Open AccessDaśāvatāras in Tamil bhakti literature and programme of sculptures in Vijayanagara-Nāyaka art
Author(s) -
S. Ganeshram
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
acta orientalia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1600-0439
pISSN - 0001-6438
DOI - 10.5617/ao.4841
Subject(s) - tamil , sculpture , art , ancient history , visual arts , history , literature
The term daśāvatāras stands for the ten incarnations of Viṣṇu. They are Matsya, Kūrma, Varāha, Nṛsiṁha, Vāmana / Trivikrama, Parasurama, Rama, Balarama, Krishna and Kalki. These are noted in the hymns of Āḻvārs in orderly or disorderly pattern. The first part of the article discusses the significance of a set of daśāvatāra images in the Kaḷḷarpirāṉ temple at Śrīvaikuṇṭam in Tirunelveli district. Such images in separate enclaves were set in Vijayanagara-Nāyaka period (15th–18th centuries CE) temples in Tamilnadu, e.g. Tātikkompu and Aḻakarkōyil. To this milieu the images examined in the article add a new dimension