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| Home > Indian Sculptures > Animal Sculpture
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| | Animal Sculpture
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Animals play an important role in the history of mankind. The Indus valley sculptures emphasizing more on civic life. So, animal sculptures were found their presence in every form of them. Animals like elephants occupy a special place in the life and artistic tradition of India. There are references from ancient times, they have been treasured and pampered as the ultimate beasts of burden, & treated as the vehicles of gods and kings and most striking is that they were even worshiped.
The legendary attributes of elephants regarding strength, intelligence & nobility and of them being an animal is eulogized in myth or in our epic and popular literature.
 Therefore, to the art makes elephants provide an enduring fascination. Elephants found presentation through depictions in architectural sculpture. At the heart of this heading `Animal sculptural` many other animals should be covered but many of them are not clearly identified. But somewhere birds like peacock & eagle are sculptured.
At the places like centuries-old temples, monasteries, forts and palaces, elephants were carved for making the ceremonial entrances. They were even found to enrich single columns and capitals, to form elements in balustrades to stairways of palaces of olden days.
In animal sculptures of this period, the particular sculpture representing a mouflon, a type of wild sheep native of the highland regions is presented with perfection. The head of the animal is in broken condition but can be imagined - is held upward and is twisted to the right, creating an impression of alertness of a mouflon. No doubt, that the artists had achieved a realistic rendering in case of this sculpture.
 In most of the cases, sculptures of animals from Harappan civilization denotes every minute details-for example the bottom of the statue depicts the animal is in sitting position, but even though the hidden leg (if imagined in folded manner) was originally indicated in the final appearance without its direct & visible denotation. And many times the entire body of the animal is carved within a single unbroken outline & in single rock.
In relief type of sculpture, the horns, ears, tail, and muscles were modeled particularly, giving distinct characteristics. In fact, the combination of closed outline balanced with broadly modeled masses and a minimum of incised detail can be said as the characteristic of animal sculpture from the Harappan-period.
The another animal found in sculptures is lion. The Hindu Goddess Durga very often called, as Mother Durga is a celestial warrior. And lion is the vahana of Mother Durga.
So, carving sculptures of her, along with her other attributes the lion is also carefully carved. The Bronze images or other metallic images denotes the lion in realistic way.
Like elephant, the another animal found in Hindu sculpture that is noted for the sculptural appearance is Nandi, the vahana of Lord Shiva. From mythology, Nandi is the white bull on which Shiva rides, & and the leader of the Ganas. The white color of the bull primarily symbolizes the purity and justice. The association of Shiva and Nandi in Hindu scriptures and art can be traced from centuries from temples.
 The close association between Shiva and Nandi can be marked with the presence of a statue of Nandi at the gate of the Garbha Griha of every temple that is dedicated to Shiva.
Though Nandi was given the position that is lesser than the Hindu god, number of temples are dedicated solely to Nandi. Even the marble statues of Nandi are prepared for decorative purposes in modern days.
But apart from artistic tradition the function of these animal sculptures is still unknown.
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