Pillar sculptures and sculptures that adorn the entrance Gopuras must have been the playing fields for sculptors, to let off some steam after the rigors of sculpting within the rigid frameworks required for the main deities – so pretty often we do get to see some real gems. We spotted one such series in Tirukkurungudi.
Before we proceed to the sculpture, posting this poster commonly shared for team work which is basically a modifciation of the age old United we stand, divided we fall moral story.
The actual sculptures are in the first tier but considering the height of the entrance Gopura, not all would dare to climb up to this height to view these.
To take you through what i feel is the story board, the first two depict ladies with pet parrots. So it wouldn’t be hard to imagine that they were very popular pets for young girls during the period.
Economics would then come into place and the Law of Demand and supply would apply. In layman terms demand for parrots would have gone up leading to??
Hunting parrots. It is interesting to note that the sculptor has chosen to depict the three hunters with three different tools. The first one is using some sort of a sling/ catapult, the third one a bow, while the middle one – seems to be an expert marksman with the marble – the way he is holding the marble brings back nostalgic memories of Goli !
So faced with this treat of annihilation the parrots have gotten together to try a bit of camouflage !
The sculptor has brilliantly utilised the shapes to come up with a near perfect mimic !
Amazing Work, and am extremely glad that you found it! Will try locating them the next time am around Tirunelveli (Which should be soooon!)
Amazing Work, and am extremely glad that you found it! Will try locating them the next time am around Tirunelveli (Which should be soooon!)
Fascinating find Vijay. Does this have any relevance to the Sanskrit epic story called Kadambari where the queen had a pet parrot? Also were Parrots ever hunted around there back in the day? Perhaps you are correct, the sculptor was merely displaying their unique skills.
Vijay pl write articles on ur visits soon
thank you for this lovely post and pics….. Did remind me a bit of the pet parrot we had while in school and the good times 🙂
Have seen composite images of humans forming elephants and horses (pashu kunjar) but never parrots. Making these kind of composite images seems to have been very popular in the art scene….long long ago
அருமை!
Nandri Vijay .. Just wondering how they put so much of work in place where few will see them ! Total Customer Satisfaction
அடேங்கப்பா… தமிழன் முன்னோடி என்பதற்கான அற்புத சான்று… இதை ஏன் நாமளே நம்ப மறுத்து அடுத்தவன் வாலைபிடித்து அலைகிறோம்? :((
This is a terrific sculpture.. and a terrific post!
Good one describing the the hidden talents of our ancestors