Page:South-Indian Images of Gods and Goddesses.djvu/171

Rh and the skull. He has terrible protruding teeth and a dark shining body (fig. 96). The Sivatattvaratnākara mentions a form of Aghōramūrti with thirty-two arms and the Pāncharātrāgama, another with twelve arms. The image wears a garland of skulls and treads on the head of Kālamunda, the vile god of Death.

Bhairava, born of the blood of Siva, is another god of this class. The Tantrasāra mentions eight forms of Bhairava which are fit for worship. His general form shows dishevelled matted hair, three eyes and a red-coloured body. His symbols are the trident, sword, noose and the kettle-drum. He is naked and is represented as being followed by all kinds of demons and spirits and riding on a dog (fig. 97). Hēmādri describes Bhairava as a pot-bellied god with round red eyes, terrible face, protruding teeth and wide nostrils. He wears a garland of skulls and ornaments of snakes, thus frightening even his consort who stands by his side. The upper half of his body which is dark in colour is covered with the elephant's hide. He has many arms and holds all destructive weapons. The Silpasāra makes him seated on a jewelled throne under the celestial tree mandāra, closely embraced by the goddess. The same work mentions three other forms of Bhairava, viz., Panchavaktra-Bhairava, Gōvinda-Bhairava and Samhāra- Bhairava. The second of these has four arms and holds the conch, discus, drinking cup and the mace. He has three eyes and is young, serene and naked. On his side is the goddess Vaishnavī-Sakti and his vehicle is the bird Garuda. The third has five faces and ten arms and among his weapons are also the Vaishnavite conch and discus.

According to the Silpasāra Kāla-Bhairava wears a girdle of tiny bells on his waist and holds the sword, trident, drum and the drinking cup in his hands. He has a fearsome face with protruding teeth, a garland of skulls and dishevelled hair. In the illustration from Durgi (fig. 98) the dog which is his vehicle is seen biting a human head held by the left lower hand of the image. The goddess with her companion is standing to the right, evidently frightened at the serpent ornaments and the terrible form of Bhairava.

Mahākāla, still another fierce form of Siva, is quite like Bhairava, but holds a serpent in the place of the noose. In the work entitled Lalitopākhyāna he is described as accom- panied by Kālī, embracing her arid drinking with her " from