Skip to main content

ELEPHANTA CAVES PART 10 - SHIVA as LINGA – The SAGUNA form of NIRGUNA - GHARAPURI


GHARAPURI  - ELEPHANTA CAVES 10


SHIVA as LINGA – The SAGUNA form of NIRGUNA.

Symbolic form of SHIVA – SHAKTHI.


DWARAPALAKAS to the shirne of MAHADEVA

Saguna means “with attributes.” Nirguna means “without attributes.” “Saguna” describes a God with (tangible) attributes. The term “Nirguna Brahman” describes a God with no (tangible) attributes (source).
The most popular form of worshipping Lord Shiva in Hinduism is in the LINGA form. It is known as SHIVALING or SHIVALINGA. The LINGA symbol is an attempt to give form to the formless, referred as Supreme Being or Brahman in Hindu religion. When a LINGA is installed on a YONI, it represents the union of SHIVA and SHAKTI – the beginning of creation. It is found at the centre of the temple, often resting in the middle of a rimmed, disc-shaped YONI.

SHIVA as a LINGAM
In the main cave, in the right middle six steps lead to a raised platform of 3.5 feet high. A cubicle Garbha Griha devoid of any art work inside and in the middle of it sits a SHIVA LINGA the representation of MAHADEV. The pedestal, PINDI or AVUDAYAR of the SHIVALINGA is missing and the base is cemented in a very oddly manner on restoration at a size of 9.9 feet square, with a 3 feet height. The SHIVA LINGA is about 2 feet 11and ½ inches with its base being square and its top being circular and placed on the pedestal 3 feet from the ground and does not seem to be having a PINDIKA. There are other LINGA’s in the cave temple which are without the PINDIKA and hence my surmise. On the western side, descending the steps into the courtyard is a circular platform, decayed, which would have been the base of the Vahana of Lord SHIVA – NANDIN (now lost).
This Garbha Griha has four doors in all the four principal directions. All the four doors are empanelled with DWARA PALAKAS on both sides. The Dwara Palaka’s total eight in numbers differ in height from14.10 feet to 15.2 feet in height and accompanied by a dwarf. They are well adorned with crowns and necklaces.All the door keepers are crowned in a beautiful head gear made out of twisted matted hair locks in the form of a tall cap known as JATAMUKUTA.      
DWARAPALAKA'S with dwarfs, eight of them
  One out of the eight Dwarapalakas in the South-easterly door corner seems to be the most preserved till date, containing a large human skull drawn on its head gear and the parted lips showing teeth. A ball like object in its right hand up –turned near its navel and its left hand resting on the knot of the robe on the left thigh. 
SHIVA LINGAM in the main cave

 The four doors signify the entrance for different Varna’s, hence, proving a point that all Varna’s were free to enter & pray in the temple.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/bxmGV2bwnXqBAs5B9
https://wordpress.com/post/templesofindiamusic.wordpress.com/261

 https://twitter.com/murali12345678

 https://www.facebook.com/murali.natarajan.7/posts/10216066797158694

Labels:
Location: Elephanta Island, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

VAIKUNTHA PERUMAL TEMPLE OR THIRU PARAMESHWARA VINNAGARAM KANCHIPURAM

  THIRU PARAMESHWARA VINNAGARAM OR VAIKUNTHA PERUMAL TEMPLE KANCHIPURAM Thiru Parameswara (The greatest Lord) Vinnagaram (temple) or Vaikunta Perumal Temple is a temple dedicated to Vishnu & his concert Vaikundavalli located in Kanchipuram. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple finds mention in the Divya Prabhanda the early medieval tamil literature of the Azhwar saints from the 6th–9th centuries AD. It is one among the 108 temples dedicated to Vishnu. The temple is considered the second oldest extant temples in Kanchipuram after the Kailasanathar temple & is in a straight line facing each other, though seperated by 3.5 KMs. The temple is believed to have been built by the Pallava king Nandivarman (720-796 CE), with later contributions from Chola's and Vijayanagara Kings. The temple is surrounded by a granite wall enclosing all the shrines and a pond of the temple. The outer walls of the inner praharam is full of Kalakrithis related to the lord....
Post a Comment
Read more

KAILASANATHAR TEMPLE PART 1 - TARAMANGALAM

SRI KAILASANATHAR TEMPLE- TARAMANGALAM - SALEM DISTRICT - TAMILNADU.- PART 1 Seven tiered Rajagopuram Shaped like a chariot. Mahavishnu gave his sister Parvathi in marriage to Shiva. This process of handing over the bride, is known as "Thaaram vaththu koduppadhu" in Tamil, hence the name of the town THARAI MANGALAM now known as Tharamangalam. MAHAVISHNU giving his sister MEENAKSHI in marriage to SHIVA. In the centre of this Town is an exotic Temple of Lord Shiva as Shri Kailasanathar with his consort Sivakami Devi. One of the rarest of temples with a treasure of exotic Sculpture and the many stories attached with them. ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL U NKNOWN TEMPLES IN TAMILNADU. The first precinct on entering from the Rajagopuram. The temple had an existence before the 10th Century CE. However the same was rebuilt by the Getti Muthaliar Clan who ruled the Kongu Part of Tamilnadu from the 13th to the 17th century. The temple seems to have b...
Post a Comment
Read more

AMRITHAGHATESHWAR TEMPLE - MELAKADAMBUR - CUDDALORE - TAMILNADU

  AmrithaGhateshwar Temple – Melakadambur – Cuddalore - Tamilnadu     ABSTRACT   The town of Kadambur or Thirukadambur was an important metropolis of the later Chola’s (848 -1279 CE) and reminds us of the historical Tamil Novel “PONNIYIN SELVAN” “Son of Ponni or River Kaveri” which talks about the early life of Arulmozhivarman or Raja Raja Chola l (947-1014CE),   by Shri kalki Krishnamurthy. The town is about 31 Km’s from Chidambaram, 6Km’s from kattumannarkoil and 7 kms from Veeranarayana lake or Veeranam lake built by Rajaditya Chola (907-955CE).The fort of Kadmabur is the place, where the Chieftains of the Cholas hatched a conspiracy to overthrow the rule of Sundara Chola and took an oath to make prince Maduranataka Chola the next King. It is here that Karikal Chola was assassinated. In this historical town is the twin temple of Amrithaghateshwarar   “God of the pot of Amritha or Nectar” in Mela kadambur known as the Indra Vimanam or Aeroplane...
Post a Comment
Read more