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2023 - The Year That Was

Places impact you for a variety of reasons. And the same place impacts different people in different ways. This is especially true when it comes to spiritual experiences, where every single person’s experience is unique. And personally, every spiritual experience is unique, the same person can have different deeply spiritual experiences at different places, at different times. This thought has emerged because of my own experiences over the years, but especially so this year, with different and unique experiences at various places I have visited recently. I began this year with a visit to Baroda (Vadodara) with friends. It was meant to be a relaxed trip, a touristy trip, with our sons. We enjoyed ourselves to the hilt, but the highlight of that trip was a visit to the Lakulisha temple at Pavagadh. It was the iconography of the temple that I connected with, and I spent a few hours simply lost in the details of the figures carved around the temple. There was an indefinable connect with

Vaikuntha Vishnu at Masroor

I am back, after two whole weeks offline! It has been rather difficult to get back to writing, with so many thoughts churning inside my head, but, making a monumental effort, here I am, continuing with the last place I wrote about before I left – the Masroor Rock Cut Temples.



We saw this image at Masroor, and neither the guide, nor friends I asked after I returned, had any clue as to who it was. The figure looks male, but what about the side faces? Those were definitely not human! I had seen something similar in a Vishwaroopa figure of Vishnu, but that one had many more faces. Besides, who were those two at the bottom he had his hands on?




It turns out that I was partly right. This is indeed Vishnu, but known as Vaikuntha Vishnu, or Vaikuntha Chaturmurthi. The three heads we can see are – human, boar (varaha) and lion (narasimha); and the fourth, Kapila or demoniac head isn’t visible. Though there are many explanations of the significance of this icon, the one thing that stands out is the universality of Vishnu, the lord of all creatures – be it human, animal, semi-human, or even demoniac.

What about those two figures on the side? Those, it turns out, are anthropomorphic representations of his weapons – the Gada (mace) and Chakra (disc). On the left is Gada Devi (depicted as a woman), and on the right, Chakrapurusha (male). In his other two hands, he must have once held the lotus and Conch, but they are no longer visible. Also, the tiny indentation between his feet might have once represented Bhu Devi, or goddess earth.

Interestingly, this representation is most often seen in Kashmir, and earliest such icons are from the Gupta period (6th century CE). Masroor, being in Himachal, is close enough to Kashmir, to have been influenced by its traditions and iconography. Vaikuntha Vishnu worship was also prevalent in Central India (the Lakshman temple in Khajuraho for example) during the 10th century. The Masroor temples date back to the 7th and 8th centuries, fitting into this period. It would be interesting to trace the route sculptures and religions iconography travelled across the country, wouldn’t it?

This sculpture is sadly, too weathered and damaged to see and appreciate the details. Click here, and head to the website of the National Museum, Delhi, to see a beautiful representation of Vaikuntha Vishnu from the 9th Century AD. Hover on the image to see details.

You can also see this representation at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (or the Prince of Wales Museum) Mumbai, both, in the sculpture as well as Bronze Gallery.

So, why did I choose to begin my writing with this icon? The reason is a course I have recently joined – the PG Diploma in Indian Aesthetics at Jnanapravaha, Mumbai. The lectures I have attended so far have been remarkably thought provoking, and my Wandering Mind has found many more paths to wander on. The very first lecture I attended opened my eyes to this beautiful concept of Vaikuntha Vishnu, and it seemed only appropriate that I begin my post with it, before moving on to the next site we visited on my #summertrip.



Comments

  1. Ah, you too are attending this course - how lucky you are :-)

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    1. Yes, Anuradha! I too have joined this... and am really enjoying it! next time you are here, you should attend one of the public lectures they have...

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  2. Interesting information. Good luck on your course.

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  3. So nice to see another post from you! I hope you continue to enjoy the course you are taking - it is certainly a perfect fit with the work you do for your blog.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Natalie!! One of the reasons I chose this course was because the content fit in with what I usually write.... though the first few lectures have brought up so many interesting thoughts, I dont know what to write about... plus, I want to revisit and rewrite all that I have written about earlier!!

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