https://historyoftheremains.blogspot.com/, https://ouriconography.blogspot.com/

Our Iconography, Nandhi Hills, Meerpet, Hyderabad (2026)

22/10/2025

Balipīṭham

A Balipītha is an offering pedestals found in between the main porch and the Dwajastambha of a Dravidian style temple.

Usually single, sometimes multiple, these are meant to keep the Bali (offerings) made to the god so that different creatures like birds and animals, who are also believed to be the part of God's creation eat them.

The offerings made on these pedestals- Balivishtara are exclusively for the animal world and are never consumed by the human beings.

Humans only consume the very same offering made to god in the sanctum as Prāsadam (considered as the left over of the food offered to the God).

In Vedic times, the food intended for offering to God, was offered into the fire altar (to the fire God Agni)- as Havis.
As time passed on, worship of Gods in the form of images, installed in the sanctum gained prominence & the worship through sacrifices, was gradually dispensed with.
As fire is no longer used, all the offerings are placed before the god through chanting of suitable hymns.

Balipīthas are seen both in front of the main shrine and also Parivārālayas (subsidiary shrines)- called as Pradhana Balipītha & Upa Balipīthas.

Balipīthas may be simple, small, decorated or undecorated- in square, circular, rectangular or octagonal in plan- with height ranging from three to six feet.

They may be monolithic or masonry in nature. They also have Adhísthāna, similar to the main temple.
On the top they have an inverted lotus with scalloped lotus petals. To its top, there will be a small circular, flat surface to place the Bali.

It appears that the practice of constructing these Balipīthas began from the Vijayanagara period. Early temples of the Chalukyas or the do not have Balipīthas in their temple premises.

Below is the image of a square shaped Pradhana Balipīṭha seen in front of the main shrine of Yadava era Chennakesava Temple, Gundloor village, Kalikiri mandal, , .
Initially built by the Yadava King Veera Narasinga Deva Yadavaraya in 1167 AD, it later got many significant additions by the .

Balipīṭham a classic Vijayanagara element was added to the temple complex later on mostly during the reign of Saluva Nārasiṃha Devā Rayā.

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21/10/2025

Happy Govardhāna Pūjā to all by Our Iconography

This Hindu festival celebrated on the first lunar day of the bright fortnight of the month of Kartika commemorates an incident of Bhāgavata Purāṇa (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam) when Kṛiṣhna lifted Govardhāna Giri (Govardhān Hill) to provide the villagers of Vṛndāvana a shelter from the torrential rains.

When Śrī Kṛṣṇa saw his villagers of Ambāḍi (Gokula) preparing huge offerings to , the rain God to bless them with annual rains, he condemned them asking what their true dharma is.

He said all human beings should merely do their dharma to the best of their ability and do not pray or conduct sacrifices for natural phenomenons.

Following this, the villagers withheld the proceedings, which angered Indra and he caused devastating storms & floods in Vṛndāvana.

Śrī Kṛiṣhna then lifted the Govardhāna Giri over Ambāḍi on his finger tip like an umbrella for seven days and held it as protection to his people & cattle. Ultimately, Indra accepted his defeat.

This Iconographic representation of Kirshna got the epithet Govardhāna Giridhāra.

Today, devotees worship Govardhāna Hill and offer a mountain of food- i.e Annakoot to Kṛiṣhna metaphorically representing the Govardhāna Giri as a ritual remembrance and get their faith in taking refuge in God a renewal.

This festival of Govardhāna Pūjā was started by the founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, the 15th CE saint Chaitanya Mahāprabhu (also Viśvambhara Miśra).

Below is an image of Govardhāna Giridhāra Kṛiṣhna carved on a pillar of 14th CE era Fort of Siddavatam at Sidhout mandal, district, .

19/10/2025

Garuḍa

Garuḍa the chief of birds, is the son of Tārkṣya (Kāśyapa) and Vinatā (Suparṇā -one of the daughters of Dakṣa).

As per Vāyu-purāṇa, he is the vehicle of Lord Viṣṇu and has abode in Śālmali Dvīpa.Thus Viṣṇu's epithet - Garuḍa Dhvaja.

Iconographically, when he is in anthropomorhic form, he is depicted with the head, wings, talons and beak of an Eagle and with the body and limbs of a man.

♦️Garuḍa Purāṇa a dialogue between Viṣṇu and Garuḍa is one of the major 18 Maha Purāṇas of .
Garuḍa then narrates it to Kashyapa, which then spread in the mythical forest of Naimisha to reach the sage Vyasa who likely composed it in first millennium CE.

Having near 15000 verses, Garuḍa Purāṇa has a highly diverse collection of topics ranging from , , soteriology, theories of , , metaphysics of reincarnation (rebirth) & ancestral, funeral rites.

♦️Garuḍa Upanishad (Garuḍopaniṣad), one among the 108 Upanishads is associated with Veda.
Taught by God Brahmā to the sage Narada, it has mantras and charms that are said to annihilate poison inflicted by any sort of snakes / animals.

♦️Garuḍa Saṃhitā, an ancient Pāñcarātra Saṃhitā consists of more than 1800 verses devoted to temple building and the practical concerns of the Pāñcarātra priestly community.

Below is an anthropomorphic image of Garuḍa standing with Añjali Mudrā (folded hands) carved on a pillar of 14th CE era Fort of Siddavatam at Sidhout mandal, district, .

Follow Our Iconography to read many such interesting posts on Indian temple iconographies.

18/10/2025

Happy Dhanteras 2025 by Our Iconography

The festival of is celebrated on the 13th day (Trayodashi or Teras) of Paksha in the Hindu calendar month of (as per amānta tradition) or (as per Bikram Sambat tradition).

According to Śrīmad Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, today Dhanvantari emerged from the Kshirasāgara (ocean of milk) with a pot of Amrita (Elixir of immortality) during Samūdrā Manthana episode.

Considered as an avatar of Viṣṇu, Dhanvantari was a divine physician & he promulgated the practice of . His emergence marks the beginning of the five-day festival and is regarded as an auspicious day to make significant purchases of Dhan (wealth in the form of Gold & Silver).

Iconographically, as per Viṣṇudharmottara Purāṇa, Dhanvantari is depicted in a stark resemblance to Vishnu with 4 hands holding a Shanka (1) Chakra (2), Jalauka (3-Herb) & a pot containing amrita (4).
Sometimes, instead of Jalauka he is shown with Scripture or a Leech in his hand- symbolism for the historical practice of bloodletting.

The Ayurvedic Lexicon- Dravyāvalī Samucchaya which completely elucidates medicinal plants & their usefulness for various diseases is attributed to Dhanvantari (500 AD).
Later in 10th CE, Dravyāvalī Samucchaya is rewritten as Dhanvantari Nighaṇṭu by Mahendra Bhogika, son of Krishna Bhogika of Sthaneshwara, modern , .

The AYUSH ministry of Govt of India, in 2016 announced this day of Dhanteras as 'National Ayurveda Day'.

But in March 2025, National Ayurveda Day was fixed on September 23rd to give a universal calendar identity. It aligns with the autumnal equinox, a time when day and night are nearly equal, symbolizing the balance that is central to Ayurvedic philosophy.

Below is a beautiful image of Dhanavantri noted by me at 14th CE era Siddavatam Fort at Sidhout mandal, , .

17/10/2025

Kāliya Mardhana Sri Kṛiṣhna 🙏🏽

Keli- vihita- yamalarjuna- bhanjana ||
su- lalita- carita- nikhila- jana- ranjana ||
locana- nartana- jita- cala- khanjana ||
mam paripalaya kaliya- ganjana ||

O Lord who playfully broke the yamala-arjuna trees,
O Lord whose charming pastimes please everyone,
O Lord whose dancing eyebrows defeat the restless khanjana birds,
O conqueror of Kaliya, please protect me.

This beautiful verse is a part of Mukundamālā (or Mukunda- muktavali), a hymn addressing Kṛiṣhna written in 800 CE by the poet- King of Chera dynasty - Kulasekhara who ruled Mahodaya Pura i.e. in mordern day .

Kāliya was a venomous Nāga living in the Yamunā river in Vṛindāvana which made the water poisonous and harassed the people. Seeing, his people suffering, Kṛiṣhna fought with Kāliya in the Yamuna river, sprang onto it's head and assumed the weight of the whole universe, beating him with his feet.

Recognising the greatness of Kṛiṣhna, Kāliya surrendered & promised he would not harass anybody again.
With this episode of Bhagavata, Kṛiṣhna got the epithet 'Kāliya Mardhana'.

Below is a highly eroded sculpture of Kāliya Mardhana Sri Kṛiṣhna carved on a pillar of 14th CE era Siddavatam Fort at Sidhout mandal, , .

Follow Our Iconography to read many such interesting posts on Indian Temple Iconographies.

14/10/2025

Ādityahṛdayam

Nama Suryaya Santaya Sarvaroga Nivarine ||
Ayu rarogya maisvairyam dehi devah jagatpate ||

Oh! Lord Surya, ruler of the universe, you are the remover of all diseases, the repository of peace
I bow to you. May you bless your devotees with longevity, health and wealth !!

Ādityahṛdayam is a devotional hymn of 31 slokas, dedicated to Āditya or Sūrya (the Sun God) found in the Yuddha Kānda of Vālmīki's Rāmāyana. In this, Sage Agastya recites the procedure of worshiping Āditya to Rāma in the battlefield for strength to defeat his enemy Rāvana.

Below is a sculpture of Sūrya found in the Sabha mandapa of 13th CE Yadava era Śrī Kāmākśi Vaidyanātheswara Swamy temple at Pushpagiri temple complex, , , .

Sūrya is Iconographically depicted with two lotuses in his two hands. The Lotus is one flower that blooms upon the morning’s first rays of sunlight.
Similarly, the Hindu concept expounded through the symbolism of Sūrya, is that God is the Sun that triggers man, a lotus, to blossom.

Follow Our Iconography to read many such interesting posts on iconographies of ancient Indian temples.

13/10/2025

Bakäsura mokṣa
(The Liberation of Bakāsura)

Bakäsura, a demoniac bird is a malevolent entity who posed a threat to the child Kṛṣṇa. ( Bakä=Crane; Sura= demon)

Bakäsura in his previous life was Utkala, a son of demon Hayagrīva.
Once, while roaming his kingdom, Utkala came to (the meeting place of with the sea) where hermit Jājali has his asrama. Being powerful, Utkala showed deplorable lack of respect to the saint and began to fish with a rod & started eating the fish which he caught even when forbidded. Losing his patience, Jājali cursed him- "If you like to eat fish so much, then become a crane - thus you will be relieved of the trouble of using a fishing rod!"

Immediately the curse took effect and Utkala became a Crane (Bakä). Humbled by the event, when Utkala begged to be forgiven, Jājali pacified him telling that he will merge with the Supreme Personality the God himself, in his Kṛṣṇa avathara in the Dwapara Yuga.

Thus, in Dwapara Yuga, Utkala as Bakäsura became the brother of Pūtanā and together with Tṛṇāvarta, they all lived with demon king Narakāsura as his allies. Eventually Bakäsura was defeated by Kaṃsa, the tyrant ruler of the Vrishni and became his servant.

On Kamsa's command, Bakäsura came to kill Kṛṣṇa in Gokul on the banks of river , so that Kṛṣṇa would not be able to kill Kamsa which was claimed as a prophecy by an unknown voice and the Devi Yogamaya.

Eventhough as big as a hill, child Kṛṣṇa grabbed the two beaks of the Crane demon and pulled them apart as easily as a child splits a blade of grass, thus killing him.

Below is a beautifully carved episode of Bakäsura mokṣa on a pillar of 14th CE era Siddavatam Fort at Sidhout mandal, dist,
(Reference pic is a painting of 18th CE from Mysore)

As per Bhagavatam, Bakäsura who assumed a huge Crane form in the size of a hill, represents duplicity, cheating, cunning and hypocrisy. Kṛṣṇa tearing off Bakäsura's beak, his triumph over the evil signifies that without eliminating these, çuddha -bhakti does not appear.

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12/10/2025

Liṅgōdbhavamūrti (Emergence of Linga)

Once Lord Viṣṇu and Lord Brahmā were engaged in a debate regarding their superiority. To resolve, the debate Śiva appeared as a massive pillar of light & challenged them to find his source.
That iconographic representation of Śiva emerging out of the Pillar of Light is called as Liṅgōdbhavamūrti.

Viṣṇu in the form of boar goes to the bottom to find the base of the flame, while Brahmā on his mount Swan flies to the sky to see it's top.

Neither Brahmā nor Viṣṇu could find the source of the light. While Viṣṇu accepted his defeat, Brahmā lied that he found the pinnacle getting Ketaki flower's testimony.

Śiva angered by Brahmā's lie, decapitates one of his 5 heads and ordained that he would never have temples on earth for his worship. Also, Ketaki flower is barred from being offered to worship Śiva.

Liṅgōdbhavamūrti event is said to have occured on Kartika Poornima day at , , . Today, the sacred hill of is considered to be a manifestation of this cosmic Pillar of Fire.

By cutting off Brahmā's 5th head Śiva attained brahmahatyāpāpa, and his Skull got attached to Śiva's hand. Following this, Śiva as a naked beggar with Brahmā's head as a begging bowl (the form of Bhikshātana) roamed the three worlds to get penance. Finally, Śiva's sin was absolved at on the banks of .

Liṅgōdbhavamūrti is mentioned in various Siddhānta Śaivāgamas- Pūrvakāmikāgama, Vātulāgama, Kāraṇāgama, Ajitāgama & Dīptāgama.

This form of Śiva reveals that falsehood is not appreciated by him. It creates a realization in the devotee that if Śiva can punish Brahmā, the creator, for his falsehood, then one day or the other he will definitely punish the humans also for their evil activities.

Below is the image of Liṅgōdbhavamūrti found at the Sabha mandapa of 13th CE Yadava era Śrī Kāmākśi Vaidyanātheswara Swamy temple at Pushpagiri temple complex, , , .

Follow Our Iconography to read many such interesting posts on iconographies of ancient Indian temples.

07/10/2025

Vālmīki jayanti or Paragat Diwas

Today, the full moon day of the month of Ashvin is celebrated as the birth anniversary of the Ādi Kavi (the first post)- Vālmīki ( )

This hermit said to be born around 400 BC is the author of the Ādi-kāvya Śrīmad Rāmāyaṇa. It is said that he was the son of Vāruṇa, born out of an ant-hill, when Varuna's seed fell into it.
In his āśrama, Śītā was left when she was pregnant. There she gave birth to her two sons Lava & Kuśa, whom Vālmīki has brought up.

He heard about the story of Rāma from Nārada who got it from Brahmā. Later he wrote the first epic poem (Ādi-kāvya) Śrīmad Rāmāyaṇa around the family of Bhārgava.

He is also known for his other sanskrit works-
♦️Vālmīkisaṁhitā (under the Narada Panchratra) attributed to the worship of Rama and Sita
♦️Yoga Vāsiṣṭham or Mokṣopāyaśāstra which expounds the principles of Maya, Brahman & non-duality.

Today, Balmikism or Valmikism is a Hindu sect that reveres sage Vālmīki as their patron saint (Srishtikarta) and Yoga Vāsiṣṭham as their holy scripture.
Vālmīki is often depicted as wearing red clothing and thus he is known as Lal Beg (or Lal Bhekh).

Below is a modern era sculpture of Vālmīki seen in the premises of post era Rama Swamy Temple.a at Yatakallu village, dist, shared to us by Manomanoj.
A particular group of people known as Valmiki Boyas do prevail in that area who revere Sage .
Boyas are a traditional militant caste who were subordinates to Vijayanagaras as Nayakas. Following the downfall of Vijayanagaras, they led their independent rule for a short brief until Muslim subjugation.

Follow Our Iconography to read many such interesting posts on various elements of Indian Iconography.

02/10/2025

Happy Vijayādaśamī to all by Our Iconography

Today, i.e. Vijayādaśamī commemorates
the killing of Mahiṣāsura (Mahiṣā= Buffalo & āsura= demon) by Goddess Dūrgā ( Vijaya= Victory & daśamī =tenth day). This festival which connotes victory of good over evil is also called Daśaharā (Sanskrit daśama= tenth & ahar= day).

Goddess Dūrgā a principal form of Shakti, a warrior goddess, was created by the male gods with their power to slay Mahiṣāsura to restore peace.

As she represents the collective energy (Shakti) of several gods, she is depicted with multiple arms holding specific weapons of various Gods.

As she slays Mahiṣāsura she gets the epithet Mahiṣāsuramardini (~Mardhana= killing).

Below is a beautiful sculpture (which is around 1 feet) of Mahiṣāsuramardini depicted standing on her mount the Lion and slaying the buffalo demon Mahiṣāsura is seen inside a subsidiary shrine at Ram Mandir, (the site of Janakpur), capital of province, .

Initially built by Chaturbhuj Giri in 1657, this temple was rebuilt in 1782 by the General, Amar Singh Thapa in the traditional Nepalese Pagoda style of architecture.
Even though small, Mahisāsuramardini sculpture has a very detailed ornamentation.

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