Ardhanarisvara
Ardhanarisvara
Introduction:
In Indian theologies, prominently in Hinduism we find various deities in
their vivid forms, each having either a metaphorical or an idealistic motive
behind representation. There are myths in and around all the deities, about how
they attained a certain form. Siva, one of the three main gods in Hinduism
(among Brahma and Visnu), who is considered as the ‘destroyer’ to maintain the
circle of creation (samsara); is also depicted in various forms. Ardhanarisvara
is one such form, where he is depicted as an androgynous/ hermaphrodite, i.e.
half-man and half-woman. The half-woman is considered to be his consort Sakti
or Parvati.
As Hinduism spread in the South Asian sub-continent, it adapted and
included in its pantheon numerous folk and tribal deities and their mythologies
and faiths. The forms of representation like the iconography of the images,
also changed while adapting these folk cultures. Hence, we can see differences
between an image of Ardhanarisvara from the southern and northern part of India.
As Dagens rightly points out that the silpa-shastras
(texts on how to make sculptures) provide the sculptor with the necessary
and essential identifiers for a particular image. This is to maintain the
orthodox tradition of brahmanical theology and philosophy through ages and
various regions (Dahmen-Dallapiccola 1989; Srinivasan 1997; Goldberg 2002a)[1].
The Ardhanarisvara has many prototypes that the scholars have identified
from the Vedic texts. Recently, R. K. K. Rajarajan also identifies the
Ardhanarisvara images from Southern part of India, mainly with the female on
the right half of the body from the textual sources like Tevaram hymns and Cilappattikaram.
References to Kannaki-Pattini are made as prototypes for Ardhanarisvara, who
cuts one of her breasts to destroy the Pandya kingdom of Madurai as a revenge
for her husband’s false conviction, according to the legend.[2]
This short paper will talk about the differences in the iconography of
the representation of Ardhanarisvara and look at some of the speculations
arising out of it.
Iconography of Ardhanarisvara:
The history provides us with various textual iconography of
Ardhanarisvara like the silpa-shastras,
puranas, bhakti hymns and yoga treatises (see Goldberg 2008). The most
essential feature of Ardhanarisvara is the vertical axis dividing the
anthropomorphic body into two starting from the head to the toe in an
androgynous form. This axis demarcates one side as male and the other as
female. Usually, the right half is depicted as Siva and the left is Sakti. She
is also called as Uma, Siva or Gauri. Sava and Sakti together make Siva (Sava =
corpse, Sakti = energy, creativity).However, the positioning of right and left
of the male and female respectively also hints to the power politics of which
one is stronger. The Ardhanarisvara is depicted either with two hands, three
hands and four hands. While it is depicted with three hands, two hands are
attributed to the male side and the female side has one. As Kalidos (1993)
suggests that the left is usually the weaker and hence is attributed to the
female.[3]
Let us discuss this point of view in the later part of speculations.
i.
The
right side (male), Siva, shows the following iconography:
o Jatamukuta
(head gear made up of the matted hair dead
locks); may or may not be ornamented with snakes, crescent moon, Ganga flowing
o Makarakundala
(earring ususally worn by male in Hinduism)
o Smaller eye than that of female (Siva is
usually depicted with half closed eyes)
o Broad shoulder and waist, manly chest and
massive thigh
o Garments: torso is naked, wears a short dhoti, above knee length
o In the early north Indian images, we find
half urdhvareta (ithyphallic) on the
right side.
o The purvahasta
(front hand) of the male side usually is in abhaya-mudra, while the parahasta
(rear hand) may hold various symbols of Siva like the trishul, small axe, etc.
o In the later images, the image is accompanied
by a bull (Nandi), considered as
Siva’s vehicle.
A contemporary brass statue of
Ardhanarisvara.
ii. The
left side (female), Sakti, shows the following iconography:
o Braided traditional hairstyle or a keeretamukta
o Patrakundala
(elongated earring ususally worn by females
in Hinduism)
o Wide open eyes and a different smile than the
right side
o Female ornaments like nose pin, bangles,
anklets in hands and foot.
o Waist is thinner and hip is protruding
o Torso is usually bare and is depicted with a
fully developed breast.
o A garment draped around the waist reaching
till ankles.
o The purvahasta
(front hand) is either in dolahasta
or giving symbol and the parahasta (rear
hand) may hold variety of objects like, mirror, lotus, waterpot, anklet (south
Indian), veena, damaru, etc.
o Later images show Sakti’s vahana (vehicle) – simha (lion) alongside
iii.
Shared
elements in iconography:
o The Third Eye – might be placed right in the
middle in between the eye brows shared equally by both the sides; half third
eye on male part and a dot on the female part (Goldberg 2002)
o Ornamentation like haras (garlands around the neck), mekhala (around waist), sacred thread (yajnopavita), etc.
o Shared halo (prabhamandala), either shared equally or is more inclined towards
the right side.
The image of Ardhanarisvara is found in rock cut architecture,
sculptures and metal. They are found either in sthanaka (standing erect without
lexicons), bhanga (lexicons, bends) or seated positions (various Daksinamurti
in south India temples). There is a stark contrast between the images of
Ardhanarisvara from the north and southern part of Indian subcontinent. As I
mentioned in the introduction, this may be due to the accumulative tendency of
the Vedic religion to amass within its pantheon the various tribal and folk
deities, in order to spread their religion.
The Southern India was dominated by the Dravidian culture and was later
influenced and adapted by the Vedic religion. Though, it was probably Buddhism
and Jainism that first reached the southern part of India (Tamil Brahmi
inscriptions from 5th century BCE). While dealing with Ardhanarisvara images,
Rajarajan[4]
(2011), borrowing from Kalidos, gives us another perspective to look at images
not only from the Vedic ascribes silpa-shastras
as done by Goldberg, but also through the Tamil literature like Cilappatikaram[5]
and Tevaram, available from the early
years of the Christian new era. He points out the unusual right breasted images
of Ardhanarisvara from South India in various forms (standing, sitting,
dancing). The female is on the dominant right side. (Can also be the case if
the preachers belonged to Saktism cult, where the goddess is given more importance?)
He refers to the story of Kannaki in Cilappatikaram
and also to numerous hymns from Tevaram,
which give some insight into the iconography of Siva in Ardhanari form. Also, it may or may not be speculated that the
images found in southern India and Ceylon (Sri Lanka) can be mixture of the
folklores of Kannaki-Pattini and the Ardhanarisvara form. The earlier sculptures found both in northern
and southern part of India were simple and not highly ornamented. This is when
we see the images of Ardhanrisvara with half urdhvareta (half erect phallus) on the right side.
The power politics of who belongs to which side, the right or left, can
be seen through a feminist angle. As Goldberg studies through this angle she
suggests that in many images, the female foot is always one step back as
compared to the male counterpart. Also, the myths in the Vedic text point out
to purusha, who splits himself into
two for creating life. Thus, equating the female to life production which is
adorned with words like creativity, energy, etc. The Vedic texts, give the
female a sub-ordinate role as opposed to the male, who is the wholesome.
Kalidos, also argues that the Cilappatikaram
follows the feminist approach as its story narrates how a woman seeks
justice by destroying the unjust male king. As mentions in his essay, this may
be adopted in the story due to the matriarchal nature of Kerala from which the
text hails.
The deities in Vedic, later Hindu, pantheon are not mortal or living
beings. But the effort of the artist to make an androgynous form might not have
come simply from the texts like silpa-shastras,
puranas, etc and manifestation of myths. Scientifically proven and
witnessed, hermaphrodites and androgynous beings do exist. Hermaphrodite are
the ones who are anatomically affected i.e. they have male and female genitalia.
Whereas androgynous beings, as put forth by Wayne R. Dynes, have a psychic
sense having both the organs. Though, O’Flaherty and ELIADE in Continuum Encyclopedia of Native Art mention
two types of androgyne images: horizontal (breasts above and penis below) and
vertical (divided vertically having male and female genitalia on either sides).
The Ardhanarisvara doesn’t fit into any of the categories mentioned above. Nor
the hermaphrodite and nor the androgynous categories. However, Rajarajan
mentions a hymn from Tevaram which
goes as follows:
Ālavāy (dedicated to Śiva at Ālavāy-Maturai, Pāṇḍināṭu):
Paṭṭicainta valkulāḷ pāvaiyāḷōr pākamā
Oṭṭicainta taṉṟiyum ucciyāḷoruttiyāk
Koṭṭicainta vāṭalāy Kūṭalālavāyilāy
Eṭṭicainta mūrttiyā yiruntavāṟiteṉṉaiyē
(3.310.2)
“A damsel of silken vagina
occupies his part. Another girl is seated on his top-knot (i.e., Gaṅgā). (S)He
dances at Kūṭal-ālavāy to the tune of a drum. He is the Aṣṭamūrti (Lord of
Eight Forms).”
Though the chances to prove the iconography are very thin, the mention
of the female’s ‘silken vagina’ cannot be avoided.
Sources
·
Dance of
Ardhanārī. A Historiographical Retrospection p.233 by R.K. K. Rajarajan in
‘Glimpses of Indian History and Art Reflections on the Past, Perspectives for
the Future’ edited by Tiziana Lorenzetti and Fabio Scialpi, April 2011.
·
Dance of Ardhanårï as Pattini-Ka½½aki with special
reference to the Cilappatikåram by
R.K.K. Rajarajan in BERLINER INDOLOGISCHE STUDIEN, 2000
·
Ardhanarisvara: What We Know and What We Do not, Ellen Goldberg : Religion Compass 2 (2008):
10.1111/j.1749-8171.2008.00066.x
·
Ardhanārīśvara:
An Androgynous Model of God,
Ellen Goldberg
·
Continuum Encyclopedia of Native Art: Worldview, Symbolism, and Culture in Africa, Oceania, and North
America by Hope B. Werness
[1] Ardhanarisvara: What We Know and What We Do
not, Ellen Goldberg : Religion Compass 2 (2008):
10.1111/j.1749-8171.2008.00066.x
[2] Dance of Ardhanārī. A Historiographical
Retrospection p.233 by R.K. K. Rajarajan in ‘Glimpses of Indian History and
Art Reflections on the Past, Perspectives for the Future’ edited by Tiziana
Lorenzetti and Fabio Scialpi, April 2011.
[3] Ardhanarisvara: What We Know and What We Do
not, Ellen Goldberg : Religion Compass 2 (2008):
10.1111/j.1749-8171.2008.00066.x
Kalidos argues that the left side is usually
attributed as weak and considering the patriarchal Hindu ideology, the female
is always considered as subordinate, having a less powerful role.
[4] Dance of Ardhanārī. A Historiographical
Retrospection p.233 by R.K. K. Rajarajan in ‘Glimpses of Indian History and
Art Reflections on the Past, Perspectives for the Future’ edited by Tiziana
Lorenzetti and Fabio Scialpi, April 2011.
[5] Dance of Ardhanårï as Pattini-Ka½½aki with
special reference to the Cilappatikåram by R.K.K. Rajarajan in BERLINER
INDOLOGISCHE STUDIEN, 2000
Cilappatikaram is a Tamil epic dated around 450 AD,
which narrates a story of a husband and wife, Kannaki, whose takes revenge of
her husband’s false conviction by the Pandya king and burns the capital city of
Madurai by cutting her breast.
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