Bhlmasena as Bhaírava in Nepal

By Gudrun Buhnemann , Madison ( Wisconsin )

Summary : Bhimasena , the second of the five Panda va brothers in the Mahabharata , is worshipped m Nepal as a form of Siva

or

, more precisely , as Bhairava Referred to as

'

Bhlmsen

' ,

he is especially popular among the Ne war trading community

,

which worships his images on small altars m shops Inscriptional evidence shows that Bhlmasena has been worshipped m Nepal at least since 1540 , but the cult is likely to be older Bhlmasena

'

s

shrines and temples are common m today

'

s Nepal , and various iconographie forms of the divinity are represented independently m paintings and line drawings , and as wood - carvmgs and brass sculptures In this paper I examine the rather complex iconography of Bhlmasena which developed in Nepal under the influence of Tantrism

I

especially focus on representations of Bhlmasena slaying Duhsäsana

,

in which he is accompanied by two small emaciated figures associated with charnel grounds , the habitat of Bhairava ,

Siva '

s wrathful form I show that Bhïmasena

's

iconography m Nepal

,

as perceived from at least the seventeenth century onward , developed from South Indian prototypes But whereas m South India Bin ma is merely the epic hero and serves as a guardian

,

m Nepal he is also worshipped as

a

divinity in his own right This change of status and his identification with

Bhairava added specific features to his more complex iconographie forms

Introduction

Bhlmasena , the second of the five Pändava brothers in the Mahabharata ,

there portrayed as a redoubtable warrior , is worshipped in Nepal as a form

of Siva or , more precisely , as Bhairava . 1 Referred to as ' Bhlmsen 5, he is es¬

pecially popular among the Newar trading community , which worships his

images on small altars in shops . Inscriptional evidence shows that Bhlmasena

I would like to thank

G

erd

M

evissen for valuable comments on this paper and

Kashinath T a mot for fruitful discussions I am indebted for help with photographic

material to Gerd Mevissen ,

M

anik

B

ajracharya , Ellen Raven , Gerard Foekema and

G

udrun

M

elzer

1 For general information on the worship of Bhlmasena in Nepal , see

R

eg mi 1965 - 1966

,

part

2 ,

pp

612

-

613

,

L

ikniiard 1978

,

pp

174

-

175 , R

hgmi 1980

- 1981 ,

part

2 ,

pp

612

-

613 , S

lusser 1982

,

volume

1 ,

pp 258

-

259 and

D

uijker 1998 For information specifically on his worship in the city of Bhaktapur , see

L

evy 1990 , pp

252 -

254 and

421 -

422

S

ax

1991

, 1995 and 2002 analyze the worship of Bhlnia and the Pändavas in the Pândavalîlâ in

Garhwal

,

while

D

uijker 2001 and 2010 deal with representations of Bhlma on Java

has been worshipped in Nepal at least since 1540 , 2 but the cult is likely to

be older . Devotional texts and inscriptions attest to the popularity of his

worship among both Hindus and Buddhists . Bhlmasena ' s shrines and tem¬

ples are common in today ' s Nepal , 3 and various iconographie forms of the

divinity are represented independently in paintings and line drawings , and

as woodcarvings and brass sculptures .

The deified B him a s en a is worshipped in aniconic form in the sanctum of

an important temple in Dolakhä . In anthropomorphic form he appears as

1 ) the main divinity a ) as a solitary figure

b ) or accompanied by one or more of his brothers and / or Draupadi and /

or with one or two ( often gaunt ) figures

c ) or , like Siva and Bhairava , flanked by Ganesa and Kumar a 4

2 ) or in a subordinate position , paired with Kubera , 5 as a guardian on the

western façade of Siva temples , at or near their entrances .

The unpublished ritual text Mohanacukayä hitiyäta busädhanasa ähuti biya

vidhi ( " The method for making fire offerings to the [ deities in the ] fountain

of Mohancuka on its anniversary " ) , written in the Newari language , pre¬

scribes fire oblations to be offered to the divinities at the sunken stepped

fountain in ( Man ) mohan courtyard in Kathmandu ' s Hanümändhokä Royal

Palace , and includes a mantra for the offering of an oblation to Bhlmasena ,

invoked as Mahäbhairava . 6 The deity is called Bhlmabhairava in a large

number of ritual and devotional texts from Nepal preserved in manuscript

2 A copperplate inscription dating from 660 N

. S

.

(

= 1540

ce

) refers to Bhlmasena

'

s worship

;

see Reg mi 1965

-

1966

,

part

2 , p .612

.

3 For

a

list of thirteen Bhlmasena temples m Nepal

,

see

R

eg mi 1972

, p .23

.

4 See Slusser 1982

,

volume

2 ,

Fig

.

414 and

D

uijker 1998

, p

.

14

for two such represen¬

tations .

5 For an early

-

eighteenth

-

centu ry painting of a Siva temple with these two divinities as guardians

,

see Pal 1985

, p .

74

(

P

30 ) .

Shrestha 1987 ,

p .

3 notes that it was customary m the seventeenth century to install images of these two divinities as guardians of Siva temples

.

Bhlmasena and Kubera

,

labelled as Siva

'

s guardians in the west , are depicted in sketchbook

611

- 684 in the collection of Ian

A Is

op

.

The fact that Bhlmasena is considered the guardian of the west is also evident from the Vamsavalï of Gunänanda

, p

.

125 ,

which reports that King Sivadevavarmä

"

brought Kämeswara Bhlmasena from the west , and established him to the west of Pashupati

"

. This text

( p .215

) records that Pratäpamalla discovered

a

frightening stone image of Bhïmasena

(

bhairava

)

in

a

tank and placed it to the west of his palace

.

The Vamsavalï of Padmagiri

, p .

75 also notes that Pratäpamalla

"

found an image of Bhima Bhairava in one of the tanks near his Darbar which he placed m

a

tem¬

ple to the west of his Darbar near the Visnumatl river

"

.

6 The passage m the text reads : hh ïmasenayâta

|

| bhäm bhïm bhürn

[

followed by a

kütäksara , a mantra monogram ] bhlmaräjesvaramahäbhairaväya namah | |

form , such as the Bhlmabhairavapüjä

(

paddhati

/

vidhi

/

arcanavidhi

)

, the Bhlmabhairavastotra , the Bhlmabhairavadvädasanämastotra , the Bhlma - bhairavasahasranämastotra , the Bhlmasenasahasranämastotra

(

ascribed to the Bhairavakalpa of the Rudrayämalatantra and printed in

R

egmi 1990 ,

pp

. 2- 7 )

, the Bhlmabhairavamantra and the Bhlmamahäbhairavapüjä - paddhati

. 7

In this paper I will examine how Bhlmasena

'

s identification with Bhairava in Nepal finds expression in texts and images .

Among the textual sources identifying Bhimasena with Siva

(

but not ex¬

plicitly with Bhairava

)

is the Sivarüpabhlmastotra

, a

hymn in fourteen verses attributed to King Pratäpamalla of Kathmandu

( r

. 1641 - 1674

)

. The hymn of praise , preserved in manuscript form and in a stone inscription

8

dating from 1655 near Kathmandu

'

s Bhimasena temple , celebrates Bhimasena as a manifestation of Siva . The as yet unedited

(

Mahä

- )

bhlmasena

-

dhäranl

9

in thirty

-

six verses and sections , preserved in several manuscripts from Ne¬

pal , invokes Bhimasena with different names , epithets and titles , including Bhairava

,

slayer of Duhsäsana and directional guardian (dikpäla

) .

The epithet Karunämaya also appears , which in Nepal usually refers to Avalokitesvara - Matsyendranätha

.

The Bhlmasenasahasranämastotra

(

R egmi 1990

,

pp

. 2- 7

) invokes the deity as Bhlmabhairava ( verse

8

) and Bhairava ( verse

23 )

.

Bhlmasena

^'

s simple form

The

(

Mahä

- )

bhlmasena

-

dhäranl describes the simple iconographie form commonly seen in roadside shrines in Nepal , on tympana of temples or on or to the side of doors , when Bhimasena serves as guardian or doorkeeper of Siva temples

. 10

Bhlma assumes a militant stance (pratyâlïdha ) and holds a club (gada ) in his right hand , while displaying the gesture of protection (abhayamudra ) with his left

.

In some images

(

Fig .

1)

the gesture is exhibited

7 The texts are recorded in the online title list of the Nepalese - German Manuscript

Cataloguing Project (= NGMCP ) .

8 The stone inscription was published in Abhilekh - Samgraha , part 3 , 1961 , pp . 15 - 16 . A paper manuscript of the text is preserved in the Tokyo University Library ( Matsunami 1965 , p . 102 , no . 276 ) and a microfilm of one manuscript is kept in the Buddhist Library , Nagoya (accession number CH 341 ) . Five manuscripts are recorded in the title list of the NGMCP ( manuscripts 133 / 4 ; E 1631 / 19 ; E 1079 / 15 ; H 13 / 11 and X 1232 / 1 ) .

9 A short note on the text with extracts from the manuscript in the Asha Archives can

be found in Regmi 1992 , a one - page article in Nepali .

10 I quote here the description of Bhlmasena ' s iconography from the Cambridge

manuscript ( fols . 5v . 6 - 6r . l ) , written in a rather faulty mixture of Newari and San¬

skrit : suvarnasimhäsanamadhyasthitam raktavarna < m > ekamukham d < v > ibhujam raktava < r > tulatrinetram dahina [ 6a ] bhujagadähastam mahäbalam satrusañghdte

vämabhuja - abhayamudrädharampratyälidhapadästhitam \\

Fig . 1 : The Bhimasena shrine in the village of Sankhu , Nepal

with the middle and ring finger

(

or the index and middle finger ) pressed against the thumb and the other fingers being kept straight . Dui - jker

(

1998

, p

. 12 and 2010

,

volume

1

, pp

.

34 ,

70

) calls this mudrä the

'

lion - face ' gesture (simhamukhamudrä

)

, but I have not seen evidence for this term being used in this context . In visual representations from Nepal , Bhimasena usually wears a tight ,

short

-

sleeved shirt of mail cover -

v

/ 1

ing

(

part of ) his upper body , a long

skirt (jämä

,

Nepali ) and a decorated

¡§ K HTO

J

■

jft

"

'

j

á mukuta on his head

.

He has a prom - pË

■

■

inent moustache and occasionally /•

holds a sword and shield .

Representations of the epic hero Bhlma holding his characteristic !

weapon , a club , in his right hand

Photo courtesyof

Gudrun Bühnemann appear early on in Indian art

. 11

The

club is usually held in his raised right hand . The sixth

-

century relief of Visnu Anantasayana on the southern wall of the Visnu Temple in Deogarh ,

Uttar Pradesh

(

depicted , for example , in

Z

immer 1960 ,

p

. 167 ) has been in¬

terpreted as featuring , on its lower part , Bhlma with a club in hand , in the company of the other Pändavas and Draupadl

,

but this interpretation is con¬

tested ; indeed the relief likely represents the Ayudhapurusas together with Madhu and Kaitabha ( van

K

ooij 1985

,

pp

.

681 - 683

) .

Numerous scenes from the Mahäbhärata featuring Bhlma holding a club are found at the twelfth / thirteen

-

century Hoysala temples in Karnataka

.

12 In the mid

-

twelfth - century Airävatesvara Temple at Darasuram we see Bhlma in militant stance , with flame

-

like hair , holding a club as part of depictions of the Bhlma -

11 It is beyond the scope of this paper to deal in more detail with representations of the

epic hero Bhlma in South Asian art . Some information on these images can be found in

Duijker 2010 , volume 1 , pp . 30 - 33 .

12 The representation of scenes from the Mahäbhärata at Hoysala temples is discussed

in Evans 1997 . For depictions of Bhlma with a club in hand as part of such scenes , see

Evans 1997 , figs . 72 , 79 , 80 , 100 , 130 , 136 and 150 .

Fig . 2 : Bhima inside Bhima ' s Gate , Vijayanagara

purusamrga episodes

.

13 Depictions of these episodes , perhaps from the late fifteenth century , are also seen in Hampi - Vijayanagara

(

Dallapic - cola

/

Verghese 2002

)

. The figure

of Bhima standing in militant stance , holding a mace in one hand and a flower

(

probably a saugandhika lo¬

tus intended for Draupadl ) in the other hand , appears in a relief on a stone slab near the Kudrekallu Gate in Vijayanagara

(

Dallapiccola / Verghese 1998 ,

p .

25 and Plate

13 )

, dating from the sixteenth cen¬

tury

.

A slightly later , mid

-

sixteenth

-

century free

-

standing sculpture inside Bhima

'

s Gate in Vijayanagara

(

Fig

. 2)

represents the same iconographie type .

Bhimasena slaying Duhsäsana

In Nepal , in addition to the simple and pacific form , are found representa¬

tions of Bhima in a militant stance

,

towering over a slain enemy and pressing him down with the knee of his bent left leg . Bhima rips open the enemy

'

s belly or chest with his left hand and either pulls out a long portion of his en¬

trails with his right hand or else raises

a

club over him

(

Fig

. 3 ) .

Individuals are often unable to specify the enemy

'

s name in such representations

,

while oth¬

ers are unsure whether he is Duryodhana

(

see , for example , Duijker 2010 , volume

1 , p . 34 ) ,

Duhsäsana or Klcaka

.

Such confusion is widespread

,

too

,

in India , where there are many versions of the Mahäbhärata . According to lo¬

cal versions from South India

,

for example

,

Bhima tears open Duryodhana

'

s chest , and Draupadl

—

in fulfillment of a vow

—

uses his blood to dress her hair and his intestines to bind or garland it

(

FFiltebeitel 1988 ,

p . 21

, note

16

, pp

.

306

-

307 , 409 , 432 - 433

) .

Representations of Bhima ripping out an en¬

emy

'

s intestines refer in Nepal to Bhima fulfilling a vow to kill Duhsäsana , who

—

supported by Duryodhana

—

had tried to disrobe Draupadl in public .

13 For recent discussions of purusamrga representations in Indian art , see Branfoot

2002 , Dallapiccola / Verghese 2002 and Wessels - Mevissen 2006 and 2009 .

mm

-4

t A " -i W /

I

^'

,

w

1 ^ ÄkT !

© hampi .in

Verse 3 of a song in the Newari language , dating perhaps from the nineteenth

century , illustrates this . The hymn is quoted here in full in the translation of

L

ienhard 1974

, p

. 148 :

(

Refrain

:)

Bhlmasena comes gladly

,

having destroyed his enemy

's

body

(

People ) came and stayed

;

he stopped being busy in order to accept

(

their ) worship

.

The whole ground is perfumed with the incense of gogula and

smoke

. ( 1

)

When various musical instruments sounded

,

it was terrible to listen to this

(

sound

) .

Gnashing his teeth

,

Bhlmasena leaps into battle

. ( 2

) Opening his red eyes

,

kicking

(

him ) angrily with his

(

bent ) knee

14

and

extracting his bowels

: (

Bhlmasena ) slays Duhsäsana

. ( 3

)

There is no one stronger than

he .

He drinks sufficient blood

, (

and ) on the site of his battle he makes a fire as

(

big as a fire ) can

be . (4

)

(

Easily ) catching tigers and elephants between his legs

,

clasping lions under his arms

,

and making horses fall flat to the ground

,

he moved there . Who is not afraid

? ( 5

)

Let me

, (

Lord

) ,

dwell beneath your two feet

,

and make me attain liberation in this

(

very

)

body and pay my homage as well as I can

. ( 6

)

In representations of the theme from

Nepal , Duhsäsana is lying on his back

and sometimes holds a shield and a

broken sword . Brass statues depict¬

ing this fierce form of Bhlma are sold

in the market as objects of worship .

Somewhat similar representations but

with Draupadl standing near Bhlma

and preparing to bind her hair can

already be found in South Indian

art . The theme is quite popular in the

twelfth / thirteenth - century Hoysala

temples . 15 Thus the north niche of the

southern shrine of the twelfth - century

Fig

. 3 :

Bhlmasena slaying Duhsäsana

.

Tusä Hiti

, (

former )

Royal Palace of Patan

,

Nepal

Photo courtesy of Gudrun Bühnemann

14

I

have changed the plural form

'

knees

'

in Lienhard

' s

translation to the singular

,

be¬

cause it is grammatically appropriate and corresponds with iconographie representations .

15 For

a

brief discussion of the relations between Nepal and South India in the twelfth

and thirteenth centuries

,

see Michaels 1985 .

Photo courtesy of Gerard Foekema .

Fig

. 4 :

Bhlma pulling out the intestines of a kneeling Duhsäsana

,

and

Draupadl about to take them in hand

.

Hoysalesvara Temple

,

Halebid

Photo courtesy of Gerard Foekema .

Fig

. 5 :

The same scene as in Fig

.

4 represented on the Laksmlnäräyana Temple

,

Hosaholalu

Hoysalesvara Temple , Halebid 16 ( Fig . 4 ) shows Bhlma pulling out the intes¬

tines of a kneeling Duhsäsana , and Draupadl about to take them in hand to

use for binding or garlanding her hair . The scene appears also on the north

face of the vestibule of the western sanctum of the late - twelfth - or early - thir -

teenth - century Hüchesvara Temple at Halebid ( E vans 1997 , p . 220 ) ; on a sec¬

tion next to the west external niche of the middle temple of the Nägaresvara

Temple complex , Halebid , from the second half of the twelfth century ( E v¬

ans 1997

, p .

229

);

on the south face of the vestibule of the western sanctum of

the late - twelfth - or early - thirteenth - century Kedaresvara Temple at Halebid

( E

vans 1997,

p .

238 ) and on the north side of the early

-

thirteenth

-

century

ïsvara Temple at Arsikere . 17 It is also represented on the northern side of the

north - west corner of the hall of the Laksmlnäräyana Temple , Hosaholalu

( Fig . 5 ) and on the eastern side of the northern celia of the Mallikärjuna

16 See Annual Report of the Mysore Archaeological Department for the Year 1930

, p .

43 with Plate

13 - 2 ;

Evans 1997

, p .

204

,

Fig

. 131 ;

see also Evans 1997

, p .

208 .

17 See the Annual Report of the Mysore Archaeological Department for the Year 1930 ,

p .

66 for

a

reference .

Fig . 6 : The same scene as in Figs . 4 and 5

carved on Bhlma ' s

Gate , Vijayanagara

Temple at Basarälu / Bas -

ral . It appears , further ,

on a relief on Bhlma ' s ;

Gate in Vijayanagara , i? | | j

dating from the end of

the fifteenth century to -

i i . . f i • © hampi .in

the beginning oi the six¬

te en th cent ury ( D allapiccola / V erghese 1998 , p . 25 and Plate 14 ) ( Fig . 6 ) .

Textual support for such representations is found in Pampa ' s tenth - century

Bhärata , also known as Vikramärjunavijaya , written in the Kannada lan¬

guage , wherein Draupadl vows that one day her hair will be bound with

Duhsäsana ' s intestines and Bhlma promises to make this wish come true ( Si -

taramiah 1967 , pp

.

95 -

96 )

. Bhlma subsequently slays Duhsäsana , smears

Draupadl ' s hair with his blood and garlands it with his intestines ( A charya

1981 , pp

.

293 , 359

-

361

).

The theme of a divine figure disembowelling an en¬

emy , be it noted , was already familiar from representations of Narasimha

slaying Hiranyakasipu . These are widespread and older , and so must have

served as prototypes .

The two figures accompanying Bhimasena

In more complex Nepalese sculptures and line drawings of the slaying of

Duhsäsana , Bhimasena is accompanied by two small , emaciated figures . The

earliest representation I have found is a sculpture in Tusä Hiti , a sunken

stepped fountain built in 1647 ce in the ( former ) Royal Palace of Patan

( Fig . 3 ) . 18 Bhimasena is ripping open Duhsäsana ' s abdomen with his left

hand and is pulling out the entrails with his right hand . The sculpture is

damaged , the long string of entrails having broken off . Bhlma is flanked

by two small gaunt figures making begging gestures . They are apparently

soliciting the flesh , blood and intestines of the slain warrior for their own

consumption .

18 For this fountain and its sculptures , see Bühnemann 2008 . Deva 1984 , p . 57 errone¬

ously labelled the sculpture as a ' two - armed militant goddess ' and Bangdel 1995 , p . 271 / 26 , rather too broadly , as a ' Tantric Deity ' , although Pandit Mangalänanda ( in Gail 1984 - 1988 , volume 2 , p . 45 and in Shrestha 1996 , p . 9 / 24 ) correctly identified it as ' Bhimsen ' .

Photo courtesy of Gudrun Bühnemann

Fig

. 7 :

Bhlma slaying Duhsäsana . Fig

. 8 :

Bhlma slaying Duhsäsana .

Fountain in

(

Man

)

mohan Manuscript leaf

,

ink on paper ; courtyard in Kathmandu

'

s National Archives of Nepal , Hanümändhokä Royal Palace Kathmandu

(

acc

.

no

. 3

/

40

)

A similar sculpture is found in the fountain in ( Man ) mohan courtyard

located in Kathmandu ' s Hanümändhokä Royal Palace and dating from 1652

ce

(

Fig .

7 )

. The figure of Duhsäsana is severely damaged and so is the face

of one of the emaciated figures . A line drawing in a ca . nineteenth - century

concertina - type manuscript catalogued as Nänästotracitrasamgraha ( Fig . 8 ) ,

which bears some relation to the sculptures in the two fountains , also il¬

lustrates the theme . C haudhury 1972 ( unnumbered plate on p . 9 of the un¬

numbered section containing illustrations ) reproduces another stone sculp¬

ture of this type , which he labels as unidentified and not in a worship setting ,

without specifying its location .

The two small figures accompanying Bhlma as he slays Duhsäsana appear

in several line drawings in sketchbooks and similar material . They do not

always engage in begging but may instead be featured as approaching the

scene eagerly , as if dancing with joy . In a line drawing in a " Book of Icono¬

graphie Drawings " preserved in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art

( M . 82 . 169 . 6 ) ( Fig . 9 ) ( assigned , perhaps too early , to the last quarter of the Photo courtesy of Rajan Shrestha

Digital Image © [2012 ] Museum Associates / LACMA . Licensed by Art Resource , New York .

Fig

. 9 :

Bhlma slaying Duhsäsana

.

A line drawing in

a

"

Book of Iconographie Drawings " preserved in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art

(

M

.82.169 . 6

)

Photo courtesy of Gudrun Bühnemann

Fig

. 10 :

Bhlma slaying Duhsäsana

.

A line drawing in sketchbook 412 in the collection of Ian Alsop

,

Santa Fe

sixteenth century ) one of the figures holds a skull cup in the left hand and an

unidentified object in the right ; the other figure raises the left hand and low¬

ers the right hand , both of which are empty . A line drawing in sketchbook 412

in the collection of Ian Alsop , Santa Fe ( Fig . 10 ) shows the two figures arriv -

Fig . 11 : Bhimasena ,

Draupadl and the two

gaunt figures in an open - air shrine in the

Pukhulächi quarter in

the centre of the village of Sankhu , Nepal

ing on the scene excit¬

edly , their arms rock¬

ing up and down .

Stone sculptures

of the entire group of

four ( viz . Bhimasena ,

Draupadl and the two

gaunt figures ) are worshipped in an open - air shrine dating from the nine¬

teenth century ( or quite possibly even later ) , 19 in the Pukhulächi quarter in

the centre of the village of Sankhu 20 ( Fig . 11 ) . FFere we encounter the simple

form of Bhimasena holding a club and displaying the gesture of protection .

To Bhlmasena ' s left is Draupadl , and far off to the left and right are two

small figures stretching out their hands to beg . ( One would assume that the

two figures are quite out of place in this context . Since Bhlma is shown in a

pacific form rather than slaying an enemy , there is no reason to expect any

flesh or blood . Perhaps the artist was unthinkingly imitating elements he

had noticed in other representations .)

The two small figures are also mentioned in texts but the nomenclature

varies . The aforementioned ritual text Mohanacukayä hitiyäta busädhanasa

ähuti biya vidhi invokes Bhimasena , followed by Draupadl ( not represented

in the fountain in [ Manjmohan courtyard ) and BhütinI and Pisäcinl . 21 The

small figures were sometimes considered a male and a female , a feature

not easily discernible in artistic representations . The nineteenth - century

chronicle Bhäsävamsävall ( part 2 , p . 73 , lines 7 - 10 ) reports with reference

19 Shrestha 2012 , p . 282 reports that the original shrine was destroyed in the 1934

earthquake .

20 Bangdel 1995 , pp . 463 - 464 separates the group in his documentation . For the two small figures , see Bangdel 1995 , p . 463 ( sec . 7 / 3 ; labelled ' Chamunda ' ) and p . 464 (sec . 7 / 5 ; labelled ' Female Figure ' ) ; for Bhimasena , see Bangdel 1995 , p . 464 ( sec . 7 / 6 ) ; for Draupadl , erroneously also labelled ' Bhimsen ' , see Bangdel 1995 , p . 464 (sec . 7 / 7 ) .

21 The text reads : bhïmasenayâta | | bhäm bhïm bhüm [ followed by a kütäksara \

bhlmaräjesvaramahäbhairaväya namah | |

dropatiyäta | | | dam dim dum [followed by a kütäksara ] dropatïdevyâyai namah | |

thanä bhûtinïpisâcinïyâtam mala | |

Photo courtesy of Gudrun Bühnemann

to the statue of Bhimasena 22 in the well - known Bhimasena temple on Pa™

tan ' s Darbar Square ( expanded into a three - storied structure in 1681 by King

Srln i va s a mal l a ) that on the 11 th day of the bright half of the month of Mägha of N . S . 821 ( = 1701 ce ) ( Sriniväsamalla ' s son Yo gan a rend ra m a 11 a of Patan )

made a statue of Bhimasena , in his angry aspect , killing Duhsäsana , and

accompanied by BhOta and Bhütini . The large Bhimasena statue 23 on the

upper floor of this temple is joined by a figure of Draupadl ( in a corner ) and

by two gaunt figures ( at the sides ) — one with a blue and the other with a

red face — both of whom make begging gestures . Regmi 1965 - 1966 , part 2 ,

p . 612 , W iesner 1976 , p . 129 and R aij 1984 , p . 261 refer to the two figures as

Mahäkäla and Bhairava , while the priest - in - charge calls the blue - faced one

Bhairava and the red - faced one Kali . This labelling is certainly incorrect .

The Bhimasena temple southwest of Kathmandu ' s Darbar Square houses

large - size statues of Bhimasena and Draupadl , together with another figure

said to be Arjuna . 24 Bhlmasena ' s statue is clad in a long robe and the attrib¬

utes cannot be discerned , but it seems that the figure of Duhsäsana is absent .

At the far left and right sides of the group are two stooped figures , clad in

robes covering their features . The priest - in - charge identified the two figures

as the youngest Pändava brothers , Nakula and Sahadeva . Others identified

the two sculptures as representing two figures of Dhusi Ajlmä ( ' Hunch¬

backed Grandmother ' in Newari ) , believed to cure backache , or else as

Dhusi Aju and Dhusi Ajlma ( ' Hunch - backed Grandfather ' and ' Hunch¬

backed Grandmother ' in Newari ) . 25 The stooped figures more likely cor¬

respond to the two figures called Bhütinl / PisäcinI or Bhüta / BhütinI in texts .

22 A reference to this statue of Bhimasena is also found m the Vamsävall of Gunänanda , p 247

,

but the two attendant figures are not mentioned

23 Photography is not officially allowed in this temple

,

but

a

rather dark photograph is reproduced injosl 2008

,

p 30

24 Anderson 1971 , p 237 summarizes a legend that provides a rationale for this com¬

bination of images as follows

"

It seems in the old days that when people went before this towering , mou

s t

ached image of the fierce Bhimsen , many died soon thereafter , a phe¬

nomenon which , incidentally , is today attributed to idols of the God of Wrath , Bhairab To pacify Bhimsen and avert further calamity

,

the people installed at his side an image of his beloved wife Draupadl And when her presence failed to lessen the number of deaths , an idol of the noble warrior brother

,

Arjuna of benign and gentle nature

,

was set beside Draupadl "

25 Thus Anderson

1971 ,

p 237 reports that women call both figures

"

Dhush i Ajima , who , despite their perpetually crouched posture , will cure backache Women who bring them offerings must never bend to touch Dhushi Ajima

'

s feet with their foreheads m the usual manner

,

but must always stand upright if they expect their ailment to be cured " In an article titled

'

Bhimsen temple ' in the Sunday Post

(

a weekly magazine of the Kat li¬

ma nciu Post

),

dated 19 May 2002 , Razen Manandhar reports that

"

two human figures m

humpback position are kneeling there in (sic) both sides

,

commonly known as Dhusi Aju

and Dhusi Ajima

(

that

is ,

Hump grandfather

, I

lump grandmother in Newari language

)

"

Photo courtesy of Sam Fogg , London .

Fig . 12 : Bhairava . A painting in the concertina - style manuscript labelled " Navagrahasastra "

They are also seen , with their hands stretched out in a gesture of begging , flanking Bhimasena on one of the two tympanums in front of the shrine room of this temple .

Such emaciated figures , begging or holding a skull cup and knife , are as¬

sociated with charnel grounds

,

the habitat of Bhairava

,

Siva

' s

wrathful (ugra ) form . They are referred to in texts and represented in art and often appear in pairs

(

Ladrech 2010 ,

p .

304 ) as Bhairava

'

s attendants . They can per¬

form a variety of activities

,

including dancing

,

playing musical instruments , worshipping with their hands in the añjali gesture or drinking blood from

skull cups . Texts label them variously as bbütas , prêtas , pisäcas , vétalas ,

grabas or mätrs , among other categories ( Ladrech 2010 , pp . 304 - 307 ) . An

eighteenth

-

century Nepalese painting

26 (

Fig .

12

) features a small dark

-

blue

26 The painting , whose date corresponds to 1754 / 1755 ce , is part of the concertina - style manuscript labelled " Navagrahasastra ( Guide to the Planets ) " and reproduced in : Paintings on Paper : Nepalese Illustrated Manuscripts : An exhibition on view in conjunc¬

tion with Asian Art in London , 1 Novemher - 16 November 2007 , p . 27 ( no . 6466 ) .

Photo courtesy of Rajan Shrestha .

Fig

. 15 :

Ugracandl

.

Manuscript leaf , ink on paper

;

National Archives of

Nepal

,

Kathmandu

(

acc

.

no

. 3

/

40

)

Fig

. 14 :

Ugracandl

.

Fountain in

(

Man

-

) mohan courtyard in Kathmandu

'

s Hanümändhokä Royal Palace

Photo courtesy of Gudrun Bühnemann

Fig

. 16 :

A five

-

headed Bhimasena with a consort

.

A

line drawing in artist sketch¬

book 411 in the collection of Ian Alsop

,

Santa Fe

figure to Bhairava

'

s right and a red one to this left . Both fig¬

ures make a begging gesture . A sketch in the Newark Museum

(

acc . no .

82 .

253 ) dating from

1755

/

1756 ce also includes the two figures , whose complexion is specified as dark

-

blue (nila ) and red ( rakta

)

, to Bhairava

'

s right and left , but their hands are empty and they do not make any such gesture .

Two figures making a ges¬

ture of begging are seen on the pedestal of a sculpture of Ugra - candl

(

also known as Mahisä -

suramardinl and BhagavatT in Nepal ) in Tusä Hiti

(

Fig .

13 )

. They are also seen on the pedestal of

a

similar sculpture in the fountain (hiti

)

in

(

Man

)

mohan courtyard in Kathmandu

'

s Hanümändhokä Royal Palace

(

Fig .

14 )

. In the corresponding line drawing in the Nänästotracitrasamgraha

(

Fig .

15

) each figure holds a string of entrails .

I

Photo courtesy of Gudrun Bühnemann

Other characteristics of Bhimasena as Bhairava

So far I have shown how Bhîmasena

'

s identity with Bhairava is indicated by the presence of figures typically associated with Bhairava , other wrath¬

ful deities and charnel grounds . But the identity is also expressed more specifically in texts and art . The

(

Mahä

- )

bhlmasena

-

dhäranl specifies that Bhlma is fond of devouring humans (

'

narabhaksamahdpriya ) and consum¬

ing liquor (madhupdnapriya

)

, has fits of boisterous laughter (attdttahdsa

)

, which we know to be characteristic of wrathful Tantric deities , holds

a vessel filled with human blood and has a terrifying (aghora ) form . The Bhlmasenasahasranämastotra

(

Regmi 1990 , pp

. 2- 7

) describes the deity as

characteristically dwelling in charnel grounds (smasdnavdst ) ( verse

91 )

.

In art , BhTmasena appears occasionally with two corpses ( sava , prêta ) as

his vähanas . Animated corpses ( vétalas ) 27 are also associated with charnel

grounds , and they , too , serve as the vähanas of many Tantric deities in Ne™

pal . A line drawing in an artist ' s sketchbook 28 shows a comparatively rare

five - headed form of BhTmasena , accompanied by a consort , standing in mili™

tant stance on two crouching corpses ( Fig . 16 ) .

Raksasa versus Bhairava

In a recent article titled " Bhlma Yrkodara : homme ou animal ? " R onan

M oreau ( 2008 - 2009 ) analyzes various epithets applied to Bhlma in the

Mahäbhärata . He concludes that the comparisons of Bhlma to wild animals

( including lions , tigers and elephants ) , which are frequently made in the

epic , show that he is considered wild , barbaric , demonic and almost ani¬

mal - like . In Pampa ' s tenth - century Kannada work Bhärata , Bhlma not only

slays Duhsäsana but also drinks his blood and eats his flesh ( A charya 1981 ,

p . 360 ) . Some authors including D avid G itomer have compared Bhlma ' s

behaviour to that of a Raksasa , especially given the manner in which he

slays Duhsäsana and Duryodhana . G itomer notes that Bhlma ' s ripping out

Duhsäsana ' s guts and drinking his blood replicates the standard descrip¬

tion of a Raksasa feasting on battle carnage . Furthermore , Bhlma not only

fights Räksasas but also marries the RäksasI Hidimbä ( 1991 , p . 301 ) . As in¬

teresting and valuable as these observations may be , we do not know of a

cult of Raksasa Bhlma anywhere in South Asia . Bhlma ' s behaviour , however ,

incontestably matches that of a wrathful ( ugra ) divinity , such as Bhairava ,

Siva ' s fierce form .

Bhlmasena ' s iconography in Nepal , as perceived from at least the sev¬

enteenth century onward , developed from South Indian prototypes . But

whereas in South India Bhlma is merely the epic hero and serves as a guard¬

ian , in Nepal he is also worshipped as a divinity in his own right . This

change of status and his identification with Bhairava added specific features

to his more complex iconographie forms .

27 On vétalas , see Huang 2009 and especially Dezso 2010

28 The line drawing appears m artist sketchbook 411 m the collection of Ian Alsop The

colours of Bhïma ' s five heads are indicated m Sanskrit and Ncwari as ra ( = rakta , red ) , va ( = van , green ) , m (= mía , dark blue ) , ku (= kunkuma , golden ) and , the top head , to (= toyu ,

white ) Bhlma is accompanied by a two - armed consort whose name is not specified Thus

it remains unclear whether she is Dr aupad ! , Hidimbä or another female For the five -

headed form of Bhlma , see also the manuscript titled Pa ñc avaktrabhlmabh ai rava h rdaya - mantra m the online title list of the NGMCP

Photo courtesy of Gudrun Bühnemann

Fig . 17 : Hanü - Bhairava . A line drawing in

an unnumbered artist sketchbook in the

collection of Ian Alsop , Santa Fe

The identification of Bhimasena with Bhairava is not the only such case in Nepal

.

It has

a

parallel in Bhlma

' s

half

-

brother Hanumän

,

who is likewise considered Väyu

'

s son

.

Hanumän

's

Bhairava form is Hanü

-

Bhairava

29

in Ne¬

pal

(

Fig

. 17 ) .

A large number of devotional and ritual texts in manuscript form ,

including such titles as Hanü

(

mad

)

bhairavapüjävidhi , Hanübhairavastotra , Hanübhairavakavaca and Pañcamukhlvlrahanübhairavastotra

, 30

are devoted to the worship of the deity

.

Hanü

-

Bhairava

(

or Hanümadbhairava ) is a type of five

-

headed (pañcamukha ) Hanumän . The five

-

headed form , usually de¬

scribed as seated or standing on a corpse , is already known from Sanskrit

29 There are numerous representations of Hanü - Bhairava in Nepal . For sculptures of

this form of Hanumän in the Patan Museum , see Slusser 2002 , pp . 118 , 120 - 121 . See also an inscribed painting in manuscript 10054 from Nepal , preserved in the collection of the Bhärat Kala Bhavan , VäränasI and published in Pal 1970 , Fig . 85 and Bhattacharyya

1980 , Fig . 15 . Several sculptures are found in Kathmandu ' s Hanümändhokä Royal Palace but are as yet unpublished .

30 See the online title list of the NGMCP for more information on these texts .

texts transmitted in India . 31 However , many five - headed representations of

Hanumän in Indian art 32 appear without a vähana and exhibit benevolent

features . Hanü - Bhairava is standing in militant stance on one or two ( ani¬

mated ) corpses and displays mostly fierce attributes including a garland of

skulls .

Revanta , the son of Sürya , was also transformed into Bhairava in Nepal .

The ritual text Mohanacukayä hitiyäta busädhanasa ähuti biya vidhi invokes

Revanta - Mahäbhairava , 33 and so âopujd manuals . 34 However , I have not yet

come across a representation of Revanta as Bhairava in art . Hayagrlva is often

called Hayagrlvabhairava and the heavenly body Saturn ( Sani / Sanaiscara )

has occasionally been invoked as Sanibhairava . 35

11 See the

1I

anumadgahvara for an iconographie description

,

quoted m Srïvidyârnava - tantra

,

volume

2 , p .

766 ,

15 - 24

:

pañcavaktram mahàbhïmam tripañcanayanair

yut

am |

bähubhir dasabhir yuktam sarvakamyarthasiddhidam | |

pürvam tu vänaram vaktram kotisüryasamaprabham | da

m

sträkarälava dan am bhrukutïkutileksanam

|

|

atraiva daksinam vaktram närasimham mahädbhutam |

a ty

ugratej ovapusa m bhï

s

an am bhayanäsanam

|

|

pascimam gärudam vaktram vakratundam mahäbalam | sarvarogap

ra

saman

a

m

v i s a

roga

n i v

àran

a

rn

|

|

uttaram saukaram vaktram krsnam dïptam nabhombham |

pa ta lànûabhe

t

tara m

jva ra

roga nikrntanam 11

ürdhvam

hay

än an am ghoram dänaväntakaram param |

ekavaktrena viprendra tärakäkhyam mahäbalam | |

kurvantam s aran am tasya sarvasatruharam param |

khadgam trisülam khatvängam päsam anku sapa rva ta m | |

dhruvamustigadämundam dasabhir munvpungava |

etäny äyudhajäläni dhärayantam yajämahe | |

pretäsanopavistam tarn sarväbharanabhüsitam |

divyamälyämbaradharam div yagan dhänulepa nam

|

|

sa

rvä

s

ta rya maya m devam anantam visvato mukham

| . .

.

The same passage

,

with some variants

,

is found m the Srïtattvamdhi

(

Visnumdhi

,

no

.

72

[ p . 59 ] ) ,

where it is ascribed to the Sud

a

rsa nasa

m h it ä

.

32 For illustrations of this form of Hanumän m works of art

,

see Aryan /Aryan 1994

(

multiple plates ) and Nagar 1995

;

for a discussion of this iconographie type with a few illustrations

,

see Kali dos 1991 .

33 The text reads

:

revanta

11

ram rim rüm

[

followed by

a

kutdksara

]

rev ant am ahdbhaira -

väya svasaktisahitäya namah | | .

34 See the online title list of the NGMCP for manuscripts titled Revantamahâ - bhairavapüjävidhi and Revantabhairavatoranakalasarcanavidhi .

15 See the hymn eulogizing Sam with twelve names

( " Sa n i b h a i r a v a d v ä d a s a n â m a "

) m

the online title list of the NGMCP .

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