The Lingodbhava Legend

Beginning a weekly series on works of art and sculpture. This week we look at the Lingodbhava legend and its depictions in various temples.

Lingodbhava is the story of emergence of lord Shiva in the form of a linga to put to rest, dare I say, a very mortal dispute that arose between Brahma and Vishnu – who is the greater of the two? To settle they approached Shiva.

Shiva took the form of a Linga – pillar of fire, which stretched from depths to heights no one could see.  The one between Brahma and Vishnu who could reach either top or bottom would be declared greater! Brahma took the form of a swan and flew to find the top while Vishnu took form of a boar to find the bottom.

Many years passed and neither found an end; Vishnu realized the greatness of Shiva and accepted defeat but Brahma tried his luck to trick Shiva. He asked the help of a “Ketaki” flower to falsely testify that he had indeed seen the top end of the linga. The unfortunate flower did as asked by Brahma. Shiva was furious at this devious attempt and cursed Barhma that he will never be worshipped. He also cursed the  “Ketaki” flower that it would not be used in his worship.

The lingodbhava story is set in stone in many temples by the extremely skilled sculptors of various times. The sculptures vary in presence and detailing of each character.

Take a comparative look at ones from temples in Kanchi, Thirumayam and Tanjore.

Kanchi Kailasanatha: Shiva with a stocky body, six arms and round face has minimal ornamentation. The crescent moon, trishul and thick yagnopavita that runs over the right arm stand out. The height of Shiva and the perceived linga are almost same with the cleft taking an almost rhomboid shape. Brahma and Vishnu are towards the head and foot of Shiva respectively in independent panels.

Thirumayam Satyagiri Shiva: Shiva is given a lean ascetic look with two arms, a longish face and minimal ornamentation. The thick yagnopavita runs over the right arm similar to the other Pallava sculpture described above – “Kanchi Kailasanatha”. Linga here is closest to the description in the story – it’s tall, has an oval cleft with depth and has fire burning up on the sides. Brahma and Vishnu are conspicuous by their absence here.  

Tanjore Brihadeshwara: This one is from the period of the Cholas. Shiva is given a broadened chest, a slim waist, round face, four hands with one of them holding axe and heavy ornamentation. Linga is slim but not very tall, has an oval cleft with fire around it. Brahma and Vishnu are shown on the Linga itself towards the head and foot of Shiva.

Like the three mentioned above there are others at Pullamangai, Punjai and Tirbuvanam and the interested can study these to appreciate the skill levels of the artisans.

This series is curated by Antarjaal. Content provided by Vijay’s Poetry in Stone.