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[Full title: Animal Sculptures (A) With Symbolice Appreciation (2) Lion with a Rat in Mouth (Fig. 9.2)]

The lion with a rat in the mouth is the most important as well as unique sculptural representation that we have found at Madan-Kamdev. Despite of having an unique appellation of its own, no scholarly work had ever made any attempt to divulged the concept behind this execution. Thus, making an urnest attempt to work on that line first, we try to analyse the character of the mouse or the rat. The rat or mouse proved to be a devastating animal to the human civilization through the ages. Even Manu advises the king not to go for the construction of Mahidurga(a fort surrounded by water) as the rat and mice can easily infested the 170 same. That means rat or mouse was a constant problem in ancient times which prompted the people of those time to consider 171 the little creatures as a Vighna or trouble creator. On the other hand, lion is always a symbol of power, stands all along the side of the mothers which to represent the terrible nature of the feminine. In the human psyche, the animal which were believe to posses some sort of demonic power have normally found their association with the feminine principle. 172 Again, it is also interesting to find that all the male bovine or other herbivorous animals (like bull, bison, goat etc) came to be associated with male pro-creative power while the carnivorous (like lion, tiger etc.) irrespective of their sex stood for female principle. 173 As stated earlier, the king of the beast has found its association with the famine principle after its incorporation with the Tantric 170. Manu Sam. : VII :70, 72. 171. Sen, A: Op-cit, 1972 p.26. 172. Ibid, p.66. 173. Ibid, p.67. F

143 Buddhist goddesses and then only to the Hindu pantheon. Thus, attempting to explain the proper implication of the symbol in combination of the character of these two animals, it can virtually be presumed that the lion stand here in simple as a rat killer. The very temple complex of Madan-Kamdev situated on the bank of river Swaswati which might have made it a rat prone areas as according to the views put forward by the great theologian Manu. This might have prompted the sculptors to invent a symbol as a preventing measure against the all projecting danger of rat to the majestic temple complex. Highlighting the graveness of the problem the sculptor used the king of the beast, more appropriately, the prime associate of mother goddesses as a protecting power of these temples against this problem. Not only to the temple complex but for the entire agricultural economy of the state might have suffered from the emerging threat of the little creatures and the people's belief turned towards the mother goddess as the saviour. She with her terrible nature in the form of lion emerged here as the rescuer of the people from the danger. Coming to the point of its aesthetic application, the sculpture seem to be more demonic in appearance comparing to the lion that we have found in the Gaja-Simha motif. At present this unique item survived only with its head portion which makes the aesthetic analysis of the same almost as a difficult task to achieve. But still, the lion supposed to have a spiral curve in its stand which in turn instituted a dragonic orientation to this creation and thus inspired us to think about the influence of a high profile Mongolian culture(or the culture of the land dragon) to this corners of Indian subcontinent.