________________
in the round from head down to the region of the thighs by the removal of the rock from behind, the front and the sides. Below the thighs, the knees and the feet are cut in very high relief with the parent rock-mass still left on the flanks and the rear.
The flanking rock-mass depict ant-hills and kukkuța-sarpas or cockatrices emerging out and from among them, and on either side emerges a madhavi-creeper climbing up to entwine the legs and thighs and ascending almost to the arms, near the shoulders, with their leaves spaced out and terminating in a cluster of flowers or berries. The pedestal on which Gommata's feet an each measuring 2.75m, stand is a full-blown lotus. Broad-chested and majestic, Gommața stands erect in the khadgăsana posture, with his arms dangling on both sides, almost reaching down to the knees, with thumbs facing in. The carving of the head, 2.3m high, is a most sublime composition in the history of art. The sharp and sensitive nose, the half-closed and contemplative eyes, the well-shaped pouting lips wearing a benign smile, that could be discerned by a viewer from any direction, the slightly projected chin with a dimple above, an imperceptibly high cheek, lobed ears and subdued and voluted curls of locks on the head invading the broad forehead – all make for a charming and serene face. The broad shoulders, 8m across, of sturdy appearance and the lack of wellmodulated elbow and knee joints, the narrow hip, 3m wide in front, and rounded gluteal bulges, as if to balance the erect stance, the incurved and channelled midline of the back, the firmly planted pair of feet, all in good proportion, accentuate the beauty and stance of the figure, while at the same time in perfect correspondence with Jain iconography. The nudity of the figure, indicating absolute renunciation of a kevalin, the stiff erectness of the stance suggesting firm determination and self-control and the beaming smile yet contemplative gaze, all blend together to bring out the greatness of conception and the mastery of the sculptor. The deft skill with which the head and its mien, the hands, the fingers and even the nails or the feet with their toes are delineated in this hard intractable in situ rock is something to marvel at. The whole sculpture has obviously been controlled by the height and extent of the original rock itself, and the tor on which Bāhubali is believed to have performed his eternal penance is still shown in the rear, the sides and the foot supporting the massiveness of the hill-composition and material basal foundation for this tall sculpture. James Fergusson observed: "Nothing grander or more imposing exists anywhere out of Egypt, and even there, no known statue surpasses it in height."
The Egyptian colossi, including that of Ramses, as also of the great Buddhas on the faces of the cliffs of Bamian in Afghanistan, are at best reliefs, while the Gommateśvara is in the round for
149
