What are vigrahas?
Vigrahas or sculptures form the main component in a temple. Activities in a temple pivot round the vigrahas. Most of the temples install chithram that is divine vigrahas inside the sanctum and auxiliary shrines or parivara sannidis.
What are the materials used to make vigrahas?
Immobile vigrahas are normally carved on rock surface or made of clay or lime mortar. Mobile ones are made of different types of metals, minerals, stone or wood.
What more should I know about vigrahas?
Vasthushilpa categorises vigrahas into three types. Achalam, Dhuruva Beram and Moola Beram — immobile vigrahas, chalam that can be shifted and chalachalam — mobile-immobile. The above detailed vigrahas are again classified into three types of guna bhavas, namely Satvikam, Rajasam and Tamasam based on their attitudes and expressions.
What would be good examples of these categories?
Achalam - Sriranganatha of Srirangam, Chalam - utsava idols and chalaachalam - the moolavar are the examples of this type. Moola bimbas of - Shiva Lingam, Sri Balaji, Sri Iyyappan can be pointed out as chalachalam vigrahas.
This column will take readers through the various aspects of sculptures and idols.
