Shiva has three faces, each showing a different aspect of the deity. (A
fourth, unseen at the back, is implied—the god has not emerged
fully from the rock.) The central face expresses Shiva’s quiet, bal-
anced demeanor. The clean planes of the face contrast with the rich-
ness of the piled hair encrusted with jewels. The two side faces differ
significantly. That on the right is female, with framing hair curls.
The left face is a grimacing male with a curling mustache who wears
a cobra as an earring. The female (Uma) indicates the creative aspect
of Shiva. The fierce male (Bhairava) represents Shiva’s destructive
side. Shiva holds these two opposing forces in check, and the central
face expresses their balance. The cyclic destruction and creation of
the universe, which the side faces also symbolize, are part of Indian
notions of time, matched by the cyclic pattern of death and rebirth
(samsara).
DEOGARH The excavated cave shrines just considered are char-
acteristic of early Hindu religious architecture, but temples con-
structed using quarried stone became more important as Hinduism
evolved over the centuries. As they did with the cave temples, the
Hindus initially built rather small and simple temples but decorated
them with narrative reliefs displaying a fully developed iconography.
The Vishnu Temple (FIG. 6-19) at Deogarh in north-central India,
erected in the early sixth century, is among the first Hindu temples
constructed with stone blocks. A simple square building, it has an
elaborately decorated doorway at the front and a relief in a niche on
each of the other three sides. Sculpted guardians and mithunas pro-
tect the doorway at Deogarh, because it is the transition point be-
tween the dangerous outside and the sacred. The temple culminates
in a tower that was originally at least 40 feet tall.
The reliefs in the three niches of the Deogarh temple depict im-
portant episodes in the saga of Vishnu. On the south (FIG. 6-20),
Vishnu sleeps on the coils of the giant serpent Ananta, whose multi-
ple heads form a kind of umbrella around the god’s face. While Lak-
shmi massages her husband’s legs (he has cramps as he gives birth),
the four-armed Vishnu dreams the universe into reality. A lotus
plant (said to have grown out of Vishnu’s navel) supports the four-
headed Hindu god of creation, Brahma. Flanking him are other im-
portant Hindu divinities, including Shiva on his bull. Below are six
figures. The four at the right are personifications of Vishnu’s various
powers. They will defeat the two armed demons at the left. The
sculptor carved all the figures in the classic Gupta style, with smooth
bodies and clinging garments (compare FIG. 6-13).Early Medieval Period
During the several centuries corresponding to the early medieval pe-
riod in western Europe (see Chapter 16), the early Islamic period in
the Near East (see Chapter 13), the Tang and Song dynasties in China
(see Chapter 7), and the Nara and Heian periods in Japan (see Chap-
ter 8), regional dynasties ruled parts of India. Among the most im-
portant of these kingdoms were the Palas and Chandellas in northern
India and the Pallavas and Cholas in the south. Whereas Buddhism
spread rapidly throughout eastern Asia, in medieval India it gradually170 Chapter 6 SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST ASIA BEFORE 12006-19Vishnu Temple (looking north), Deogarh, India, early sixth
century.
One of the first masonry Hindu temples, the Vishnu Temple at Deogarh
is a simple square building with a tower. Sculpted guardians protect
its entrance. Narrative reliefs adorn the three other sides.
6-20Vishnu asleep on the serpent Ananta, relief panel on the south
facade of the Vishnu Temple, Deogarh, India, early sixth century.
Sculptors carved the reliefs of the Vishnu Temple at Deogarh in classic
Gupta style. In this one, the four-armed Vishnu sleeps on the serpent
Ananta as he dreams the universe into reality.