Of the five monolith temples, four were dedicated to the brothers of Vishnù, Dharma Rajah, Bimen, Nagulan, and Sawadewen, the fifth being excavated in honour of Dubrotis, the consort of Dharma Rajah. The legend relates that the four brothers lived in a state of Polyandry, or plurality of husbands, and had but one wife in common, who was a species of Amazon. All these temples are tolerably sculptured, which, indeed, constitutes their chief claim to attention; but they are far from showing the artistic finish of the bas-reliefs and sculptures, at what is known as the Holy Mount.
Rhanganatha Swami, for instance, is the finest, though not the most important of these artificial grottoes. The sculptures here are incontestably the most highly-finished. The upper portion, to which access is obtained by some steps cut in the rock, rises above the huge granite block, known as Jamapuram; the lower portion is a temple hewn out of one piece of rock, and with the most marvellously-executed allegories.
Among the reliefs on the north wall is perceived Donga, Siva's wife, riding on a lion (according to the natives, on a tiger), and bending her bow in conflict with Mahishasura, a giant with the head of a buffalo, who brandishes a club. According to Elliot's interesting interpretation, this represents the contest between the matronly Amazon and heroine, Donga, the representative of active virtue, and the bull-headed Mahishasura, the personification of brute strength and animal passion. Over the head of either figure, a parasol, such as is used by the natives, is outspread, giving a most grotesque appearance to the group.
BAS-RELIEF ON ONE OF THE MONOLITH TEMPLES.
The relief on the southern wall represents a sleeping Vishnù (Rhanganatha), 9½ feet high, apparently representing the idea of the Creation, as the serpent, Sescha, with its five heads, encircles his head. At his feet one perceives two rajahs or princes, and one female figure, in a praying attitude, with uplifted hands, only the bust being represented. In one of the niches at Swami are two busts, life-size, of Siva, and his wife Paravathi, the latter holding an infant at the breast, his offspring Supramanión. Above this representation, and, like them, only showing from the shoulder upwards, are represented on the right Brahma, on the left Vishnù, each with four arms, symbolical of their power and dominion.
The superstructure of these rock sculptures is a sort of platform of loose stones accurately fitted to each other without mortar, so as to make an ornamental whole. The interior is adorned with much more highly-finished specimens of art, to view which, a large number of Hindoos, doing penance, annually climb, with great difficulty, into this part of the building, and make their way into the unfinished interior apartments. While we were giving free scope to our surprise at all we saw, we were greatly annoyed in our contemplations by the natives, who offered us bouquets of flowers, wreaths, and fruit. Also, a couple of flute-players (Pulanpolen) who were passing, made their appearance to give us a specimen of their musical skill. One old man, of whom we procured a curious figure of Vishnù, neatly carved in wood, as also several manuscripts, remarked that there was in the neighbourhood, written upon Palmyra leaves, a manuscript, known as the Istálam-purànam which gave the history of the Seven Pagodas, written in Tamil.
The late president of the Madras Society, the learned Walter Elliot, who formed an extensive collection of the various valuable Hindoo manuscripts and inscriptions of Mahamalaipuram, and has partly published a translation of them,[109] told us afterwards, that this renowned Tamil Manuscript consisted of nothing but fables, and did not give one single reliable particular as to the history of the Seven Pagodas.
[109] Journal of the Madras Literary Society, 1846, Nos. 30 and 31.