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Doris Chatham
Nirgrantha
ends of the front aisle or verandah (vīthikā), or flanking the shrine entrance, Ambikā invariably on the right as one faces the shrine. The qualities of sensuous luxury and mature assurance that typify these figures are perhaps most fully expressed in the pair that occupies east and west ends of the vithikā fronting the main hall of the Indra Sabhā cave, upper (Plates 18 & 19). The carvers have composed the two niches in exactly the same way, with the animal heads on the right side, facing the Sabhā cave, there is another pair that in some ways is very similar to our first pair but with other variations (Plates 22 & 23). Rather than being flattened and emphasizing the wall, these figures occupy deep niches. Instead of resting on the floor, level with the observer, they are raised on a plinth, and the stage-like effect is heightened by rich makara-toranas framing the trees. The figures, themselves, are attenuated, and all of the detail is deeply under-cut, so that a dramatic play of light and dark is effected. The animals turn their heads to face the observer as in the other verandah, but the elephant's head is on the left and the lion's on the right, with the folded legs of Ambikā and Sarvānubhūti resting on them, forming a mirror-image composition. Since this puts both animal heads on the south, or entrance side, and their position is far forward in the niche, they catch the full light from the outside. Comparing the result with that of the J-12 example, where the animals face into the cave, we are struck with the almost aggressive liveliness of this solution. Going back to the upper story of the Indra Sabhā cave, it will be seen that, in the southeast and the southwest corners, parallel double small caves form vestibuleentrances into side caves, or "wings" of the main hall (numbered 19 and 20 in Pereira). Following our comparison of facing Ambikā and Sarvānubhūti images, we run into a problem of interpretation. As we face the shrine in Cave J-20, we find an impressive figure of Sarvānubhūti at the left, or south end of the verandah (Plate 24), as expected. Similarly we find Ambikā on our right as we face the shrine in cave J-19 (Plate 25). In neither case, however, is it possible for the image to confront its counterpart, since at the other end of the verandah is the entrance. But there is an Ambikā image in the vestibule of Cave J-20 (Plate 26) and a Sarvānubhūti image in the vestibule of Cave J-19 (Plate 27), the first in the smaller of the two rooms that form the vestibule, the second in the larger. In both cases they face goddesses who probably represent Cakreśvarī-Yakși. Although the parallel is not perfect, it would appear that some consideration has been given to completing the pairs. The carving of the vestibule figure, however, was done by an artist who thought of making his design compatible with that of the goddess on the opposite wall rather than with the other guardian. The Sarvānubhūti image in Cave J-20 is of the same composition as the one in the verandah of the main hall : elephant head on the right, facing the observer, with the folded leg resting on it. The style, too, is very similar, although the ball-shaped tree, the slimmer figure, and the presence of a makara-torana are more reminiscent of the verandah
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