Kiratharjuneeyam (Panel 3)
Detail Photos
Shiva and Parvathi in the guise of Kirata looks upon Arjuna as he builds a Shivalingam out of sand and gives offerings to the Shivalingam made out of sand. The leaves offered to the Shivalingam would flow to the feet of Kirata Shiva
Narrative
- Textual Source
- Mahabharata
- Mythological Tale
- As the Pandavas lost the game of dice and was asked to dwell in the forest, Arjuna performed penance to please Lord Shiva. In order to test his devotion and get rid of his arrogance of being the best archer in the world, Shiva took the form of Kirata or forest-dweller and Parvathi accompanied him. Shiva then started an argument with Arjuna over who shot the wild boar. An enraged Asura challenged Shiva to a battle of archery, which later progressed into fist fight. Even after several attempts, Arjuna could not defeat the Kirata Shiva. So he started to pray to Shiva by building a small Shivalingam. However, all the offerings placed at the feet of the Shivalingam would fall to the feet of the Kirata Shiva. In the end, Arjuna realized that it was indeed Shiva in the guise of Kirata trying to test him. As soon as he comes to this realization, Shiva and Parvathi transform to their original form and granted him the Pashupatastra (arrow) weapon.
- Episode
- Kiratharjuneeyam (Arjuna and the hunter)
- Position within Narrative Sequence
- Panel 3 of 4
Iconography
- Primary Deity/Figure
- Shiva and Parvathi (as Kirata), Arjuna
- Iconographic Form
- Kiratharjuneeyam
- Iconographic Attributes
- The green-skinned Shiva and Parvathi stand upright watching a kneeling golden-skinned Arjuna, who is in the guise of a sage. Shiva holds a bow and arrow in one of his hands and the animal udumb (monitor lizard) in the other. He has the headgear made of peacock feathers, yet is seen with his iconic tiger skin cloth. He also has a small knife in his waistband. Parvathi is also dressed in the leather of some animal and decorates herself with peacock feathers and leaves. She holds a basket of fruits.
- Visual & Formal Features
- Background pattern, Facial expression detail, Hand gesture (mudra), Ornamentation
- Rasa
- Shanta
Spatial & Architectural
- Temple
- Sanctum
- Zone within Temple
- Sanctum
- Position in Pradakshina Sequence
- 8
- Adjacent Panels
- Kiratharjuneeyam (Panel 1), Kiratharjuneeyam (Panel 2), Ardhanareeshwaran
Condition & Documentation
- Condition
- Excellent
- Deterioration Type
- None observed
- Restoration Status
- Unrestored
- Documentation Type
- DSLR full panel
- Permission Basis
- Temple authorities
- Date of Documentation
- 22/08/2024
- Artist
- Senthil
- Identifier
- THL_P009
- Rights / Notes
- These images may not be reproduced, redistributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior permission.
