Page:South-Indian Images of Gods and Goddesses.djvu/127

Rh the sacrificial ladle (srik) and the spoon (sruva) (or, the book), is seated on a lotus flower in front of a square fire-pit facing northwards, and offering oblations to the sacrificial fire, which is burning in front with five flames. Mēnakā and Himavat, the parents of the goddess, are standing to her right, carrying a golden pot, from which they pour water into the hands of Siva and Parvatī in token of giving away their daughter in marriage to him. The sages Sanaka and Sanandana stand to the left of the god with folded hands. Vishnu is present with the whole congregation of gods and goddesses. This description of Kalyānasundara is found in all its details in a figure from Elephanta. The Kāsyapa-Silpa of the AmsumatTantra and the Silpasangraha say that Vishnu in the tribhanga attitude faces south and stands on the north side of the sacrificial fire-pit with conch and discus in his back arms. He pours with his two other hands water from a gold pot into the hands of Siva and Pārvatī (fig. 65). The Mayamata describes Pārvatī as standing by the side of Lakshmi. It looks as if Menaka and Himavat are sometimes substituted by Lakshmī and Vishnu. A fine image of Kalyānasundara comes from the Chidambaram temple (fig. 66). Svayamvarā is the name given in the Silparatna to the figure of Pārvatī as a bride. She holds a garland of flowers and walks towards Sambhu (Siva) to choose him as her husband.

Somaskanda is the most common of all the sportive forms of Siva. Its design is as old as the Pallava period and it may be found on the back wall of the sanctum immediately behind the linga in almost every temple which pretends to belong to that age. The group, e.g., is found engraved on the back wall of a niche in the second storey of the Dharmarāja-ratha at Mahābalipuram which, according to an inscription cut on the lintel, was apparently intended to be a shrine for the Siva-linga called Atyantakāma-Pallavēsvara. It is also seen on the back wall of the Siva shrine facing the sea, in the "Shore Temple." The Sāluvankuppam cave, called Atiranachanda-Pallavēsvara, also has the same image. A similar panel is also found in the Kailāsanātha temple at Kānchī. Later Chōla temples, however, do not show any such panel on the wall behind the linga. On one and the same pedestal are seen Siva and Umā with the child Skanda standing (or seated) between them. Both the god and the goddess are seated comfortably (sukhāsana), with one leg (right in the case of Siva and left in the case of Parvatī) hanging down