Sri Utpattipidugu – unread histories

Once lived a king, a great connoisseur and patron of art. He had many wives, one his

beloved, his soul. Some unknown disease caught her unaware, and in spite all human efforts

she was lost to the world. The king taken by grief secluded himself for days, months. Then

one day it occurred to him to build a living memory of her beauty and his love. Having

summoned the artists renowned throughout the world, he began the monument over the tomb

of his queen, one that the world would remember for beyond the ages. As the monument

progressed, the talks about its exceeding beauty reached all directions, and in no time it

became king’s vanity. After toiling for years, the monument was done and king arrived for

the final inspection, and saw a huge ugly block of stone in middle. Extremely upset that it

hindered the exquisite sight, he ordered it to be eradicated immediately.

As it turns out, that block was the tomb of his beloved.....

Certainly, god laughs at this amazing forgetfulness of man.

In awe of our own traditions, we seem to be forgetting not only our culture, but our meanings

and artists. Thus too flourished by the praises from west, we invest our interests in erotics of

our monuments, not trying to figure out their connotations, like the not much known about

but celebrated Jatakas at Ajanta, or the never observed but worldly acclaimed mithuna at

Khajuraho. The forgotten and to be found here is Utpattipidugu, literally meaning creation of

thunderbolt. Since all times, not much is known or discussed about artists in India, and every

creation be it temple or sculpture is treated like self-marvel, swayambhu. Generally discussed

are the periods, donors, dynasties, styles, seldom the minds who conceived hands which

created. The findings of insignia of Sri Utpattipidigu brought the discussion forth.

Utpattipidugu, may be an artist guild from Andra, or a religiously/ passionately charged

group of like minded, or a single person who inspired a movement, one of the vivacious in

Indian sculpture/architecture, estimated to have began work in 6 c. A.D., incidentally with the

first Bhakti movement inspired by Sri Sankara contemplating the unison of Saiva, Vaisnav

and Shaktai cults in India. The guild was discovered by their insignia found at nine places,

with sites linked from Pattadakkal to Ellora Rashtrakuta. The title Sri Utpattipidugu is found

to be inscribed different monuments in Andra and Maharashtra. The insignia/drawing was

found at Vijaywada, Sattevolu, Undrukonda, Pratakota and Bhokardan. The monuments

supposedly built by them bring in the earliest monolith structures in western India, at Ter near

Solapur, the Dashavtara cave at Ellora, reaching its zenith at Ellora Kailashnath. Found at

very few occasions, this seems to be a group of artists proud of their work, creating their own

style, their very own aggressive yet graceful dwarapalasii and dramatic and gracious

sculptures of all pantheons of gods. The occurrence of this guild not only brings in new facts

in Indian art history, but also new facets to understand the making of monuments at their

respective locations, icons and eclecticism in styles.

The title Sri Utpattipidugu has been found inscribed in

telugu-kannada script in ten different monuments across Andra and Maharashtra. Seven of

these have been located in area stretching from Vijaywada to Kurnool, two in Warangal

district and only one in Maharashtra at Bhokardan; yet all these give inconsistent information.

Prof. Deepak Kannal says that ‘utpattipidugu appears to be a name or more probably an

epithet of a cultic leader who must have been instrumental in promoting the architectural

activity in this region.’ Based on the observation that Pasupatas and Kalamukhas (these are

Saivites with different ideologies) extended generous patronage to art activity in the

mentioned region, and large following enjoyed by Kalamukhas in Andra (appx. 6th

-

8th

century A.D.)’, he relates the utpattipidugu to the revival Vedas, Shankara and Kumarila

Bhatta. Kumarila was a great mimamsaka, one of the philosophies in ancient India along

with samkhya, vaisesika, nyaya, yoga, charvaka, ajivaka, baudhha and jainaiii

. Having had

formal training in Buddhist and Jain philosophies he tried to construct a system similar to

those in hinduism/ brahmanical religion.

Adhering to the upheaval amongst the brahmanical sects, Shankara compiled the adwaita

philosophy combining all together. Jainism and Buddhism, in their early stages seemed to

have realised the importance or organisation and economy and we thus find sound cognisance

of economical and political matters undertaken in their scriptures. The polytheistic

brahmanical sects inherently lacked these and must have realised the immediate need to

emerge as social powers for their survival. Having had formal training in Buddhist and Jain

philosophies Kumarila tried to construct a system similar to those in hinduism/ brahmanical

religion, creating a universal idiom (like that of sole spiritual power of Adwaita

Vedanta) incorporating cultic variations. Kannal suggests that Sri Utpattipidugu, nor a guild

neither a sutradhara could be one of the acharyas inspired by Kumarila, and joined his

mission of brahmanical revival through art, trying to create a powerful insignious idiom in

Hindu art and rock-cut architecture; with features like monolith, the dwarapalas and the

pillars.

Prof. Shrinivas Padigar, an eminent epigraphist suggests that this could be a biruda/epithet

given to a person for his honoured activity, as preceded by the Sri. In search of the person

owning this name, it was considered that he could be a great patron/king promoting

architectural activity in Andra. Many attributed it to Pallava king Mamalla, based on his work

and he peculiarly styled dwarapalas, but nowhere in the Pallava region were the signia

found. Based on an inscription found at Satanikota, about 7th

century A.D., which reads

as sri utpattipidugu ekantavasi parama-ma hesvara-matanmahamuni[svaran], which can be

translated as he was someone who preferred loneliness/ was dedicated, great master ascetic

in Mahesvara sect. Further inscriptions place him as from the Pasupata

Kalamukha from Mahesvara sect. Translating utpatti (birth) and pidugu (thunderbolt/ causing

destruction) which would mean something that destroys birth/rebirth, or may be one who

causes salvation, he suggests them to be the kalamukha-pashupata philosophies

and Sramanic traditions, staying away from populace. He relates Utpattipidugu’s intrusions

in Ellora to the Saiva caves there from the sramanic tradition itself, as also the

Buddhist thervadis.iv

Jayaram Poduval, Art historian, on the other hand sees Sri Utpattipidugu as an

architectural/ silpin guild, not because of insignia or inscriptions, but rather due to the

consanguinity of style of their monuments. He relates the Dashavtara Cave at Ellora

to Utpattipidugu, especially the carving style of Nandi mandapa, reminding their pioneering

efforts in Vijaywada at Akanna Madanna and Undavalli caves. He suggests that the monolith

traditions in rock-cut architecture, the roudra dwarpalas and many more developed techniques

(he also ponders whether the vesarav temple style could be its intrusion) could be attributed

to Utpattipidugu and it would rather be an architectural guild than a person, creating its

stylistic insignia and very well appreciated for its achievements.

There could be multiple interpretations thus, and all could be valid/ invalid. What’s

interesting is that these ideas open up a vast methodology to look at the past, opening facets

to look at history not just formalistically but through politics and sociale. Utpattipidugu are

still open for interpretations like almost all of the sites and inscriptions over our country. The

findings are enigmatic due to the eclecticism of the sources, but seem to be potential

enlightenment on the unknown artists in Indian histories. Finally we seem to be pondering

over the block over which the wonders were built.

Photo credits:

Nirukta, Journal of Art History & Aesthetics, 2005

Ms. Snehal Joshi and Mr. Amol Suryawanshi

References:

Sri Utpattipidugu, Nirukta, Journal of Art History & Aesthetics, 2005

T. Gopinathrao, Elements of Indian Iconography Part I and II

i The basic classification if people worshipping shiva, visnu or the female shakti ii The guardians of the temple of garbhagriha, entrance

iii These are the philosophies or the way of lives contemporary to Vedas, some adhere to and some do not

adhere to the vedic ideas iv thervadis are the developments in Buddhism, where thera and theri were philosophers who lived in

seclusions of caves away from the public in monasteries to ponder over greater problems of the religion and so on. Sramanic tradition from Kalamukhas of Saivism seem to follow the same seclusion v One of the major three styles of temple building found in Indian sub-continent, nagara, vesara, dravida