Page 17 - Stone and Bronze, Indian art of the Chola Dynasty, Metropolitan Museum, NYC

FIGURE 14 FIGURE 15 FIGURE 6
Vishnu, c. 800, from Vishnu, IX century, from Pulla- Vishnu, first half of the x century.
Tirukkaraivasal. Tanjavur mangai. Courtesy of the National Sundaresvara temple,
Art Gallery Museum, New Delhi Melappaluvur

The flaming emblems are tilted inward, and the disk on the hip. The other two emblems, mace and lotus,
is held edge forward. We note the girdle pendants that generally were not shown. This pattern was followed
already occurred on late Pallava icons. The tasseled constantly, whether the god was accompanied or not.
ribbons between the legs appeared on the Kumbakonam It was applied to the seated images as well, where the
Brahma (Figure I). The relief can be dated to the sec- front left hand rests on the thigh. This icon does not
ond half of the ninth century; perhaps it once occupied represent the god in any of his incarnations or emana-
the western devakoshta of a brick temple that was re- tions.
placed by the present structure. The Vishnu in the Sundaresvara temple at Melap-
Already in the Pallava cave temples Vishnu was paluvur (Tiruchirappalli district) must have occupied
represented with four arms: the back hands holding the western sanctum niche of the original temple (Fig-
the disk (right) and the conch (left), the front right ure 16). The figure is less elongated and less taut than
of
hand in the gesture assurance, the front left placed the Pullamangai Vishnu. Despite the more relaxed
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