Agarchand Nahta Abhinandan Granth Part 2

Author(s): Dashrath Sharma
Publisher: Agarchand Nahta Abhinandan Granth Prakashan Samiti

Page 155

ŚIBIKA-VAKRAVAMSA-LAKŞAŅAM : A Method to Grow Crooked Bamboos for
Palanquin Beams
K. V. Sarma Curator, Vishveshvaranand Institute, Hoshiarpur. The Sibika (palanquin) has been popular in India from early times as a mode of conveyance for the royalty and the upper strata of the society. Its use in temple festivals as a vāhana (carrier) to take the image of the deity in procession along the outer corridors of shrines and through the city for public worship is also popularly known, especially in South India. The Mayamata, is, perhaps, the earliest text on Indian architecture to give a detailed description of the Sibikā in its three types, viz., Pithi, Sikhari and Maundi, and also enunciate the measurements for their construction. Ther is a parallel description also in the Paddhti Išānaśivagurudeva 3
The basic structure of the Sibikā is succinctly indicated thus in the Višvakarma-vastuśāstra, in the context of the description of Vahanas to be used in temple festivals (ch. 8+: Kalpavrkşadivahanalaksanakramakathanam) :
शिबिकां मानवैर्धायाँ पेटिकाकारसंयुताम् ॥18॥ अथ पाविरणकहीनां वेबादिदण्डकाम् ।
भूतेशो वा वृषो नानालक्रियामण्डितो मतः ॥19 The commentary on this passage by Anantakrana Bhattāraka is elucidative and might be extracted here :
अथ शिबिकालक्षणमाह-शिबिकामिति, विविधरूपं शिबिकालक्षणं तु पुरोभागे पश्चाद्भागे दृढं संयोजितमाधारदण्डं मानवभटस्कन्धर्धायं प्रकल्पयेत्, तादृशाधारदण्डस्तु वेणुकृतो वा वटकृतो वा सोकर्यदायीति समयः । एवं मानवस्कन्धबाह्याधारदण्डसहितस्य शिबिकाख्यस्य वाहनस्य निर्माणं तु पेटिकारूपं
1. For an account of the Sibika-vahana in Vaişņavite temples, see the Vimānārcana
Kalpa of Marici, of the Vaikhānasa School (Madras, 1626), Sn, on Sibikadi
yānotsavaḥ, pp. 352-54 2. Cf. Mayamata of Mayamuni, ed. T. Ganapati Sastri, Trivandrum, 1919, Ch, 31,
verses 1-29. 3. See Išanas ivgurudeva-Paddhati of Išānaśivagurudeva, ed. by T. Ganapati Sastri,
pt, IV, Trivandrum, 1925, pp. 453-55 : Patala 40, Nityot sāza-yana-sanadi-pasala), verses 39.64.
११८ : अगरचन्द नाहटा अभिनन्दन-ग्रन्थ