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Kirtimukha, the Serpentine Motif, and Garuda: The Story of a Lion that Turned into a Big Bird |
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| Author |
Vajracharya, Gautama V. (著)
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| Source |
Artibus Asiae
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| Volume | v.74 n.2 Special Issue |
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| Date | 2014 |
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| Pages | 311 - 336 |
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| Publisher | Museum Rietberg Zurich |
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| Publisher Url |
http://www.artibusasiae.com
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| Location | Zurich, Switzerland [蘇黎世, 瑞士] |
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| Content type | 期刊論文=Journal Article |
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| Language | 英文=English |
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| Note | Author Affiliation: University of Wisconsin–Madison |
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| Abstract | Kirtimukha (literally “face of glory") is the most popular motif in both South and Southeast Asian art and architecture across all religious boundaries. On numerous occasions, scholars have treated the subject elaborately, focusing mainly on one of Shiva's myths. According to the myth, kirtimukha is the name of Shiva's demonic follower, whose appetite was so intense that he devoured his own limbs and torso, but could not consume his face. This Shaiva legend does not help in explaining the significance of kirtimukha in Buddhist and Jain art, where it appears repeatedly as a prominent symbol. In fact, the earliest visual representation of the symbol is found in Buddhist art from around the third century CE, certainly earlier than the Shaiva story found in Puranic literature of the post-Gupta period. Alternatively, some Puranic stories associate kirtimukha with kalamukha, “the face of time and death," while others link it with the popular legend of the demon Rahu, who grasps the moon, thus causing a lunar eclipse. It is true that Rahu sometimes has a leonine head, which is a feature of kirtimukha. To my knowledge, however, kirtimukha in early artistic representations is never shown grasping the lunar disc or devouring it, as one would expect to see if it were Rahu's head or face. Further, these Puranic interpretations do not correlate with the real meaning of kirtimukha, nor with the stylized foliage motif so often depicted as a prominent icongraphic element of the motif. In this article I will explain not only the original significance of the kirtimukha motif in South Asia and its association with the lion and meandering foliage, but also demonstrate how the serpentine foliage motif of ancient Indian art was later reinterpreted as a real snake and how eventually kirtimukha turned into the mythical bird Garuda, the enemy of serpents. |
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| Table of contents | Nomenclature and Symbolic Significance 311
The Foliage Motif 314
Evolution 315
The Serpentine Motif 319
Metamorphosis 330
Conclusion 333
Acknowledgements 333
Names & Terms with Diacritics 334 |
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| ISSN | 00043648 (P) |
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| Hits | 45 |
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| Created date | 2023.08.08 |
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| Modified date | 2023.08.08 |
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