2011/09/01 by R.K.K. Rajarajan · 4 citations
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Indian and Buddhist Studies #Chinese history and philosophy #Classical Antiquity Studies
paper · doi:10.1080/02666030.2011.614413
openalex publication_date 2011/09/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Dakṣiṇāmūrti is a Śaivite iconographical form which appears in Indian art from the later Pallava period onwards. It was a stereotyped installation on the southern devakoṣṭha in any Śiva temple from the early Cōḻa period. Deviating from this established pattern, some of the Viṣṇu temples, called Navatiruppatis, on both banks of the River Tāmiraparaṇi in the Far South of India have these images installed on the devakoṣṭhas, grīvakoṣṭhas, and talas of the vimānas in Viṣṇu temples. Why a typical Śaiva iconographical motif posed like Viṣṇu-Yogīśvara appears in Viṣṇu temples is the question answered in this article. It is suggested that these might be representations of Viṣṇu posing as Dakṣiṇa, a point clearly indicated in several of the epithets in the Viṣṇusahasranāma. Furthermore, Devī also takes the epithet Dakṣiṇāmūrtisvarūpiṇi.