Temple processions happens quite frequently in India. They are tied to festivities of the many hindu temples. And these processions can be quite colourful with drums, shouts,chants, music, beats, firecrackers. People are in frenzy seeing the god – Shiva, Vishnu etc… being taken out in the procession. The diety coming out in the streets is known as the utsava Murti which is the festival form of the temple diety. In the humdrum many of us fail to see the minor dieties, vehicles, ganas, body guards accompanying them too. Here is a brief spotlight on them in pictures. This event titled ‘In Celestial Company’ happened at MAP Museum,Bangalore.
Vehicles of the Gods
The lion is a common animal seen during a temple procession. It is the vehicle of hindu goddess Durga. Vehicles such as mouse, the vehicle of Ganesha, Nandi-the Bull of Shiva, Garuda-the kite of Vishnu, peacock of Subramanya, elephant of Indra etc are some other companions of the dieties in annual processions. These animals carved in wood or brass and then silver or gold plated are attractive figures in a ceremonial procession.
The vehicles may be stand alone or a diety may be seen along with it like Shiva & Uma seated on the back of a Nandi etc. Peacock is the vehicle of Subramanya- a dravidian god whose worship goes back to prehistoric times. These vehicles have their own meaning too like the Nandi is known for its great devotedness and loyalty. Garuda is known for his speed and agility etc.
There are some other peculiar animals too like the crow, donkey, dog, purusamruga(man-animal) etc. The picture above on the left shows the painting of Dhumavati- the goddess of decay and destruction, seen here with crows. The picture on the right has Ketu- a planet, that is shown seated on a vulture. A dog often accompanies Bhairava- a ferocious form of Shiva, while the donkey is the vehicle of Jyestadevi- the sister of Lakshmi yet depicting misfortune.
Chariot Carvings
From Processions to Patterns
Processional images are so bold and colourful that they have appeared in sculptures, paintings, in textile art etc. The above image depicts Ganga on a Makara. It is a Kalighat painting. Makara -part crocodile, part fish sometimes elephant carries the river goddess Ganga and also river Kaveri of the South India. Similarly the river Yamuna rides a turtle. Both these river goddesses are also sculpted in either side of temple entry doorways with their symbols.
Not just in paintings, textiles too carried these companions, body guards , angels and dieties in their folds. The kalamkari art, the embroidery of the rich textiles going to the foreign shores carried this Indian heritage out.
Thus from the temple processions , to the outside world these minor dieties became widespread. Painted fresh every year for the processions, these guardians then went back to their vahana rooms ,idle and dusty waiting to reach their gods in the next procession.
Note to Parents & Educators:
This post was as a result of attending the event in MAP museum titled ‘ In Celestial Company’. This single visit can act as learning materials for your children. Here is how.
In Class 7’s Devotional Paths to the Divine, students learn about temple traditions and worship. This chapter covers bhakti, saints, temple worship, processions.Your visit can highlight how minor gods, animals, and attendants in temple sculptures and processions embody this devotional world.
In Class 8 students learn about temple art, crafts, and heritage as part of India’s urban and cultural history.This museum visit acts as a supplementary material for them.
In Class 12’s Themes in Indian History, temple sculptures are studied as sources of cultural history. A museum visit draws attention to the often-overlooked “minor figures” in temple carvings — attendants, animals, and celestial companions — which textbooks may not elaborate on.