Kirtimukha
Kirtimukha or Kirttimukha (German for "glorious face"; in Southeast Asia also Kala ) denotes a monstrous, grimace-like head in Indian and Southeast Asian art with bulging eyes and a wide open mouth, mostly with a hanging tongue, which is found on the exterior of many temples or above entrance portals in Appearance occurs. Sometimes even several kirtimukhas can be arranged one above the other.
Legend
A popular legend from the Skanda Purana reports that the creature Jalandhara, created by Shiva with his 'third eye', consumed itself at the command of the god, starting with its tail. When she was almost finished with the meal, Shiva gave her the name Kirtimukha .
Others trace the Kirtimukhas back to Greek ( ouroboros ) or Near Eastern suggestions.
history
Kirtimukhas did not appear in early Buddhist art in India. In the Hindu art of the 5th / 6th They are sometimes found on portal pillars in connection with amalakas and kalashas . They have been found in the Khmer art of Cambodia since the 9th century .
presentation
The eye area of the Kirtimukhas is sometimes elongated into stylized horns. In some cases, two arms come out of the open mouth with the tongue out, which embrace the bodies of two (stylized) snakes ( nagas ), but whose heads have already disappeared into the monster's mouth. They often appear together with other mythical creatures such as makaras or yalis .
meaning
Kirtimukhas can be understood both positively as an example of self-consuming devotion to God, and negatively in the sense of excessive submission to the (alleged) will of God. Some see the Kirtimukhas only as a symbol for the destructive powers of Shiva. Since they can almost only be found on the outside of the temple or at or above entrances, the grimace-like structures are likely to have a disastrous ( apotropaic ) meaning.
