Essay name: Purana Bulletin
Author:
Affiliation: University of Kerala / Faculty of Oriental Studies
The "Purana Bulletin" is an academic journal published in India. The journal focuses on the study of Puranas, which are a genre of ancient Indian literature encompassing mythological stories, traditions, and philosophical teachings. They represent Hindu scriptures in Sanskrit and cover a wide range of subjects.
Purana, Volume 12, Part 1 (1970)
73 (of 240)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
Download the PDF file of the original publication
Jan., 1970] VAMANA IN LITERATURE AND ART 59 datable to 11th century A. D. and is housed in the Rajputana
Museum, Ajmer (No. 303). In such images, Vamana is mostly
represented as a fat Brahmacarin carrying an umbrella and a staff in
his hands. A beautiful description of such an image is given in
the Agni Purana :
啶涏い啷嵿ぐ啷� 啶︵ぃ啷嵿ぁ啷� 啶掂ぞ啶え啶� 啶膏啶ぞ啶︵ぅ啶掂ぞ 啶膏啶ぞ啶氞啶� 啶む啶班啶啶溹 啷�
[chatr墨 da峁囜笉墨 v膩mana岣� sy膩dathav膩 sy膩cca turbhuja岣� |
] AP, 49, 5.
V膩mana sometimes is also represented below the upraised leg of
Trivikrama asking King Bali for three steps of land. A remarkably
executed sculpture of Trivikrama from K膩艣墨pur depicts in the
lower panel king Bali pouring sacred water from a jar on the right
hand of V膩mana, who is standing on his left carrying a Chatra in
his left hand and wearing a yaj帽opav墨ta and a kaupina. His curly
locks of hair are tied up in a knot and he looks like a dwarf
Brahmacari The scene finds a literary description in the Vamana
Purana:
啶� 啶掂ぞ啶え啷� 啶ㄠ啷� 啶︵ぃ啷嵿ぁ啷� 啶涏い啷嵿ぐ啷� 啶о啶む啶ぃ啷嵿ぁ啶侧啶� 啷�
啶膏ぐ啷嵿さ啶︵啶掂ぎ啶 啶︵啶掂 啶げ啷囙ぐ啶о啶掂ぐ啶き啷嵿く啶椸ぞ啶む 啷�
||
[sa v膩mano na峁� da峁囜笉墨 chatr墨 dh峁泃akama峁囜笉alu岣� |
sarvadevamayo devo baleradhvaramabhyag膩t ||
||
] VP. 9, 39.
The image in some respects tallies with the description given in the
Vaikh膩nasagama :
啶呧ぅ 啶掂ぞ啶え啶� 啶啷嵿啶むぞ啶侧ぎ啶苦い啶苦 啶︵啶掂た啶啶ㄠ 啶涏い啷嵿ぐ啶︵ぃ啷嵿ぁ啶оぐ啶�
啶曕啶啶ㄠさ啶距じ啶膏 啶多た啶栢ぞ啶啶膏啶む啶啶� 啶侧啶さ啷�啶� 啶曕啶粪啶｀ぞ啶溹た啶�-
啶膏ぎ啶距く啷佮い啶� 啶さ啶苦い啷嵿ぐ啶ぞ啶｀た 啶ぞ啶侧ぐ啷傕お啶� 啶啶班す啷嵿ぎ啶掂ぐ啷嵿啶膏啶掂た啶ㄠ 啶曕ぞ啶班く啷囙い啷� 啷�
[atha v膩mana峁� pa帽cat膩lamiti峁� dvibhuna峁� chatrada峁囜笉adhara峁�
kaup墨nav膩sasa峁� 艣ikh膩pustakamekha lopav墨ta k峁涐梗峁嚹乯ina-
sam膩yuta峁� pavitrap膩峁噄 b膩lar奴pa峁� brahmavarcasvina峁� k膩rayet |
] The sculpture belongs to the Pratih膩ra art of the 11th century A. D.
and is displayed in the National Museum, New Delhi (No. L. 143).
The earliest independent image of Vamana assignable to the
Ku峁Ｄ佱箛a period, c. 2nd century A. D., is preserved in the State
Museum, Lucknow (No. J. 610). The hair of the god is arranged
in spiral curls and his lower garment is worn in typical Ku峁Ｄ佱箛a
蝉迟测濒别鈦�.
7. T. A. G. Rao, Elements of Hindu Iconography, Delhi, 1968, I, II,
Appendix C. p. 36.
8.
9.
R. C. Agrawala East and West, Rome, N. S. 17, 3-4, p. 282, fig. 23.
N. P. Joshi, Bulletin of Museums and Archeology in U. P. Lucknow,
Dec. 1968, No. 2, p. 21, pl. V.
