A couple of months ago I was browsing through photos of Aihole trip with Srinu in Aug 2023. One of the photos of a sandstone sculpture at Aihole museum caught my attention. It’s a rare type of sculpture to my knowledge, don’t remember seeing it elsewhere. As you see here, the sculpture shows a Shiva Linga on a pedestal with a standing human figure next to it. Then there’s another human figure featuring matted hair, skeletal body & limbs, sitting on the floor, some kind of weapon in right-hand and left-hand holding an infant by its leg. Surely this guy is not showing affection to the baby. So what’s he up to is the question.
Google photo search gave me the answer. Apparently, this sculpture depicts Nara Bali (human sacrifice). Here, a devotee of Mahakali named Veerabhadra is sacrificing his son. The search result also mentions that it’s a preta (hungry ghost) holding a baby. A preta is usually depicted in a skeletal form. So, is this preta sacrificing a baby despite its hunger?
While the picture above is the original, the next picture is digitally edited. The background has been removed using a mobile phone app. The wonders of digital technology!
Going back to the image, the human sacrifice part seems right but the details are yet to be discovered. Do share your thoughts and knowledge in the comments section.
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