Question to HHji, AKji, others.
Some ancient vArAha shrines exist in central India, erected by rAshTakUTas. I had the opportunity to visit some, around Nagpur, Ramtek, Tumsar area. What strikes one the most is the huge statues of vArAha Bhagwan - elegant, brave, indeed beautiful, and abhayadA, confidence-inducing and sheltering. (One such in post 284).
One particularly beautiful statue is in the ancient temple of Ramtek, where Kalidasa said to have written meghadUtam. In this, there is a huge vArAha, of pitch-black stone, and very smooth surface. Striking thing is that in this huge statue, there is very small gap between the front and the behind legs of vArAha. Devotees postrate on the ground and pass through between his legs by sliding through the small gap. (I did too)
Even in the temples dedicated to other deities - such as Sri Rama - there is always a vArAha in rAshTrakUTa temples.
1. was vArAha the protecting deity of rAshTrakUTAs? Was there something between them, similar to Yaudheya-kArtikeya?
2. how prevalent was vArAha worship, and how did it decline?
3. Likewise, there are some ancient Bhagwan Narasinha temples, especially in AP and UP. Place where I come from, there is a Narasinha temple with a terrifying statue of Narasimha. How about Narasinha-worship - any dynasties promoted that? How did it decline? Where are important Narasinha shrines today?
4. Same question as above, but about bhagwan parasurAma. In UP, especially in east, there would be at least ten villages in every tehseel named after him - paraspur, parasnagar etc, which continue intact today even after mugal efforts of renaming every village after rasUl, dIn, and gAzI. But I am not aware of any temples dedicated to him. (Except for in Kerala maybe?). What about parasurAma-worship? Was it ever prevalent? I would guess so, going by the image that Hindu memory and psyche still has, at least in UP.
Some ancient vArAha shrines exist in central India, erected by rAshTakUTas. I had the opportunity to visit some, around Nagpur, Ramtek, Tumsar area. What strikes one the most is the huge statues of vArAha Bhagwan - elegant, brave, indeed beautiful, and abhayadA, confidence-inducing and sheltering. (One such in post 284).
One particularly beautiful statue is in the ancient temple of Ramtek, where Kalidasa said to have written meghadUtam. In this, there is a huge vArAha, of pitch-black stone, and very smooth surface. Striking thing is that in this huge statue, there is very small gap between the front and the behind legs of vArAha. Devotees postrate on the ground and pass through between his legs by sliding through the small gap. (I did too)
Even in the temples dedicated to other deities - such as Sri Rama - there is always a vArAha in rAshTrakUTa temples.
1. was vArAha the protecting deity of rAshTrakUTAs? Was there something between them, similar to Yaudheya-kArtikeya?
2. how prevalent was vArAha worship, and how did it decline?
3. Likewise, there are some ancient Bhagwan Narasinha temples, especially in AP and UP. Place where I come from, there is a Narasinha temple with a terrifying statue of Narasimha. How about Narasinha-worship - any dynasties promoted that? How did it decline? Where are important Narasinha shrines today?
4. Same question as above, but about bhagwan parasurAma. In UP, especially in east, there would be at least ten villages in every tehseel named after him - paraspur, parasnagar etc, which continue intact today even after mugal efforts of renaming every village after rasUl, dIn, and gAzI. But I am not aware of any temples dedicated to him. (Except for in Kerala maybe?). What about parasurAma-worship? Was it ever prevalent? I would guess so, going by the image that Hindu memory and psyche still has, at least in UP.