FIFTH INCARNATION of VISHNU - TRIVIKRAMA - @ CAVE TEMPLE of BADAMI

               A CRITIQUE of  WALL RELIEFS on  'VAMANA AVATAR'  - 
    THE DWARF INCARNATION  of VISHNU @ CAVE TEMPLE  of  BADAMI

A view of the access to 'MahaVishnu' Cave.

It is I  climbing up the steps. 'Trivikrama' in the far end.

At Badami, we find four Cave temples - 1st one dedicated to Siva and Shakti, 2nd and 3rd ones to Vishnu  and the 4th  - the topmost one - to Jain Iconography.For the purpose of distinguishing one from the other,the two caves are called 'Vishnu Guha' - 2nd one from bottom - and 'MahaVishnu Guha'-  3rd one from bottom by the local guides .

A discussion on  'VAMANA AVATAR'  need be done  in  three parts, before we move into the two wall-reliefs of Trivikrama, that we find at the Cave temple of Badami.

The 1st is the mythological tale - which might have started during rule of  the Gupta  dynasty. Gods' reign over the Heaven was threatened by growing influence of  King Bali. He was invincible in battles - yet a generous and kind person.  To protect gods' interest, Vishnu agreed  to their entreaty of neutralising Bali. On a particular day, when during  the ritual of 'Ashwamedh Yagna' - a big ceremony taking place around a sacrificial horse - Bali had organised a big event of granting donation to whoever came to his court seeking the same. Vishnu appeared incognito as a dwarf brahmin in this congregation.  Bali received the dwarf brahmin with adoration, ignoring his mentor Shukracharya's warning that the brahmin was  no ordinary person. Vishnu  asked for land just enough for his  three strides . When the king granted the same, Vishnu stood in front of the king in his full cosmic form  filling  the world . Vishnu's right foot covered the earth , his body filled the sky in all directions and  the left foot reached the heaven .  Vishnu then he asked the king: where the third step can be taken. King offered his head. Bali was then tied up and ready to be banished . Brahma pleaded for a benign treatment for Bali reminding Vishnu of his noble nature. Bali's wife Vindhyabali and grandfather Prahlada - great devotee of Vishnu - pleaded for Bali. Each in her/his way.Vishnu sent Bali to his own hermitage first and later to 'Sutal' - definitely a territory away from the heaven , Indra's kingdom . Vishnu also assured Bali  of  sovereignty of 'Sutal' after a while. ( based on 19th - 23rd chapters of 8th Canto, 'Srimadbhagabat Gita').

'Trivikrama' in the 'Vishnu' cave temple.Compared to the more well-known depiction of 'Trivikrama' in the next level, it appears to be a 'Draft' work.

This 'Trivikrama's'  stance is somewhat static. The celestial portion is incomplete.

Next is a discussion on the appeal of  the myth of Trivikrama - Vamana Avatar.  This myth combines in it both the 'vibhava' or 'avatar' - incarnatory - and 'vibhuti' - manifestational aspects of Vishnu. To prevent  Bali from getting control of the heaven, the domain of Indra, Vishnu incarnates himself as Dwarf  in the womb of Aditi. the mother of gods.  To generate awe in the heart of Bali, he manifested his cosmic form - 'Viratrupa' . Thus, in one myth, devotees of Vishnu find both the 'vibhava' and   'vibhuti' aspects of their Lord amalgamated.( based on 'Vaishnava Iconology of Nepal' by Prataditya Pal).

3rd point in this discussion - was Vishnu fare to Bali ?  His army, as expected, reacted adversely . They felt, Vishnu came incognito and usurped all that Bali acquired in his life , though he was a religious person, a ruler of high moral standing.  Their resistance was neutralised by Vishnu's companions - 'parshadas'. Bali's son Banasura caught hold of Vishnu's right foot and pleaded Vishnu not to banish his father . However, all these efforts made no impact on Vishnu. Only later, Brahma's pleading in favour of Bali and very carefully worded statements made by Vindhyabali and Prahlad brought a somewhat positive conclusion of this episode . Well, according to many, Vishnu was not fare to Bali!

 'Trivikrama' wall-relief is divided into sections, depicting the major events. 

Here we find 'Adoration of 'Vamana Avatar' by King Bali . Queen Vindhyabali, 

Shukracharya ( not separately distinguishable ) and  his courtiers look on.

Among all the major wall-reliefs on this manifestation of Vishnu,  two at Badami, one each at Mallapuram and Ellora are very well-known. So are the several ones found in Nepal. The characters in these wall-reliefs, placed around the huge figure of Trivikrama, tell the story of King Bali and adoration of Vishnu. Not all the characters are identical.  In the wall-relief at 'MahaVishnu' cave temple at Badami ,we find Namuchi  clasping left foot of  Trivikrama , same way as at Changu Narayana of Nepal , while in  the other wall-relief at Badami, this person   is  obese and cannot be young Banasura.

'Trivikrama' in MahaVishnu Cave temple is artistically much improved compared to the previous one. Trivikrama's face is  turned slightly towards his left - a stance very much unlike that at floor below and also at Mallapuram or at Changu Narayana,Nepal.Only at Cave 15 of Ellora, Trivikrama's face is turned towards his left , but that wall-relief carries much less details than this one.

We  find here the sacrificial  horse in the right-hand corner top, gods,the Moon , Rahu  , Namuchi kicked up and away in the other half at the top. In the lower half, we find adoration of Vamana Avatar below the left foot of  Trivikrama and persuasion of Trivikrama   by Banasura and hostility of Namuci around his right-foot. In the portion 'Adoration of  Vamana Avatar' we find eroded 'Vamana with his umbrella', thus robbing this portion of its beauty.

I have given copious notes under the pictures I have posted here . Hope my friends will enjoy the same.

Sacrificial horse - 'Ashwamedh Yagna'

'MahaVishnu' Cave temple, Badami

Upper half of Trivikrama in his full cosmic grandeur.  

As his head touches the sky where Ganesha and gods , 
the Sun, the Moon and Rahu adore him.

We can see some of Vishnu's divine weapons here -

discuss 'Sudarsana', bow 'Sharnga' and sword 'Vidyadhara''.

'MahaVishnu' Cave temple, Badami.

 One of the artistically finest depiction of 'Trivikrama'  .
 It is sad the 'Vamana Avatar' has been eroded.

The wall-relief has been so crafted that 
a section of the same hides under the drooping pavilion.

The details are astounding.

'MahaVishnu' Cave temple, Badami.

VIOLATION OF VEDABATI : A TALE FROM RAMAYANA

Violation of Vedabati : Krittibas and reference links/material from internet


It was a small district town of West Bengal in 1950s... Suri. A seven years old child used to spend at least one hour every day, pouring on two big books he had received during his last birthday. A volume of Mahabharata by Kashiram Das and another of Ramayana by Krittibas. In early fifties, epics as cartoons were not so popular among children. Kafi Khan has just started his strip on Mahabharata in Sunday Jugantar.

The stories were fascinating. Ramayana ... as linear as Valmiki wanted it to be. Mahabharata .... very complex for a child. Search for Vishalyakarani, Arjuna's exploits and Karna's demise kept him intrigued. Within a few years, he would read 'Mahabharater Katha' by Buddhadeb Bose and 'Krishnacharitra' by Bankimchandra.
He decided : after retirement , he would return to these epics again.

And after 53 years, I did that when I started to work on Iconography of terra cotta panels of Bengal’s temples.
Recently,after I dusted and read 'Meghnaad Badh Kavya' to address a question of a friend from sulekha.com, I wrote my 2nd blog on a stigmatised character of our mythology: Tale of Soorpanakha.

One point is true about that Tale : this was when the roller-coaster journey to destruction of Ravana's regime and life started. Or did it start when Ravana violated Vedabati, daughter of sage Kusadhvaja ? A serious reader of Ramayana will very likely agree with me.

During the last week, I searched for Vedabati ,Ravana and Sita in Internet . I came across complex postulations about Sita's birth and that took my notice away for a while . Many story-writers of Ramayana, across countries and ages believed that Sita was the daughter of Ravana and/or Mandodari, Ravana's principal wife and daughter of RakshasaRaj Maya . One story says Ravana sneezed to give birth to her .Yet another says Mandodari conceived Sita after she wanted to commit suicide and took a potion of six ascetic's blood ,collected by Ravana, on the assumption that it was poison and conceived Sita.One point remains constant : Mandodari , after learning that the new born would be cause of Ravana's death, arranged to send the infant away to Mithila (in Nepal,currently known as Janakpur).She was abandoned in a field which Rishi Janaka was tilling in the month of Baishakh ( end-April, early-May).Rishi Janaka took the infant home and fathered her.

Then, I returned to my Krittibasi Ramayana for the best known story about Vedabati. It has a less-than-two-pages story of Vedabati. There is a painting too : Ravana pulling hair of Vedabati, a white dress covering her well-endowed curves , not the dear skin Krittibasa described to be her regular dress. Ravana's appearance does not evoke fear or repulsion....nowhere near the two images of Ravana created by Ravi Verma. Now, the story by Krittibas.

Vedabati portrayed as an attractive woman, Ravana ,a wimp

Ravana did not approach Vedabati in a hurry. He tried to win her over by courting her , pointed out the futility of trying to be Lord Vishnu's consort , then tried to gain her attention by taunting her and bragging about his strength (and very likely about his virility) before he violated her. Stories say he pulled her by her hair and only one source have used the ultimate word :'rape'. Ravana had strong ego, uncontrolled libido and a desire to possess. So, it is difficult to believe that he stopped at pulling her hair. This woman ,who led the life of an ascetic and was so engrossed in her dream of being Lord Vishnu's consort ,that she ignored the threat her earlier powerful suitor DemonKing Shambhu cast on her family (finally she had to suffer the tragedy of having her parents killed in retaliation for refusal to offer her hands to Raja Shambhu in marriage!) definitely found the act defiling not only her body but also her soul. According to Krittibas, she committed suicide in shame, with a vow of 're-incarnation for retribution' on her lips.

In the story I intend to write, (same as in that of Lord Srinivasa, a Tale of Vedabai well-known in South India) , she stays alive . That will appear in part II.
Reference to the story of Srinivasa is : http://www.indiadivine.org/articles/394/1/Srinivasa-Kalyanam/Page1.html.
Also, here is the story of Vedabati from Internet which uses the word 'rape' whereas other writers stopped at molestation and avoided writing about Ravana violating Vedabati sexually.

http://www.experiencefestival.com/vedavati
"Vedavati - Early life and Dedication to Vishnu
Vedavati is speculated to have been the spirit of Sita Devi, the wife of Rama in the epic Ramayana. Vedavati - Early Life. Vedavati is the daughter of Brahmarishi , who is the son of Brihaspati, Lord-Guru of the Devas, the Gods. Having spent his life chanting and studying the sacred Vedas, he names his daughter Vedavati, or Embodiment of the Vedas, born as the fruit of his bhakti and tapasya
Her father wants his child to have Lord Vishnu for a husband. He thus rejects many powerful kings and celestial beings who sought his daughter's hand. Outraged by his rejection, a powerful Daitya king Sambhu murders her parents in the middle of a moonless night.
Vedavati continues to live in the ashram of her parents, meditating night and day and performing a great tapasya to win Vishnu for her husband.
The Ramayana describes her as wearing the hide of a black antelope, her hair matted in a jata, like a rishi. She is inexpressibly beautiful, in the bloom of her youth, enhanced by her tapasya.
Violation and death
Ravana, the emperor of Lanka and the rakshasa race found Vedavati sitting in meditation and is captivated by her incredible beauty. After mocking her dedication to Vishnu and her penance, he attacks her and rapes her.
Her chastity and reputation destroyed, Vedavati immolates herself by building a pyre, while Ravana is watching with sick pleasure."
I , however,do not believe Ravana viewed the scene with sick pleasure. Ravana had high libido. A King of his physical and mental stature is expected to have high testosterone level. We have innumerable stories in our mythology and history about persons with characteristics of Ravana.In this case,I believe, if he had lost interest in Vedabati,he would have gone away after the act . Alternatively,if he felt a bond with Vedabati, he would have tried to stop her from self-destruction as she was a beauty Ravana cherished. Immolation of women till 19th century is found in every corner of Indian history and this subject should be on our collective conscience...... Ramayana's more well-known act chastity's test by fire being no exception!

Before I conclude ,I copy/paste material on Ravana's libido I found in the internet, touching upon the link between death of Vedabati and birth of Sita :
"Ravana - Violations of Women
http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Ravana_-_Violations_of_Women/id/1869565
Ravana's sexual prowess is important to note as it plays a critical part in his legacy and downfall. Even as a young man he shamelessly violates women, and blessed with awesome strength, becomes an immensely virile rakshasa. He is a master of tantric vidya, or magical sexual arts.
Although Ravana is married to Mandodari, the daughter of Asura Maya, he captures thousands of women from his conquests and maintains a harem of unparalleled size.
Ravana also violates Rambha, the queen of the Apsaras. He is thereby cursed that if he ever forces himself on a woman again, his heads will burst. This curse protects the chastity of Sita when she is his captive.
There is also a discussed prophesy in the Ramayana that Ravana had violated Vedavati, a young ascetic who was performing tapasya to win Vishnu as her husband. Ravana's actions cause Vedavati to immolate herself, but she pledges to return in another age to be his destruction. The Rishi Agastya explains that Vedavati was born as Sita, and she is the wife of Vishnu's Avatara, Rama, and the cause of Ravana's death."


Vedabati sacrifices herself in flaming fire.
PanchaRatna Temple, Dt Bankura,West Bengal

DASHAVATAR - TEN INCARNATIONS of LORD BISHNU

A THREAD THROUGH 'SRIMADBHAGABAT' , 'GEETAGOVINDA' of JAIDEV and TERRA COTTA TEMPLES of BENGAL

Krsna told Arjuna , before the start of Kurukshetra war, about the Incarnations of Supreme Power through ages , in the timeless ‘sloka’, which is copied here in Bengali script :

Loosely translated, this ‘sloka’ means :

‘I make appearances through ages to rescue the Pious , to annihilate the miscreants and to preserve religious faith .’

The first verse of Jaidev’s GeetaGovinda is dedicated to the ten Incarnations of Lord Bishnu: Meena (Fish), Kurma (Tortoise), Baraha (Boar), Nrisinha (Man Lion) ,Bali (Dwarf), Parasuram, Rama, Balarama, Buddha and Kalki.According to Hindu mythology, nine of these Incarnations have already taken place and the last one, Kalki is yet to make His appearance.Each Incarnation is associated with a period of history and follows the trail of evolution of life and human race. First three Incarnations have sub-human forms. Fourth is anthropomorphic, fifth is a dwarf. Rest have normal human forms.

Jaidev’s 'Dash-avatar' is devotional and lyrical. But, that of SrimadBhagabat offers another angle to the reader. It says: God ( Lord Bishnu) has not only ten Incarnations, He has ten manifestations too. It is being established here : as Atma , the ‘soul’ , will have many ‘forms’ through re-births, ‘Parama-atma’, the Divine Soul also has many Forms too. Each of these forms has one or more very special connotation and/or story associated with it.

A panel with eight Incarnations - JorBangla temple,Bishnupur

Those, who are interested to delve into more details about these Incarnations and Manifestations, may please take the trouble of referring to the third chapter of SrimadBhagabat.

A panel showing Bishnu resting on 'Aananta' the snake  in the cataclysmic ocean.