Dattatreyan - Kerala Mural Archive

Alangad, ASG_P016 — Dattatreyan: full panel view

Detail Photos

Deity: Dattatreyan Location: Alangad Sree Santana Gopala Murthy Temple Theme: Non-narrative

Three-headed Dattatreya with six arms, standing upright. He is considered the ultimate teacher and is dressed like a monk with Rudraksha mala around his neck. He is surrounded by a cow and a snake. The cow represents Mother Earth and the dog represents the Vedas.

Narrative

Textual Source: Non-narrative
Mythological Tale: Dattatreya, or Datta Guru, is considered as the ultimate monk or ultimate guru. He is considered as a combined form of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, the three prime gods of Hinduism. He is born to the sage Atri and his wife Anasuya.
Episode: Non narrative

Iconography

Primary Deity/Figure: Dattatreyan
Iconographic Form: Dattatreyan
Iconographic Attributes: Image of Dattatreya; looks like a simple saint, wears Rudraksha, yellow lower garment, has six arms. Only one arm is clearly visible. It is holding a kindi. The other hands may be holding a mace, a trishula, a padma, and a japamala, and a shankhu, representative of the three deities. There is a cow and a dog nearby. Cow represents Mother Earth and dog represents the Vedas.
Visual & Formal Features: Background pattern, Facial expression detail, Hand gesture (mudra), Ornamentation
Rasa: Shanta

Spatial & Architectural

Position in Pradakshina Sequence: 16
Adjacent Panels: Venugopala and Narasimham

Condition & Documentation

Condition: Fair
Deterioration Type: Pigment loss
Restoration Status: Unrestored
Documentation Type: DSLR full panel
Permission Basis: Temple authorities
Date of Documentation: 08/08/2024
Artist: Neelakantan Ilayath
Identifier: ASG_P016
Rights / Notes: These images may not be reproduced, redistributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior permission.