PTI | | Posted by Pathi Venkata Thadhagath
A rare sculpture of ‘Nagabhairava,’ presumptively dating back to the 14th or 15th century, has been found at Kairla, Nandalike in Karkala taluk of Udupi district. The sculpture was found during an archaeological exploration by a team led by T Murugeshi, associate professor at the department of ancient history and archaeology at MSRS college at Shirva in Udupi.
Naga sculptures are commonly found in areas in coastal Karnataka. But, the association with the Bhairava cult is interesting, Murugeshi said in a press release here Wednesday. Kairla in Nandalike village was a great centre of Mahakali worship, he said. “The sculpture is a curious one by its iconography as well. It is found on a green schist stone, rectangular in shape with a conical shape on the top. At the bottom of the stone, a single hooded serpent in four knots or quarter mandala is shown on the hood and Bhairava is depict in standing posture with four hands,” the release said. Bhairava holds two serpents in his rear hands and a Nagadanda in his front right hand and human head in left hand. On the top, two knots of serpent and two Nagakannikas’ are shown standing with holding serpents each. A five hooded serpent umbrella is shown over the Nagabhairava’s, head, Murugeshi said.
The entire image is in the style of folk tradition in appearance and it has a close resemblance with that of a Bhairava sculpture found in Ninnikal near Nandikuru in the district, which was a capital seat of Ballala kings of Kuthyar and the sculpture belongs to the 14th or the 15th century, he said. The Bhairava cult was closely associated with the Jain Goddess Padmavati, who was also a serpent goddess. At Humcha, which is a famous Jain pilgrimage centre near Tirthahalli, Bhairava is a Khsetrapala God, he said in the release.
