SPHINXES OF INDIA
The art and mythology of ancient civilizations has given us
several eye-catching mythological composite
beings. These mysterious creatures combine parts of various animals
and sometimes also include parts of the human form. Centaurs, Sirens,
Gryphon are some examples from ancient
Greek art and mythology. Even relatively recently people thought mermaids
were existing in far-away lands.
One composite being generates a special interest and fascination in many of us.
With the body of a lion, and the head of a human being, the
sphinx is one of the best know symbols of ancient art and
myth. For our ancestors it was a very elevated spiritual being, embodying secret knowledge and
wisdom. It was also know to guard sacred places. The most famous sphinx is without doubt the
Great Sphinx of Gizeh that guards the Pyramids of Egypt.
In people’s minds the sphinx is mostly connected with the ancient
civilizations of Greece and Egypt. But many depictions are also found in
Mesopotamia and other parts of the Near East,
and around the Mediterranean. Sphinxes are also found in medieval
churches, and were popular with neo-classical architects and sculptors.
It may come as a surprise that a mythological
being just like a sphinx is also part of Indian art and tradition.
This fact has thus far gone unnoticed and unrecognized.
The sphinx of India is known as purushamriga, which means human-beast in Sanskrit. Depictions in
various styles from different historical periods are found all over the
South Asian subcontinent. Carved in stone and wood, cast in metal,
or painted, the sphinx-purushamriga adorns and guards
many Hindu temples and Buddhist monuments. Not only is it part of the
artistic heritage, but it also still plays a significant role in the
living traditions and in ritual.
