Two Interesting Yama Images from Osian Author(s): Devendra Handa Source: East and West, Vol.

33, No. 1/4 (December 1983), pp. 53-56 Published by: Istituto Italiano per l'Africa e l'Oriente (IsIAO) Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/29756647 . Accessed: 19/11/2013 16:47
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Two

Interesting

Yama

Images

from Osian

by Devendra

Handa

Yama

Yama, son of Vaivasvata M?rt?nda C) and Saranyu (daughterof Tvastr) (2), was the firstof themortals that died (3). He is the lordof men and manes and with death (4). In the Atharvaveda and later literature, has been identified and identified with Dharma who punishes thewicked (6). He carries a rod of justice (danda) with which also he himself is often identified (7), and a noose
to catch souls deeds (8). of men Citragupta, and Yama Yama's passes has been associated with the terrors of death (5). He is also equated to

bad

in the Epics, he is whereas the golden-eyed and iron-hoofed steeds of Yama, as riding on a car or going afoot (12). The buffalo as his vehicle ap? described are described two dogs (13). Though pears for the first time in the Harivamsa

The Taittirlya ?ranyaka (10) and the ?pastamba Srauta S?tra C1) refer to

scribe, keeps the judgement

record

of

accordingly

the good (9).

and

as his regular messengers (14)yet a bird, either the owl or the pigeon, is also
said to be his messenger (15).

He

Yama is one of the eight great gods who protect the eight quarters {diks). is in charge of the southernquarter (16). In the Brhatsathhit?,he is de

(*) Rgveda X.14.5. (2) ibid. X.17,1-2. (3) Atharvaveda XVIII.3,13. (4) Ibid. VI.28,31 and 43,1. (5)Mac Donell 1971: 172. (6) Ibid. (7)Wilkins 1972: 82-83; Max Muller (1882): 135 and Max Muller (1886): 217. (8) Hopkins 1968: 111 ff. 1972: 82; Hastings 1967: vol. II, 806b. H Wilkins (10)VI.5,2. (") XVI.6. (12)Hopkins 1968: 116. Cf. Satav?jiyuktam ratham sam?rohita-S?ryakalpam [Harivamsa, Gita Press Ed., Bhavisya Varvan, Ch. LII, v. 30). (13) Ibid. (14)Rgveda X.14,10-12. (15) Ibid. X.165,4. Cf. X.123,6. (16)Hopkins 1968: 108. 53

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dharmottara

scribed as holding a staff in his hand and riding on a buffalo (1T). The Visnu
Pur?na (18), however, furnishes a detailed description of

armed god seated on a buffalowith his spouse Dh?morn? on his left lap, his with righthands holding a khatvanga and a sword and the left ones a trident
flames and a rosary, accompanied on his right by Citragupta dressed as a Nor?

the four

therner (udlcya-vesa),holding a pen and a leaf inhis hands and by fierce-looking Kala holding a noose in his hand on his left. Amsumadbhed?gama (19)describes the two-armeddeity as holding a sword and a shield while Silparatna (20) de?
scribes him Yama two. fire-coloured and possessing (Kar?la) eyes dana text, however, (22), a late Rajasthani as holding a staff and a noose is said to be having terrible in two hands and a bow in the other tusks (Kar?la-damstravadana), {pradlpt?gnivilocana) as describes Yama (21). frightful

of many

and holding a pen, a book, a cock and a staffin his fourhands. Very few sculptures of Yama have been published and illustratedin books on iconography though the images of this dikp?la exist on the southern walls on or standingnear his vehicleMahisa
old temples (23). Generally, the dikp?la Yama

R?paman riding a buffalo

(buffalo) (24)and holding inhis twohands

is represented

ias seated

(17) Brhatsamhit?, Ch. LVIT, (n) 11.51. (19)Rao (21) Ibid.;

hands Yamam

v. 57:

'Dandi Yamo Mahisagah'.

1971:

255-256. refers to Yama

tu mahis?sana (?)

(20) Ibid., pp. 256-57. Suprabhed?gama

sudandahast am

as holding a staff, fruit and leaf in his

samsthitam / Kar?lam K?lavarnam ca

phalapallavap?ninam //. (22) Lekhanim pustakam dhatte kukkutam dandameva ca / Mah?-Mahis?r?dho Yamah Krsn?nga iritah // (R?pamandana, 11.33). (23)The Hindu concept of the Dikp?las is very old. In spite of the temporal and textual variations in the number of the guardians of the quarters, we find that by the medieval period their representation on temple walls had grown fairly popular. Incidentally, we may refer here to an image on the south basement wall of the Pahar (1938: Sculpture No. 39) pur temple which has erroneously been identified by Dikshit as Yama. Sarasvati (1962: 72, fig. 19), has also accepted this identification but Banerjea Shastri (1969: 143-44, fig. 2) and (1956: 525) suggested it to be an image of Varuna. Sahai (1975: 40-41) have followed Banerjea. The figure actually represents Vayu and not Yama. What has been described as a long noose passing over the head held by the two hands with the ends hanging down is in reality a scarf. Such representation of scarf is very common in the V?yu images of Osian. ?b?neri V?yu image of the Gurjara-Pratih?ra period, too, has a similar scarf. Anyway, this and other images of Indra, Agni, Kubera, Candra etc. from Paharpur, however, indicate that the dikp?las began to be represented on the temple walls in the Gupta period in eastern India at least. The culmination, however, was reached in the medieval period when, according to V?stu injunctions, fanes were to have the dikp?la figures in the fixed corners of the temple walls. (24) To right or to left, sitting or standing. 54

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a danda Osian

(or Khatv?nga) (25) have come Temple

Harihara

southern ^w^-niche gracefully necklace

tand) templeof India.

in sukh?sana

from Two and a p?sa (noose). interesting images of Yama to the notice of the author and are published here. is the earliest extant quincunx 1 at Osian No. {Panc?ya

of

It is dated in the eighth century A.D.

this temple exists an image of Yama to left. on crouchant buffalo Yama

(26).
(Fig. wears 1) a

In

the

seated

single the nether and wristlets ear-ornaments, armlets, (ek?vali), stringed The is two-handed. He right hand is broken but the disposition garment. of the arm indicates that it was placed on the respective knee (27). The face of The ferocious nature of the deity gets further confirmation from

Khatv?nga held in the lefthand. The danda portion of the Khatv?nga is os? seous,with a slightcurve, joined to the human skull (partially damaged) through body of the buffalo just below the left foot of the deity. Cock, no doubt, is
associated of his vehicle. The its foramen. Of unusual interest, however, is the depiction in some of a cock on the with Yama as one of his attributes is thus a unique (Fig. 2) texts, but nowhere in any other do we

head.

the dikp?la is placid but his ferocity is indicated by the frizzled locks on the
the

find any reference to the depiction of the kukkuta (cock) on the very person
This feature not seen

wall of a Devakulik? (chapel) lotus pedestal in a pillared niche on the southern rightbehind the god who holds a khatv?nga in the upper righthand and a bird (which looks like a pigeon) in the upper left, thenatural hands holding respect?
a pearl necklet, ear a karanda-mukuta, a long wreath simulating a vaijayantim? to the west of the Mah?vira Temple at Osian. Mahisa, the vehicle, stands to

second

image

represents

four-handed

Yama

sculpture. (28) standing on a

wears ively a stylus and a leaf. Yama ornaments, anklets, armlets, wristlets,

l? (29) and a dhoti having a graceful fold on the thighs,bound with aksa-s?tra at the waist, with stringed uruj?lakas and pendants hanging below. The god
is shown as bearded {harisma'sru), frightful, possessing round open eyes {pradipt?

gnivilocana) (30). But for thepigeon in the upper lefthand which may represent

of Jodhpur in Rajasthan. See for detail Bhandarkar 108-09: 100-115. (26) Brown 1959: 115. (27Cf. The two-armed Yam a image on the southern main niche of the Sun Temple on the hill (adjacent to the Saciy? M?t? Temple) wherein the god is shown as resting his left hand on the left knee. (28)Two ninth-century four-handed Yama images are now preserved in the Kota Museum also. One of these, with all the four hands damaged, was found at Vil?s in Kota district and the other from Atru in the same district shows the deity as holding a mace, cock, noose and kamandalu. See the Catalogue 1960-61: 30, Nos. 301 and 312. (29)Cf. Hartvamsa, Bhavisya Varvan, ch 52, v. 32b: (Hiranmay?n?m Kamalotpal?n?m
m?l?m

(25) Osian

is

an

important

medieval

temple-town

situated

about

65

km.

north-north-west

(30)Cf. arunadh?mranetrah [Ibid., v. 33). 55

manojan?mavasajya

kanthe'.

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an old

writing his R?pamandana. Depicted on the Jaina Devakulika,

portant We teresting for its artistry and attributes. thus see that both these Yama examples of the iconographic images, besides treasures of Osian.

from Rgvedic times, the sculpture conforms to the description And this It may be dated to c. eleventh century A.D. of the R?pamandana. as than before some saw in that such Mandana indicates examples Raj incidentally tradition

this icon is im?

others, are in?

many

References

(1938) Paharpur, MASI, LV. Hastings, James (Ed.) (1967) Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics, New York. (1968) Epic Mythology, Varanasi-Delhi. Hopkins, E.W. A.A. (1971) Vedic Mythology, New Delhi. MacDonell, Dikshit, K.N. Max Muller, E. Max Muller, E.

Banerjea, J.N. (1956) The Development of Hindu Iconography, Calcutta. (1908-09) The Temples of Osia, ASIAR. Bhandarkar, D.R. Architecture (Buddhist and Hindu Periods), Bombay. Indian P. (1959) Brown, Government Museum, Kota, Jaipur. Catalogue (1960-61)

(Ed.), (1882) The Sacred Books of the East, Vol. XIV. (Ed.), (1886) The Sacred Books of the East, Vol. XXV. Rao, T.R. Gopinath (1971) Elements of Hindu Iconography, Vol. II, Part II, Delhi. Sahai, Bagwant (1975) Iconography of Minor Hindu and Buddhist Deities, New Delhi. Sarasvati, S.K. (1962) Early Sculture of Bengal, Calcutta. Shastri, A.M. (1969) India as Seen in the Brhatsamhit? of Varahamihira, Delhi-Patna-Vara
nasi.

Wilkins, W.J.

(1972) Hindu Mythology, Varanasi-Delhi.

56

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>

u >

Fig. 2 Devakulik? Yama, in wall Mah?vira the southern of ? a ^ Temple 11th Complex, Osian. C. century. ^^^^ ^HH^B^^^^^BHHP^^

C. 8th century. Fig. 1 Yama, Harihara Temple wall of southern No. Osian. 1, -

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