1844.] 



Account of Mamallaipur. 



19 



presumptuous, proud and wicked ; and forgetting the great 

 power of the gods, he ran away with the whole earth, and 

 plunged it and himself into the depths of the sea ! This sin- 

 gular exploit made the interposition of the preserving power 

 .necessary ; and Vishnu changing himself into the form of a 

 boar, plunged into the ocean ; fought a dreadful battle which 

 lasted a thousand years ; at length slew the impious daitya ; 

 brought back the earth on his tusks, and restored it to its 

 usual good order, peace and tranquillity. 



The sculptures illustrative of the story appear to refer to 

 a period subsequent to the battle, for the figures supply 

 the imagination with the idea that the boar-headed deity is now 

 solacing himself after the toils and dangers of his thousand 

 years' conflict. The principal figure, Vishnu (four handed), 

 is executed with considerable spirit. He stands firmly on 

 the left leg. The right leg is raised and the foot rests on the 

 head of another figure. On the right knee sits a female ; 

 Vishnu's left hand grasps the small part of her right leg, 

 while his right hand passes behind her, a little lower than 

 the waist, while he regards her witjh. interesting pig-headed 

 gravity. His two remaining hands hold a conch shell and 

 the chakra*. Below Vishnu's right leg is the upper* portion 

 of a figure with the hands raised as in prayer, its lower part 

 being immersed in what may be supposed a representation of 

 the waves of the sea, (the rock being here very rough and 

 unfinished. Another figure, rising out of this imaginary 

 water, is also in a posture of supplication ; and there are 

 other accessaries but they do not appear to explain the story. 



Erom the back wall of this excavated fane, is a projection 

 measuring 7 feet 9 inches broad, and 3 feet 6 inches deep. 

 It contains an empty niche, in which however may be traced 

 the outlines of a deity, which the chisel of the workman has 

 not brought into being. A flight of three small steps leads 



* The chakra is a circular piece of metal, not unlike our discus or quoit. M. 



