* [image: Sphinx of India known as purushamriga in Sanskrit depicted in South Indian temple sculpture in a scene from the Mahabharata, catching the hero Bhima.]<http://www.sphinxofindia.rajadeekshithar.com/sphinx_egypt_india_05.JPG> *
[image: Indian sphinx known as purushamriga in Sanskrit depicted as part of decoration with foliage on a pillar]<http://www.sphinxofindia.rajadeekshithar.com/sphinx_egypt_india_06.JPG> *[image: Sphinx pictures from India. A sculpture of a sphinx from an ancient Indian temple.]<http://www.sphinxofindia.rajadeekshithar.com/sphinx_egypt_india_photogallery/sphinx_egypt_india_143.jpg> * [image: Sphinx pictures from India. A sculpture of a sphinx from an ancient Indian temple.]<http://www.sphinxofindia.rajadeekshithar.com/sphinx_egypt_india_photogallery/sphinx_egypt_india_142.jpg> [image: Sphinx pictures from India. A sculpture of a sphinx from an ancient Indian temple.]<http://www.sphinxofindia.rajadeekshithar.com/sphinx_egypt_india_photogallery/sphinx_egypt_india_141.jpg> *THE PURUSHAMRIGA IN THE MAHABHARATA* The purushamriga (Indian sphinx) plays a role in many ancient stories and in the Mythology of several temples. Most frequently the purushamriga is found in one version of the great Indian epic the Mahabharata. The Mahabharata recounts of the conflict between two branches of an ancient royal family. But it is especially an allegory of the struggle between good and evil. 5 brothers, the sons of king Pandu, and collectively called the Pandavas, are the heroes of this epic. The oldest brother is Yudhistira, also called Dharmaraja, king of justice, because of his strict adherence to truth and justice. The other brothers were Arjuna, Bhima, and the twins Nakula and Sahadeva. Bhima, the third brother, was known for his great strength. The episode of the Mahabharata which involves the purushamriga recounts of a challenge and a race between the purushamriga and Bhima. Although this episode is not found in the conventionally accepted edition of the Mahabharata, and is now almost forgotten, it was once a well-known and popular episode in India. Many depictions all across India of the purushamriga show incidents of this legend. And many temple traditions include this story in their Mythology and in the oral tradition. The purushamriga is also found in the tradition of dance and drama, in astr, and as the banner symbol of a group of people. There exists even a yearly pilgrimage involving 12 special Shiva temples which commemorates this event from the Mahabharata. A more detailed account of this episode, and some of the variations found among the traditions of several temples can be found in the chapter on the Mahabharata and the sphinx-purushamriga. *Purusha Mruga* was renowned as one of the biggest devotees of Lord Shiva. As the name suggests, he was half man and half animal. In the Mahabharata, the Pandavas were performing the Rajasuya Yagna. Yudhishthira suggested that Purusha Mruga's presence in the Rajasuya Yagna would be most auspicious and assigned Bhima to invite the revered guest. Bhima, on his way, is said to have met an old monkey who was Hanuman in disguise. After inquiring about the purpose of Bhima's journey, Hanuman plucked three strands of hair from his tail and handed them to him, saying it would be of help later. Taking blessings of Hanuman, Bhima continued on the journey. On meeting Purusha Mruga, Bhima introduced himself and requested the kind devotee's presence in the Rajasuya Yagna. Purusha Mruga calmly stated that he would attend the ceremony only on one condition. Bhima would have to run towards Hastinapur and he would try to catch him. In the event that Bhima was caught outside the boundary of Hastinapur, Purusha Mruga would eat him. Since Yudhishthira was very keen on Purusha Mruga's attendance, Bhima accepted the challenge. Bhima ran very fast and was confident that he could not be caught. He turned back, though, only to find Purusha Mruga gaining on him and almost about to catch him. Bhima remembered about the three hair strands which Hanuman gave him. He dropped one of them and found it was replaced by millions of Shiva Lingam. Purusha Mruga, being a Shiva Bhakta, stopped to pay his respects to each of these. Bhima, pleased by the boon, nevertheless continued running, but soon he found Purusha Mruga trailing him closely after worshipping all the Shiva Lingams. He dropped the second hair. The same process ensued. Similarly, Bhima dropped the third hair too. Finally, when nearing the door of Hastinapur and almost crossing it, Purusha Mruga got hold of Bhima's leg. Purusha Mruga told Bhima that he would eat him. Bhima, though, claimed to have entered Hastinapur. At that moment, Yushishthira and Krishna arrived on the scene. After narrating the entire incident to Yudhishthira, Purusha Mruga demanded justice. Yudhishthira pointed out that Bhima's leg was the only part outside the boundary of Hastinapur and therefore, legally Purusha Mruga could eat his leg only. Pleased by the impartial and thoughtful justice imparted by Yushishthira (Dharmaraja), Purusha Mruga showered lavish praise on him and let Bhima go. He blessed the Rajasuya Yagna and the Pandavas by attending the ceremony. This is a later folk tale glorifying a local devotee or saint. Pandavas never performed Rajsuya Yagna at Hastinapur. They were then established at Indraprastha. THE PURUSHAMRIGA IN THE RAMAYANA *T**he other great Indian epic, the Ramayana, also includes an episode involving the purushamriga. When the sons of Lord Rama and Sita leave the ashram of Vasishtha to go in search of their father, they meet the purushamriga on the way. This story from the Ramayana has come to me through the oral tradition. I have not as yet discovered any textual source. * THE PURUSHAMRIGA IN THE PURANAS One legend recounts the role of the purushamriga in the events surrounding the birth of Tamasa Manu, one of the earlier Manus or human ancestors. THE PURUSHAMRIGA IN TEMPLE TRADITIONS *The sphinx plays a significant role in the traditions of several temples. In the Nataraja tempe in Chidambaram devotees who enter the temple will look at the purushamriga before continuing towards the central shrine. According to the tradition they remove sins and impurities. The same is said of purushamriga placed at the entrances of the Shiva temples of Kalahasti and Tiruvatavur. In all three temples the purushamriga is said to have come there after it attended the Rajasuya yajña of the Pandava kings. The Shiva temple of the village of Tirumazhapadi is according to its tradition founded by the purushamriga. Also the origin of the 12 Shiva temples that belong to the tradition of the run for the Shivaratri festival is connected to the purushamriga.* <http://www.sphinxofindia.rajadeekshithar.com/sphinx_egypt_india_photogallery/sphinx_egypt_india_115.JPG> <http://www.sphinxofindia.rajadeekshithar.com/sphinx_egypt_india_photogallery/sphinx_egypt_india_115.JPG> [image: Sphinx pictures from India. A sculpture of a sphinx from an ancient Indian temple.]<http://www.sphinxofindia.rajadeekshithar.com/sphinx_egypt_india_photogallery/sphinx_egypt_india_114.jpg> <http://www.sphinxofindia.rajadeekshithar.com/sphinx_egypt_india_photogallery/sphinx_egypt_india_115.JPG> [image: Sphinx pictures from India. A sculpture of a sphinx from an ancient Indian temple.]<http://www.sphinxofindia.rajadeekshithar.com/sphinx_egypt_india_photogallery/sphinx_egypt_india_115.JPG> [image: Sphinx pictures from India. A sculpture of a sphinx from an ancient Indian temple.] <http://www.sphinxofindia.rajadeekshithar.com/sphinx_egypt_india_photogallery/sphinx_egypt_india_070.JPG> [image: Sphinx pictures from India. A sculpture of a sphinx from an ancient Indian temple.] <http://www.sphinxofindia.rajadeekshithar.com/sphinx_egypt_india_photogallery/sphinx_egypt_india_065.JPG> [image: Sphinx pictures from India. A sculpture of a sphinx from an ancient Indian temple.] <http://www.sphinxofindia.rajadeekshithar.com/sphinx_egypt_india_photogallery/sphinx_egypt_india_066.JPG> [image: Sphinx pictures from India. A sculpture of a sphinx from an ancient Indian temple.] <http://www.sphinxofindia.rajadeekshithar.com/sphinx_egypt_india_photogallery/sphinx_egypt_india_063.jpg> <http://www.sphinxofindia.rajadeekshithar.com/sphinx_egypt_india_photogallery/sphinx_egypt_india_141.jpg> <http://www.sphinxofindia.rajadeekshithar.com/sphinx_egypt_india_photogallery/sphinx_egypt_india_142.jpg> * * *Cultural Depictions* * The sphinx archetype appeared in various forms among other ancient cultures of Western Asia and the Mediterranean, notably in Mesopotamia, Greece, and Etruria. Wings were often added to the leonine body, and female sphinxes were also created, especially in Greece (8th-6th century BC). * * * *Greece: Riddle of the Sphinx* ** *The Sphinx is said to have guarded the entrance to the Greek city of Thebes, and to have asked a riddle of travelers to allow them passage. The exact riddle asked by the Sphinx was not specified by early tellers of the stories, and was not standardized as the one given below until late in Greek history. * * It was said in late lore that Hera or Ares sent the Sphinx from her Ethiopian homeland (the Greeks always remembered the foreign origin of the Sphinx) to Thebes in Greece where she asks all passersby the most famous riddle in history: "Which creature in the morning goes on four legs, at mid-day on two, and in the evening upon three, and the more legs it has, the weaker it be?" She strangled and devoured anyone unable to answer. * * Oedipus solved the riddle by answering: Man - who crawls on all fours as a baby, then walks on two feet as an adult, and then walks with a cane in old age. By some accounts (but much more rarely), there was a second riddle: "There are two sisters: one gives birth to the other and she, in turn, gives birth to the first." (answer: day and night‹both words are feminine in Greek.) Bested at last, the tale continues, the Sphinx then threw herself from her high rock and died. * * An alternative version tells that she devoured herself. Thus Oedipus can be recognized as a "liminal" or threshold figure, helping effect the transition between the old religious practices, represented by the death of the Sphinx, and the rise of the new, Olympian deities. * * The person behind the Great Sphinx has been a subject of debate. While there is no contemporaneous evidence indicating with certainty whom it represents, the Dream Stele erected by Pharaoh Thutmose IV in the New Kingdom associates the Sphinx with King Khafra (also known by the Hellenised version of his name, Chephren). * * This would place its construction during the Fourth dynasty of Egypt (2723 BC-2563 BC). Its super-colossal design is characteristic of Old Kingdom architecture, especially during Khafra's reign. Khafra is known to have ordered the building of twenty-two stone structures that were more than three times life-size, but the largest is believed to be the Great Sphinx. The Sphinx's link with Khafra therefore continues to be the most widely held view by Egyptologists, but other hypotheses exist. * * In 2004, French Egyptologist Vassil Dobrev announced the results of a 20-year reexamination of historical records and uncovering of new evidence that suggest the Great Sphinx may have been the work of the little known Pharaoh Djedefre, Khafra's half brother and a son of Khufu (Cheops), the builder of the Great Pyramid of Giza. Dobrev suggests it was built by Djedefre in the image of his father Khufu, identifying him with the sun god Ra in order to restore respect for their dynasty. * * In common with many famous constructions of remote antiquity, the Great Sphinx has over the years attracted speculative assertions by non-specialists, mystics, and general writers. The reasons for these alternative theories of the origin, purpose and history of the monument invoke a wide array of sources and associations, such as neighboring cultures, astrology, lost continents and civilizations (e.g. Atlantis), numerology, mythology and other esoteric subjects. * * Egyptologists and the wider scientific community largely ignore such claims; however, on occasion they are drawn into public debate with these theorists, particularly when the claim purports to rely upon some novel or re-interpreted data from an academic field of study. * * * ------------------------------ * * * Ancient Greek Sphinx from Delphi* * The Sphinx sometimes appears in Greek mythology as a monster with a woman's head and breasts, dog's body, lion's paws, wings of an eagle, and the tail of the serpent-who questioned Oedipus. * * <http://www.sphinxofindia.rajadeekshithar.com/sphinx_egypt_india_photogallery/sphinx_mystery_myth_history_sphinxofindia_016.jpg> * <http://www.sphinxofindia.rajadeekshithar.com/sphinx_egypt_india_photogallery/sphinx_egypt_india_142.jpg> * * **** **** [image: rose] *V a n a k k a m S u b b u *[image: rose] **** <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sometimeonthenet/join> * * *வாழிய செந்தமிழ்! வாழ்க நற்றமிழர்! **வாழிய பாரதமணித் திருநாடு!*
