Indian Antiquary Vol 60

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 126

104
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
(JUNE, 1931
were intended to house these murtis. Some are completely carved, while others were left partly carved. Some war or other disturbance may have arisen to cause the carving to be abandoned. We have also an inscription in the Dharmaraja Ratha, which states that it is Atyanta Kama Pallaveśvara Griha, .6., the house of Siva, who is also known by the title Atyanta Kama Pallavesvara. The figure of Sômaskandha carved, as the deity to be worshipped, on the back wall right opposite to the gateway of the room in the second floor of the Dharmaraja Ratha, will bear ample testimony to support the above statement.
We have now shown what the real nature of these soulptures at Mahabalipuram is. The twisted object that is held in the hands by the person in the lower half of the proper right side of the so called Arjuna's Penance was taken to be a cornucopia, and this led Dr. Hultach to infer that sculptors from North India had come and worked on these sculptures.
In 1914 when I was appointed as Archæological Assistant in the Government Museum, Madras, I was deputed to learn Archæological work under Mr. A. H. Longhurst, Superintendent, Archæological Survey, Southern Circle, under the orders of the Madras Government. He took me to Mahabalipuram to train me in archæological work, and while he was teaching me what to see and how to make observations, he explained to me the so-called "Arjuna's Penanoe.” It struck me, as I told him at the time, that the name Arjuna's Penance did not fit in with the situation, and that it must represent something else. Later on, when I had studied the question and found out what it represented, I told Mr. Longhurst that. in my opinion, the so-oalled Arjuna's Penance represents Vishnu's Paradevatá Paramarthya, and, though he differed from me, he gave me some photographs, for which my special thanks are due to him, to enable me to publish an article on this subject. I got these photographs in April 1922. From that time I wanted to find out the source whence Nigamanta Mahddesiks got the information embodied in verse 41 of his Paramalabhanga. The commentator on that verse has written that this has been taken from the Padmottara Purdno. I read the whole of a printed copy of Padmottara Purana, and there Siva tells Parvati that Vishnu is the supremo deity (Paradevata).' Siva's making an asseveration (TTT), as stated in verse 41 of the Paramatabhanga, could not be traced. Finding that printed books were of no avail, I wanted to go through manuscript copies, but I could not get good and readable ones. I approached several eminent pandits, and all of them are of opinion that the fact has been taken from Padmottara Purana. As a good deal of time has already been spent fruitlessly, I do not want to delay publishing my views any longer. Sri Nigamanta MahAdesika was a great scholar and lived about 1266 to 1369 A.D. By his sterling character he lod an exemplary life, which others wanted to copy. Gifted with supreme intellect and learning, he composed a very large number of works, which are rovered as a valuable herit. age by Hindus. He is regarded as an incarnation of Vishnu himself, and is as such wor. shipped by all in all Vaishnava temples. He never used to write anything without authority to support it. This is the case with all his works. His writings, therefore, should be taken as authoritative ; and on this ground I have made the identification set forth above, which explains satisfactorily the whole situation.
Padmottara Purdşa, chapter 72, verse 97, 123.