Demarcating Sacred Space The Jina Images at Kalugumalai

SR No.: 007302
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Lisa N Owen
Publisher: ZZZ Unknown
Publication Year: 2010
Total Pages: 28
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 2 MB

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can therefore be viewed more as colossal sculptural tableaus rather than as a spattering of individual images.
Published views and descriptions of the relief carvings at Kalugumalai typically illustrate and describe a single group of images that span one rock formation. This approach, unfortunately, denies any sense of a power of place that is created by the large number of carvings on different rock surfaces. In my research at the site, I have identified five separate groups of images that can be examined and analyzed. Though I have divided the reliefs into five groups, it appears that all of the carvings at Kalugumalai date to the ninth or early tenth century. It should be stated at the outset, however, that my numbering of the five groups is not based on chronological factors, but on the order that one sees the reliefs when approaching the apex of the outcrop from the northwest. This directional approach is highlighted by a few rock-cut steps that assist one in climbing the steep terrain up to Group 1.
The first "group" consists of a solitary relief of an enthroned Jina (Figure 3). The carving measures approximately four feet in height and is incised deep within the rock. The Jina is presented on a lion throne with an elaborate throne-back consisting of a bolster and crossbar that terminates in a makara and vyāla design. Two flywhisk bearers emerge from behind the crossbar while two other male devotees flank the throne base. The Jina is crowned by a triple chattra and curls of foliage that form a broad canopy over the Tirthankara. Five tendrils of foliage contain a central female dancer accompanied by four male musicians. Two of the musicians play a long stringed instrument while the others hold a drum and pair of cymbals. The inclusion of these elements, along with the foliage and details of the throne, suggest a ninth or early tenth-century date.3 Carved above and to the sides of the Jina are celestial figures holding long-stemmed lotuses and/or making gestures of homage. Also across the top of the panel are riders on horseback and an elephant depicted as if emerging from the depths of the carving.
Scholars generally attribute a date ranging from the eighth to eleventh century for these carvings - a date which is based primarily on the paleography of their inscriptions. In JIT (1987: 56-93), Ekambaranathan and Sivaprakasam assign an eighth-century date to the epigraphs. However, in Ekambaranathan (1996: 86. 2005: 35) a ninth to tenth-century date is cited. Sivaramamurti (1983: 61) attributes an eighth to ninthcentury date to the images and inscriptions while Desai (1957: 68) provides a date between the tenth and eleventh centuries. Based on the stylistic and iconographical evidence of the imagery, a date in the ninth or early tenth century is supported.
3 For a comparison with some of Ellora's ninth-century images and the association of these attributes with the samavasaraṇa, see Owen (2006b).
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