First of the Hindu triad - Brahma

Brahma, distinct from BrahmaN, the all pervading eternal spirit is the first member of the Hindu Triad. His principal function is Creation. Independent shrines dedicated to him are rather rare. Still figures of this God are commonly found decorating one of the niches in the north wall of the central shrine in a Shiva temple. Sculptures of Brahma may sometimes also seen on pillars, ceilings or other places of the temple but one point that deserves to be noted is that though often seen in temples, Brahma is not worshipped as the chief deity in a temple, like the other two members of the Triad, Vishnu and Shiva.

According to Manasara, one of the standard works on Hindu temple sculptures, Brahma is represented with four heads. He has however only one body and four heads. His sculpture may be standing or seated. The palm of his left lower hand exhibits the posture of conferring boons (varada) while the right lower arm indicates protection (abhaya). The corresponding upper hands hold the water pot (kamandalam) and the rosary (akshamala) or sometimes the sacrificial (srik) and spoon (sruva).

Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram

The following ornaments are generally seen on the sculptures of Brahma. Ear rings, the sacred thread (Yajnasutra) hanging right across the body from above the left shoulder, the scarf (Uttariya) thrown around the neck, the Udarabandhana, a girdle going round the belly, necklace and torque, armlets and arm rings.

Sri Periyanayaki Amman Temple, Devikapuram

His sculptures may sometimes have two goddesses Sarasvati (on the right) and Savitri (on the left). There are various other representations of Brahma drawn purely from the imagination of the sculptor and sometimes also based on Puranic legends. But the main points which distinguish Brahma from the other gods are the same in all. 

Jalakandeswarar temple Vellore

This blog post has pictures of Brahma taken by me in some of the temples of Tamil Nadu.

Brahmapureeswarar, Pasupathikoil

Reference: South Indian images of Gods and Goddesses by H. KRISHNA SASTRI, B.A., Rao Saheb,

Assistant Archaeological Superintendent for Epigraphy,Southern Circle. Published in 1916.

Thirukurungudi Nambi Rayar temple

The village of Thirukurungudi is located in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu, South India. This is a village with history dating back to more than 1500 years. Village life here revolves around agriculture and the Nambi Rayar temple. 

One cannot confirm the date of the temple’s existence accurately. The main structure of Nambi Rayar temple is said to be built around 1500 years ago but later rulers of the region have also added their contribution to this temple. It is certainly a pre-Chola era temple. The central deity is Vishnu, prayed to, as ‘Azhagiya Nambi’. Prior to the Nayak rulers’ patronage, the temple was part of the larger Pallava kingdom, which patronized it.

The Pallava style of architecture can be found in every nook and corner with small sculptures which are decorated with elaborate detailing. The Nayak rulers of Madurai were great patrons of the arts. A visible proof of their fine taste is this massive temple! As this temple is in a remote corner of the country it has escaped the attention of the invaders and hence the sculptures here are in almost intact condition.

It houses hundreds of outstanding sculptures in all sizes.  It offers a cocktail of Low reliefs, high reliefs and sunken reliefs! It is quite an exhibition of Dravidian style of architecture.

If you are particularly interested in sculptures then this temple is a must see one for you! The temple tower (Gopuram) itself needs an hour as you need to observe very carefully every nook and corner of the lavishly decorated tower. Of course you will need a camera with zoom lens to shoot the sculptures on the tower!

Various scenes from Mahabharata and scenes from Vaishnava stories can be seen here. Interestingly there are panels of Shiva too despite this temple being a Vishnu temple! (Although in recent times because of the fight between Vaishnavites and Shaivaites they have uprooted a Shiva Lingam from this temple and installed it in a corner of this village! It seems a case is pending before the Supreme Court regarding bringing back the lingam to this temple!)

Photography inside the temple is not allowed but picturing the sculptures on the tower is not prohibited!

For details of
Panel Sculptures of Thirukurungudi Temple tower click here!

Chennakesava temple, Pushpagiri

Pushpagiri is a village in Kadapa District, in Andhra Pradesh, India. It lies on the Penna River, about 16 km from Kadapa town. It has a number of important temples, of which the largest is Chennakesava Temple and it is thought to date from 1298 CE.

The sculptures and carvings of this temple are one of its kind. When I did a Google search about this temple I came across at least five books written by different historians and archaeologists on the sculptures of Pushpagiri! It is even referred to as “Mini Hampi”! 

I have not seen in any temple so many sculptures! Every inch of this temple is decorated with sculptures ranging from few inches tall to  life sized ones! This temple was built during the reign of Cholas and later developed by Kakatiya and Vijayanagara rulers.

The presiding deity is Chennakesava Swamy which is the God that Cholas patronised across generations.

The temple of Chennakesava is an artistic structure with three Shrines inside and two sub-shrines outside of the elevated platform. The shrines inside the platform have the main deity of Chennakesava. 

The carvings on the shrines depict various Hindu Gods and Goddesses in various postures and depict the stories of Ramayana and Mahabharata. Most of the carvings are in relatively good condition.  This temple is currently under the protection of Central Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

The sculptures and the carvings of the temple are amazingly beautiful and richly decorated. Some of them like the various forms of Lord Vishnu, the dancing Ganapati, Lord Shiva as "Nataraja" (the dancing form), Shiva standing on a demon with "Trishula" in His hand (trying to kill the demon), Krishna preaching Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna and many more still retain the workmanship of the bygone era. Other sculptures like those of Rama, Sita, episodes from Ramayana and Goddess Mahishasuramardini are marvellous pieces of art. One can see rows of carving of animals like elephants, lions and horses, showing scenes from Mahabharata, all along the walls of the temple! 

I have posted some pictures here and also two video presentations on the sculptures of this temple in two modes – portrait and Landscape.

Photography is allowed in this temple!