Umasahita

     Tanjore District. About 10th century AD.

     Seated. Height of Siva 46 cm., of Parvati  39 cm.

     Siva carries axe and antelope in his upper hands while his lower hands are in the abhaya, varada postures. Parvati carries lotus bud and varada in her hands. They have low lotus pedestals forming part of large plain rectangular stand.

    The girdle and cloth, though somewhat crudely worked, are fully decorated; but as is usual in seated figures, they cannot be compared with those of standing figures. That this image is of Chola type is, however, indicated by the general term of the necklaces (poor though these are in finish), and by the treatment of the face.

     A skull is represented in Siva's head-dress below the jewel, above which are two rather obscure objects, that on the right probably a lotus or Datura flower. The crescent moon above the latter is clearly shown but not the cobra usually found on the right.

     Siva's sacred thread is knotted in front to a thinner and shorter thread passing from the right shoulder round the left side of the body and crossing the sacred thread behind. Parvati's body threads are of the Sri Devi type. The breast and the back of the head of the antelope are facing towards Siva.

Vinadhara Dakshinamurti

     Tanjore District. Height 66 cms. About 12th century AD.

     Standing. He holds the axe, antelope; kataka, kataka (for holding the vina) postures.

     The simple treatment of the image suggests affinity with those of the Chola type but the somewhat high relief of the ornamentation, especially the necklaces and the Lion-face clasp of the girdle, seem to preclude this. The snake and the crescent are inconspicuously shown on the right and left respectively of the top of the head-dress. The loin-cloth is decorated with a single row of rather widely spaced wheels, with an additional pair, slightly larger and more conspicuous, at the highest level on the most prominent part of the buttocks. The breast and the back of the head of the antelope are facing towards Siva.

Virabhadra

     Locality unknown. Height 95 cm.About 15th Century AD.

     Virabhadra standing on a padmasana over a square bhadrasana. He has four hands. The upper hands hold axe and bow, while his lower right holding an arrow and left resting on the shield. He is seen wearing a Kiritamakuta instead of the usual jatamakuta. There are patrakundalas in ears. Keyuras and valayas are present. A long garland hangs from shoulder to the knees.

Vishapaharana

     Kilappudanur, Nannilam Taluk, Thanjavur District. Height 62 cm.About 9th Century AD.

     The treatment of this image, especially the high relief of the details of the head dress shows affinity with Somaskanda from Tiruvalankadu. The head- dress bears a Datura flower, moulded in the round as in that image and certain other Nataraja images on its left side and an imperfect crescent, apparently also designed in the round, on the right near the top. There are makarakundalas in both the ears. The inner of the two necklaces is very broad and plain. The outer one appears to have been designed with an ornamental centre piece, but its surface is quite smooth. The sacred thread is divided into three, its broad central portion being looped over the right forearm. The face and breast of the antelope are facing towards Siva.