Vetta Shasthav - Kerala Mural Archive

Detail Photos

Deity: Shasthav Location: Chemmanthatta Mahadeva Temple Theme: Local tradition Visual Feature: Background pattern Visual Feature: Facial expression detail Visual Feature: Hand gesture (mudra)Visual Feature: Ornamentation

Shasthav hunting a wild boar. Green-skinned Shasthav is seen atop a white horse engaged in hunting a boar. He holds a spear in one hand and the reins of the horse in other. He is surrounded by tribal folk engaged in various activities.

Iconography

Primary Deity/Figure: Shasthav
Secondary Figures: Tribal men
Iconographic Form: Vetta Shasthav
Rasa: Veera

Spatial & Architectural

Zone within Temple: Sanctum
Position in Pradakshina Sequence: 8
Adjacent Panels: Ganapathi pooja, Vishnu with Sreedevi and Bhoodevi

Narrative

Textual Source: Local tradition
Mythological Tale: Vetta Shasthav or the hunting Shasthav is considered as the son born out of the union of Shiva and Vishnu in Mohini form. He is often interchangeably referred to as Ayyappa, the Panthala prince who was the adoptive son of Panthala king. He was asked to fetch tigeress’ milk from the forest by his mother as part of a conspiracy to get him killed. The childless Panthala raja adopted Ayyappa and treated him as his own son, but later when the queen gave birth to their biological son she resented adopting Ayyappa. So she conspired with a set of jealous courtiers and hatched this plan to murder Ayyappa. However, being a divine child, he murdered the demoness Mahishi and returned to his kingdom with a group of female tigers. This led to people recognizing Ayyappa’s divinity and started worshipping him atop the Sabarimala. He is considered a celibate God but as Shasthav, he is said to have two wives and a son, Sathyakan.
Episode: Non-narrative

Condition & Documentation

Condition: Fair
Deterioration Type: Plaster loss
Restoration Status: Unrestored
Documentation Type: DSLR full panel
Permission Basis: Combined permission
Date of Documentation: 12/08/2024
Artist: Unknown
Identifier: CMT_P008
Rights / Notes: These images may not be reproduced, redistributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior permission.