Agni Purana describes Surya, the sun-god, as one who rides a chariot which consists of one wheel and is driven by seven white horses. In his two hands he carries lotuses. Broadly, this Orissa wall hanging, which in its style of rendering has a touch of Andhra's art of 'Kalamakari', has taken its model of sun-god from the Agni Purana, though with some deviations. The Agni Purana prescribes sun-god with two arms but the artist of this wall hanging has gone for four arms as per Vishnudarmottara Purana. May be, in contrast to multiple figures of horses, the four armed image of the deity better balanced the canvas and better served his artistic purpose. His two attendants, Danda and Pingala, flanking on sides, have been replaced by two decorative parrots, obviously to add folk element and to symbolise fruit bearing impact of the sun-god.
Contained within a double frame, the outer one consisting of zig-zag pattern and the inner one of floral and creeper motifs, the image of the sun-god Surya has been rendered as seated on a lotus, laid in the centre of a chariot driven by seven horses. Aruna, the son of sage Kashyapa, with a whip in his right hand is driving the chariot. The figure of the sun-god has around it a double halo, the inner one looks more like the back plate of his high crown and the outer one consists of a broad frame studded with rubies in particular. It consists of deep red symbolising the colour of sun-god himself. He has four arms, two carrying full blooming lotuses, the third raised in 'abhaya' or 'varada-mudra' and the fourth carrying in it a mace and is partially placed on the parrot flanking him on his left. A beautifully drawn figure, with fine long fingers, small lips, round face, large eyes and well defined neck characterise the iconography of the sun-god. Save a partially visible sash around his neck, he is without upper garments, though most of the ancient texts prescribe a 'Kavacha' or a pair of cloth-pieces covering his upper part. He is wearing a 'dhoti' beautifully laid on his legs and thighs.
In Vedas, Surya and Vishnu have often substituted each other. In Rigveda, even Aruna is only one of his names. The artist, in this wall hanging, seems to share Vedic angle in his iconography of the sun-god. His image of the sun-god has on his head an essentially Vaishnava crown studded with rubies characteristic of both, Vishnu and Surya. On his forehead he has a Vaishnava 'tilaka' and on breast a Vaishnava garland. Needless to say, his attributes, the lotus and mace are essentially Vaishnava. He is wearing large 'Kundalas' on his ears. The Mahabharata is the earliest text to conceive sun-god wearing such 'Kundalas'. His four armed image also corresponds with Vaishnava iconography. His other jewels also correspond to those of Vaishnu.
The iconography of the sun-god has its own symbolism. Seven horses are suggestive of seven days of a week, an astronomical division of time acknowledged universally and beyond time. The verbal meaning of the term Aruna is red, which always precedes the arrival of the sun. Aruna also has a legend. It is said the son of sage Kashyapa Aruna had a huge body capable of hiding the sun behind it. Once, annoyed by Rahu for swallowing him, the sun-god decided to burn all by his heat. It parched unbearably. Ultimately gods rushed to Brahma for rescuing them from Surya's wrath. Brahma commanded Aruna to take charge of the chariot of Surya, which he did and thus covered the sun behind his huge form. It is yet the same. Instead of the sun, the eye is capable of seeing only sun's brilliance, the Aruna, sun's forerunner.
This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of ancient Indian literature. Dr Daljeet is the chief curator of the Visual Arts Gallery at the National Museum of India, New Delhi. They have both collaborated on numerous books on Indian art and culture.
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