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The
colossal image of Gommateshwara standing erect on the summit of the
large hill is nude and faces north. The shoulders of the image are
very broad and the arms hang straight down the sides with the thumbs
turned outwards. The waist is small. From the knee downwards, the
legs are rather short and thick. Thie figure has no support about
the thighs. Upto that point it is represented as surrounded by ant
hills from which energe serpents and a climbing plant (Madhavi)
twines itself round both the legs and arms terminating at the upper
part of the arm in a cluster of berries or flowers. The pedestal is
designed to represent an open lotus. The image is carved in
fine-grained light-grey granite. It looks as bright and clean as if
it had just come from the chisel of the artist. It is probable that
this image was cut out of a great rock which stood on the spot as it
would have been an impossible task to transport a granite mass of
such huge size up the oval hill-side. The statue of Gommata is more
impressive both on account of its position and size than the statues
of Rameses in Egypt and is bigger than any other monolithic statue
in the world. Four more Gommata images are known to exist. They are
the ones at Karkala and Venoor in South Canara district, Gommatagiri
in Mysore district and Basthihalli in Mandya district.
Measurements:
The measurements of the different parts of the image which were
taken recently by the department of archeology are as follows:
Total height of the
image - 58'-0"
Total height to the
bottom of the ear - 51'-0"
From the bottom of the
ear to the crown of the head (about) - 6'-6"
Length of the foot -
8'-3"
Length of the great
toe - 2'-9"
Half girth of the
thigh - 10'-0"
Breadth across the
pelvis - 13'-0"
Breadth at the waist -
10'-0"
Breadth across the
shoulders - 23'-7 1/2"
From the base of the
neck to the ear - 2'-6"
Length of the fore
finger - 3'-9"
Length of the middle
finger - 5'-0"
Length of the third
finger - 4'-8"
Length of the fourth
finger - 3'-2" |
