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    Makara in Indian Sculpture

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    Prantik Gupta
    Makara is an ancient Indian aquatic symbol that originated as a fish or crocodile but took many fanciful forms over time. It spread from India to other ancient cultures, influencing art and mythology in places like Babylon, Norse legends, Greece, Sri Lanka, Burma, and China. Makara symbolizes concepts like the primordial waters, the cosmic ocean, life, creation, time and its cyclic nature. It is a widely used decorative motif in Indian art and iconography and serves as the vahana or vehicle for deities like Varuna, Lakshmi, Ganga and Saraswathi.

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    Makara in Indian Sculpture

    Uploaded by

    Prantik Gupta
    297 views5 pages
    Makara is an ancient Indian aquatic symbol that originated as a fish or crocodile but took many fanciful forms over time. It spread from India to other ancient cultures, influencing art and mythology in places like Babylon, Norse legends, Greece, Sri Lanka, Burma, and China. Makara symbolizes concepts like the primordial waters, the cosmic ocean, life, creation, time and its cyclic nature. It is a widely used decorative motif in Indian art and iconography and serves as the vahana or vehicle for deities like Varuna, Lakshmi, Ganga and Saraswathi.

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    makara in indian sculptural tradition

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    Makara is an ancient Indian aquatic symbol that originated as a fish or crocodile but took many fanciful forms over time. It spread from India to other ancient cultures, influencing art and mythology in places like Babylon, Norse legends, Greece, Sri Lanka, Burma, and China. Makara symbolizes concepts like the primordial waters, the cosmic ocean, life, creation, time and its cyclic nature. It is a widely used decorative motif in Indian art and iconography and serves as the vahana or vehicle for deities like Varuna, Lakshmi, Ganga and Saraswathi.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    297 views5 pages

    Makara in Indian Sculpture

    Uploaded by

    Prantik Gupta
    Makara is an ancient Indian aquatic symbol that originated as a fish or crocodile but took many fanciful forms over time. It spread from India to other ancient cultures, influencing art and mythology in places like Babylon, Norse legends, Greece, Sri Lanka, Burma, and China. Makara symbolizes concepts like the primordial waters, the cosmic ocean, life, creation, time and its cyclic nature. It is a widely used decorative motif in Indian art and iconography and serves as the vahana or vehicle for deities like Varuna, Lakshmi, Ganga and Saraswathi.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 5

    75.4.

    Sometimes, when it is used as a decorative motif its entire body may


    not be depicted; but, only its head could be detailed along with its tail
    either well spread out and standing up (puchcham urdhva visrtam) or
    spread around (sarvato gatam) or hanging down to earth (bhu-pranta
    vikshiptam) .

    75.5. Makaras face alone is used in Indian temple architectural element


    as kirtimukha glory face.

    75.6. Makara as a decorative and as a royal insignia is well accepted. It is a


    widely used decorative embellishment and a symbol in most Indian works
    of art and in iconography.
    Makara an Indian symbol that travelled worldwide

    76.1. Makara is essentially an Indian symbol. It is very ancient too. In the


    Bhagavad-Gita Sri Krishna mentions I am Makara among the aquatics
    (jhasanam makarah) just as the Ganga among the rivers and Rama among
    the warriors- (Gita .10.31). As a sea creature, Makara may have initially
    been a fish or a crocodile but later on it took many fanciful forms. The
    Makara concept seems to have captured the imagination of rest of the
    ancient world too. Makara in its various forms and manifestations spread to
    west .And it is said, Makaras metamorphosis is the Babylonian water-god
    Ea an antelope-fish; the goat-fish Capricorn of the Zodiac; the horse-
    headed sea-water animal or water-serpent Nykkur of Norse legends; and,
    the mythical seahorse and the dragon. Even the Sphinx could be termed a
    Makara. It is also explained that in old-Greek Makara means the blessed
    and is root of Greek names such as Makarios.
    76.2. The combination of the features of an aquatic animal, a serpent, an
    elephant and the dragon; as also the mystic symbolisms associated with it
    inspired the legends, myths and all art forms in Burma, China , Far East
    and in Buddhism. It is also said; the ancient flag of ancient seafaring
    people of Sri Lanka, the Karware carried the Makara emblem with an image
    of a fish at its centre. Burmas animal of five beauties is also a Makara.

    Makara Symbolism

    77.1. Makara is rich in symbolism. Ananda K Coomaraswamy (in


    his Yaksha) writes Makara is a great Leviathan (serpent) moving through
    the primeval waters, the cosmic ocean of the night sky, which contain the
    essence of life. He suggests, Makara stands for Prakrti that manifests the
    un-manifest. He equates Makara with the abode of lotus which in turn
    symbolizes life.
    77.2. In the Indian calendar , Makara Sankranthi (in December/
    January) marks the end of winter solstice and the entering of the Sun into
    the tenth house of the Zodiac heading toward the northern hemisphere. It is
    the dawn for the gods. It also is the birth of time; and the first day of the
    New Year. Makara is associated with creation-process; thus, it symbolizes
    time and its cyclic nature. Makara is therefore prominently placed in Sun
    temples.
    77.3. The Makara, its forms and symbolisms have permeated Indian art and
    living at various levels. Apart from being a royal insignia and serving as a
    decorative designer as a structural bracket, Makara is the vahana, the
    vehicle or the ride, of Varuna, the goddesses Lakshmi, Ganga and
    Saraswathi; and, is the banner on Kamadevas flag. The earrings of Vishnu
    and other gods are in the shape of Makara (Makara-kundala).In astrology
    Makara is related to constellation of Capricorn (Makara-raasi) with Sea-
    Goat as its symbol.
    There is even a depiction of the five-faced Hanuman riding a Makara

    77.4. The elephant-like trunk of the Makara and the waters bring together
    Lakshmi goddess of beauty and prosperity and Ganga the river goddess.
    Elephants are associated with clouds, rains and waters. Makara which
    serves Lakshmi, Ganga and other river-goddesses as their vahana, the
    ride, is also connected with water.

    [Note: Wherever there is discrepancy between the narration and the picture
    ; please take the narration and ignore discrepancy.]

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