Visnu's flaming wheel: The iconography of the Sudarsana-cakra

152 Pages·1973·31.726 MB·English

by  W. E Begley

Vi~Qu's Flaming Wheel
The Iconography of the Sudarfana-Cakra
The publication of this monograph
has been aided by a grant from the
Samuel H. Kress Foundation
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UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
W. E. BEGLEY
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Vi~1_1u's Flaming Wheel:
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The Iconography of the
Sudarfa na-Cakra
PUBLISHED BY
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS
for the College Art Association of America
NEW YORK 1973
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THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF AMERICA
THE COLLEGE ART ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
XXVII
Editor: Lucy Sandler
Copyright© 1973 by the College Art Association of America
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Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 72-95 I
ISBN 0-8147~0973-7
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Acknowledgments
T
HIS MONOGRAPH on the sudariana-cakra attribute of Vi~Qu is an outgrowth of my
sporadic researches in topics of Hindu iconography over the past ten years, during
which time I have benefited greatly from the scholarly advice and encouragement of
teachers, colleagues, and friends in this country, Europe, and especially India. Heading the list of
all those who have rendered direct and indirect service is my former teacher, Professor W.
Norman Brown of the University of Pennsylvania, for whom I would like to express my deep
admiration, especially for his exemplary and inspiring ability to deal profoundly with ideas and
kindly with his students. Other former teachers who advised me at various stages in the
assembling and developing of the material conrained here include Professor Stella Kramrisch,
previously of the University of Pennsylvania, and the late Professor Benjamin Rowland of
Harvard University. The list of learned scholars, colleagues, and friends with whom I have
discussed numerous aspects of my research in Hindu iconography in general and "1kra symbolism
in particular includes: Mr. P. R. Srinivasan, Department of Epigraphy, Archaeological Survey of
India, Mysore; the late Dr. M. Seshadri, Director of Archaeology, Mysore; Dr. V. Raghavan,
Madras University; Mr. C. Sivaramamurti, Director, National Museum, New Delhi; Dr. Herbert
Hartel, Director, Museum fiir Indische Kunst, Berlin; the late Dr. V. S. Agrawala, Benares
Hindu University; Dr. U. P. Shah, Baroda University; Mr. M.A. Dhaky, American Academy of
Benares; Dr. R. C. Agrawala, Director of Archaeology, Rajasthan; Dr. P. P. Aptc, Poona
University; Dr. John Rosenfield, Harvard University; and Dr. C. R. Jones, University of
Pennsylvania.
Portions of the material of the monograph were first presented at professional conferences; to
the chairmen of the sessions involved I once again express thanks for their timely encouragement:
Dr. Harold Stem of the Freer Gallery of Art, chairman of the session at the Annual Meeting of
the College Art Association in Los Angeles (January 1~5), where I presented a paper with the
J.
same tide as the present monograph; and Dr. A. B. van Buitenen of the University of Chicago,
chairman of the session at the 27th International Congress of Orientaljsts in Ann Arbor (August
1¢7) , at which I presented a paper entitled "The Earliest Sudariana-cakra Bronze and the Date of
the Ahirb11dhnya-Sa11Jhita."
The manuscript was put into almost final form during 1970-71, while I was engaged in
research in India as a Faculty Research Fellow of the American Institute of Indian Studies. I am
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V111 .ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
very grateful to the administration and staff of the Deccan College RcSC2rch Institute-especially
Dr. H. D. Sankalia, Joint-Director-and to the administration and staff of the Bhandarkar
Oriental Research Institute for the opportunity to make use of their &cilitics during my stay in
Poona. To Dr. B. B. Lal, formerly Director-General, and Mr. M. N. Deshpande, the new
Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India, New Delhi, my appreciation for their
help in facilitating my research. I am especially grateful to my friend Mr. R. P. Goswami of the
library staff of the Deccan College for much bibliographical assistance and especially for his
advice and help in preparing the translations of ccnain Sanskrit passages included in the
monograph. Assistance with translations was also provided by Mr. V. B. Deo.
Two other acknowledgments: my gratitude to Professor Lucy Freeman Sandler, editor of the
College Art Association Mongraph Series, for her advice and criticism, and for accepting my
somewhat exotic manuscript for inclusion in this distinguished series; and to Mr. Rohen L. Bull
and Ms. Alice Rosenthal of the New York University Press for arcful editing and helpful
suggestions.
The illustrations reproduced in this study derive from various photographic sources, all of
which are here gratefully acknowledged: Archaeological Survey ofI ndia: Frontispiece and Figures 3,
69,
4, 12, 18, 35, 44, 51, 6o, 61, 62, 63, 64, ~; Madras G<wtmmmt Mweum: 45, 47, 48, 66, 67, 68,
71, 72, 76, 78, 79, 80; lnstilul Fran~ d'lndologie du Pondichiry: 52, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 70, 74, 75,
77; American Academy of Bernam: 15, 19, 21, 23, 28, 33; Ckveland Museum of Art: 30, 34; Indian
Mweum, Cakulla: 32, 37; Mweum far lndische Kilns/, &r/in: 24, 25; National Mweum, New Delhi:
41, 42; Department of Archaeology, Deccan College: 16; Los Angeks County Mweum: 27; Mweum of
Fine Aris, Boston: 29; Prince of Wales Mweum, Bombay: 20; Rqyal Ontario Mweum, Toronto: 26. The
following colleagues and friends have also generously supplied photographs for ccnain
illustrations: Mr. A. Atwell: Figure 49; Dr. P. Chandra: 38; Mr. R. V. Leyden: 46; Dr. A. Lippe:
22; Dr. M. Seshadri: 53; Mr. T. Schrunk: 14, 17; and Mr. W. H. Wolff: 50. A few illustrations
have been prepared from the following books and ankles, complete references to which will be
found in the Bibliography: A. S. Altekar, Gttalogue oft he Gupta Gold Coins in the Bayana Hoard:
Figure 8; J. N. Banerjca, The Developmmt of Hindu Iconography: 43; N. K. Bhattasali, Iconography
of Buddhist and Brahmanica/ Images in the Dacca Mweum: 36; A. Ghose, "An Image of
Arya-Avalokitesvara of the Time of Vainyagupta": 10; Stella Kramrisch, "Pila and Sena
Sculpture": 31; J. Mittal, "The Temple of Basheshar Mahadcv in Kulu": u; U. P. Shah, Studies
in Jaina Art: 9; C. Sivaramamuni, "The Weapons of Vish1:m": 6, 39, 40. Except for cenain text
figures which arc documented in the footnotes, the remaining illustrations have been prepared
from my own photographs and drawings. My dating of some of the objects reproduced should be
regarded as provisional.
W. E. Begley
University of /()Ula
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Contents
Acknowledgments VII
List of Illustrations XI
Introduction
Part One The Literary Tradition: The Cakra in Mythology and Tantrism
5
I. The Cakra as Fabled Weapon
7
II. The Cakra as Esoteric Symbol 23
Part Two The Iconographic Tradition: The Cakra As Personification And Icon 35
I. The Two-Armed Cakra-Pu~a in Attendance Upon Vi~i:iu 37
II. The Multi-Armed Cult Images of Sudariana-Pu~a 65
Glossary
93
Bibliography
99
Plates
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