Household Articles (d): Flower-basket (Pushpa-puta)

The earliest depiction of a flower basket can be found in the Avanibhajana-pallavesvara-griham at Siyamangalam, carved during the reign of Mahendravarman I. The northern pilaster of the facade in its upper saduram portion contains two bas-relief sculptures: Vrishabantaka-murti in the company of Parvati on the southern flank and a female figure on the western or frontal flank. Dr. K. R. Srinivasan^[1] identified the female figure as holding a pushpa-puta, perhaps a flower-basket in her left hand and is in the act of offering the flowers with the right hand. From the presence of yajnopavita adorning her, she may be identified as a Vidhyadhara or a dancing girl.

A second instance of a pushpa-puta can be seen depicted on the second-tala of the Dharmaraja-ratha at Mamallapuram^[2]. It is seen carried by a male figure identified as a Saivite priest. He is shown holding a flower-basket in his left hand and from the position of the right hand, it can be assumed, that he is in the act of picking the flowers out of the basket and was about to offer worship (archana) to the deity.

C. Minakshi^[3] in her work on the Vaikunthaperumal temple at Kanchipuram, identified a male worshipper with a basket hanging from his right arm in a panel (upper row) (fig. 367) on its northern cloister wall. It is portrayed having vertical sides, rounded rim and a flat base, with a curved handle. It can be seen from the panel that he is in the act of entering into a shrine. It is certainly an interesting and rare depiction as its shape is similar to those seen even in the modern times. Thus it can be claimed that the idea of a flower-basket and that too with a handle was in usage even in the Pallava period. A similar type was also reported from a painting in the cave temple at Ajanta in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra executed, during the reign of the Vakataka dynasty (circa 250 to 510 A.D.)^[4].

Another representation of a basket (fig. 8) in the same context can be seen depicted in the apsidal shrine know from the inscription as Tirumulasthanattup-perumanadigal, within the Bhaktavatsala temple complex at Tirukkalukkunram. In the story of Kannappa-nayanar depicted as a frieze adorning the vallabhi part, can be seen two gana like male figures standing by the side of the Siva ling/a. Of the two, the one standing nearer to the linga can be seen carrying a basket hung from his proper right shoulder^[5]. Thus, these sculptures provide a glimpse into the method, by which the priests carry the puja material into a temple.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

K. R. Srinivasan, The Cave temples of the Pallavas, New Delhi, 1964, p. 92.

[2]:

Ibid., The Dharmaraja Ratha and its sculptures –Mahabalipuram, New Delhi, 1975, p. 30.

[3]:

C. Minakshi, The Historical Sculptures of the Vaikunthaperumal temple, Kanchi, New Delhi, 1941, p. 13.

[4]:

M. K. Dhavalikar, Ajanta: A Cultural Study, Poona, 1973, p. 85 and fig. XXIII, 25.

[5]:

Michael Lockwood and Gift Siromoney, “The Earliest sculpture of Kannappan”, in The Indian Express, March 3, 1977.