Mahabalipuram. Elephant west of Draupadi Rath

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dc.contributor.authorPhotographer: Arthur Llewellyn Basham
dc.coverage.spatialIndia (Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu)
dc.date.accessioned2019-10-15T01:36:53Z
dc.date.available2019-10-15T01:36:53Z
dc.date.createdcirca 1970s
dc.date.updated2019-10-15T01:36:53Z
dc.descriptionOne of the life-size guardian figures at Mahabalipuram is this magnificent elephant to the west of the Draupadi (Durga) Rath which, like the little shrines occupying the rest of the site, was carved from a single granite outcropping. Visitors to Mahabalipuram find a veritable petrified city of temples peopled only by rock-hewn creatures such as this one solemnly standing guard and being venerated in their own right as the Four great Animals of Brahman worship. The elephant is one of the Four Great animals: elsewhere in the complex are two others - the lion and the bull. The fourth, a horse, is not represented here. Elephants have long been objects of worship in India, for they represent masculine virility, the dignity of royalty and perhaps the most universal of all, the overcomers of obstacles in life's way. For this reason, the god ganesha has the head of an elephant although his particular vehicle is that of a rat - which also overcomes obstacles, but by more devious paths than the mighty elephant.
dc.format.extent35mm
dc.format.mediummounted transparency
dc.format.mediumb&w
dc.format.mediumsepia
dc.format.mimetypeimage/tiff
dc.identifierANUA 682-1773
dc.identifier.otherIM-933
dc.identifier.other12
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1885/176769
dc.language.isoen_AU
dc.provenanceDigitised by the Australian National University in 2019
dc.relation.ispartofseriesBasham Collection
dc.rights.licenseThis item is provided for research purposes. Contact the Australian National University Archives at butlin.archives@anu.edu.au for permission to use.
dc.subjectPallava-- Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram) - Pallava
dc.subjectarchitecture
dc.subjectstone sculpture
dc.subjectslide set
dc.titleMahabalipuram. Elephant west of Draupadi Rath
dc.typeImage
dspace.entity.typeANUArchivesItem
local.identifier.uidSubmittedByu1054600 || U4962371

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