Vaishnavism scholar Kidambi Narayanan says that the elephant finds mention in the Gajasuktam, in the sixth ashtakam of the Rg Veda. There are references to the divinity of the elephant in Taittriyam, in the Yajur Veda
“In the Ramayana and in Tamil Vaishnavite literature there are many references to Maha Vishnu as an elephant,” says Kidambi Narayanan. He quotes from Nampillai’s Tiruvaimozhi commentary, where Mahavishnu is compared to a horse. Nampillai refers to an ancient practice, where the speed of a war elephant would be tested vis-a-vis the speed of a horse. The horse would be given a head start, with the elephant in pursuit. The elephant would try in vain to touch the horse with its trunk, for an elephant cannot match the speed of a horse, the analogy being that the infinite qualities of Mahavishnu (the horse) can never be described by His devotees (the elephant), Kidambi Narayanan explains.
Village deities
Dr. Murugesan, Professor Emeritus, Folklore Department, Tamil University, Thanjavur, says that village gods are worshipped in Andhra and Karnataka too. “In North India, we see sculptures of a man on horseback, followed by hunting dogs. The man is identified as Revantha, son of Sun god. Perhaps it is Revantha who is referred to as Ayyanar in Tamil Nadu.” Murugesan has even seen a stucco of Rama and Lakshmana, astride horses, in Ayodyapattinam, Salem. Horses, because of their speed, must have been seen by people as suitable mounts for their gods.
There are historical references to Aswamedha yagas performed by Pushyamitrasunga (2 {+n} {+d} century B.C.) and Samudragupta (5 {+t} {+h} century A.D.), points out Murugesan. There are references in the Pattinappalai, that speak of the import of horses in Kaveripoompattinam, the famous port city of Tamil Nadu in the Sangam period, indicating that Tamils had a close bond with the horse even in early times.
“V.I. Subramaniam, former Vice-Chancellor of Tamil University, Thanjavur, feels that the preponderance of terracotta horses in the districts of Ramanathapuram, Salem, Pudukkottai, Thanjavur and South Arcot in Tamil Nadu was due to the presence of many warrior classes in these districts. The horses must have been their offerings to the guardian deity of the village,” adds Murugesan. As for the elephant, the sheer size and strength of the animal must have made the villagers think of it as worthy of worship, guesses Murugesan.
he technique
Gazing at the Azhagarkovil elephant, whose majesty even the scaffolding and the thatch are unable to obscure, one cannot help wondering at the technique behind the masterpiece. “Silpa texts describe how the plaster for these stucco figures is to be prepared, and mention 200 types of bricks. Different shapes of bricks are spoken of in the Satapatha Brahmana,” says sthapathy Umapathy Acharya.
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