery of the architecture of the Gaurisagar Devi Doul, is seen depicted as having five faces/ heads or in his Panchavakra aspect, and having four hands and riding the bull or Rishabha/ Vrishabha. He is shown holding a Trishula in one of his hands. The objects or attributes held in his other hands are damaged and are unidentifiable. His matted hair or Jataa-s are stylistically depicted as locks, may be dishevelled [(Figure 1 ). The form of Shiva in this image can be related to the form of Shiva as Nilakantha described in the Tantric text Saradatilaka (Bühnemann, 2016, 272). Somewhere, it also resembles the Dhyana form through which Shiva as Umananda is invoked and worshipped at the Umananda temple in Guwahati. This Dhyana Mantra is mentioned by M.N. Bhattacharya in his book Umananda Tirtha. He cites this invocation from a text named Tirthapaddhati.

The form of Umananda Shiva described in the Dhyana Mantra mentioned by M.N. Bhattachaya, resembles the form of Shiva in above image from the Gaurisagar Devi Doul (featured in Figure 1) only in respect of the number of faces and hands and the bull mount. The form in the Dhyana Mantra does not feature a Trishula as one of Umananda’s attributes. Instead, it mentions of Umananda Shiva as holding a Mrigapotaka or a baby deer/ fawn. Another hand is said to be in Abhaya pose. The rest of the hands may be holding a Akshamala or rosary and a lotus.

In the above image featured in Figure 1, it can be noted that though Shiva is shown with his characteristic Jataamukuta or Jataabhaara, the rest of his costume adorning his torso does not bear any characteristic of his generally conceived costume consisting of tiger skin, elephant hide, snake bracelets etc. He is shown decked up in royal finery. What may be the reason for portraying Shiva as decked up in a regal attire ? Was it done by the artisans to illustrate that narrative when Shiva as a bridegroom during his marriage with goddess Parvati, had to assume or acquire a form adorned with varieties of ornaments, radiant gem studded necklaces and silks, for the pleasure of Menaka, the mother of Parvati and his mother- in- law ? This narrative is a part of the larger narrative of marriage of Shiva/ Hara and Parvati/ Gauri . The narrative of Hara and Gauri’s divine wedding has been a very important motif in the regional culture of Assam. It is seen to be a constituent of different ritual practices, particularly marriage, and oral traditions centred around Shiva and Shakti in Assam. So, considering these contexts, we can somewhat interpret the portrayal of five-faced Siva decked in a regal attire in the above image as an illustration by the artisans of that moment in the wedding of Hara and Gauri when Shiva slowly transforms into a pleasing, radiant, handsome youthful figure, embellished and anointed with all that is precious and brilliant in this creation.

Figure- 2 (Photo - Siddhant Medhi)

Evidences of images of Shiva in his Panchavakra or five- faced aspects or forms are not found amongst the extant sculptural art dating back to the early medieval periods. Though mentions of several forms of Panchavakra Shiva are frequently made in the Kalika Purana composed circa 10^th to 12^th century CE, no evidence of representation of such forms in the sculptural art of Assam dating to the above time period has come to light. As per evidences, portrayals of Panchavakra Shiva are found to have become more frequent in the sculptural art as well as in the art of painting in Assam from 15^th century CE onwards. Another image of Shiva is seen depicted in the architecture of the Jagaddhatri Doul. Here, Shiva is shown as having one head, four hands and seated on his mount, the bull. He is shown with his matted hair locks or Jataa somewhat arranged in the form of a Jataabhaara or bun. It is not clear whether he is depicted with a third eye or not. This image can be said as the only extant example in the whole range of temple relief sculptural art patronized by the Ahoms where Shiva is shown as monocephalic or having one head and four- handed at the same time([ Figure 2). In none of the images of Shiva extant in the imagery of the sculptural art of the Douls, he is seen depicted with serpent ornaments and necklaces, his characteristic identifying attributes.

Figure-3 (Photo - Siddhant Medhi)

There are found depiction of images of several deities, both male and female in the sculptural imagery of the Douls which portray iconographic features akin to that of Shiva, mainly matted hair and Trishula. One such example is from the Jagaddhatri Doul. The deity in this image is four handed and shown with matted hair locks. The deity is shown holding a scimitar, a severed human head and a club. He is riding a bird almost resembling in form to a parrot ( Figure 3). The Jagaddhatri Doul again feature a deity in its sculptural imagery who is holding a Trishula- the characteristic attribute of Shiva and riding an animal which shows a confusing morphology. Its head seems like that of a rabbit or hare but its torso seems like that of a feline animal ( Figure 4). These two deities can be identified as aspects of Shiva because of the presence of the attributes like matted hair and Trishula respectively, but, the animal vehicles like the parrot like bird and the animal bearing a hybrid or a composite form of a rabbit/ hare and some feline animal shown as their vehicles or mounts can bring out different interpretations. Till now, no proper and justifiable identification for these images have been found. Das (2011-12, 110) has gone to identify the deity in the first image as Kaamadeva, because of the presence of the parrot like bird. Parrot, in some texts, mainly in southern India, is associated with Kaamadeva as his vehicle. The second deity has been identified by the archaeologists of the Assam State Archaeological department as a Shaivite figure.

Figure-4 (Photo - Siddhant Medhi)

References to the iconography of the above two images are also not found in the known Puranic, Agamic, Tantric and Shilpa texts available. Not a single clue or hint in the folk religious literature or in the folk and tribal ritual practices or Deshaachaara-s that could have helped in finding interpretations for the iconography of the above deities, are found. Apart from the above two deities, there are numerous other deities depicted in the sculptural imagery of the architecture of the Douls which bear iconographic features that are yet not deciphered. The deities like the two from the Jagaddhatri Doul mentioned above bear such motifs like the parrot like bird which is not at all seen as depicted as some symbol of significance in the known narratives or beliefs of the Hinduism prevalent or practiced in the region.

Works Cited :

Bühnemann, G. (2016). Iconography of Hindu Tantric Deities. Aditya Prakashan, New Delhi.

Das, P. (2011- 12). The Sculptures of the Jagadh?tr? Doul, K?lugaon, Assam. Kal?, The Journal of Indian Art History Congress, 17 : 108-111 .

Siddhant Medhi

Siddhant Medhi is Lecturer of Fine Arts and Art Education, Barpeta B.T. College and Research Scholar, Department of Cultural Studies, Tezpur University. Views expressed are the author's own. He can be reached at [email protected]