lished the theory of the threefold nature of divinity, the separate sun-gods Brahmā, Vishnu, and Siva came to be regarded as the Three in One through which the eternal unchangeable Brahman manifested itself in time and space, the unity of the Godhead being expressed by the name Ishvara, the Supreme Ruler, or Nārāyana, the primordial Being who lies under the cosmic waters during the Night of the Gods when all creation sleeps.
In spite of the countless gods and demi-gods which fill the Hindu pantheon, the belief in the underlying unity of the Godhead is common to all classes of instructed Hindus in the present day,[1] images being regarded as symbols of the manifold powers and aspects of divinity. The mystery of the Trinity is not often approached in Hindu temple sculpture. One of the few exceptions is the great temple of Elephanta, which has three entrances and a magnificent three-headed bust on a colossal scale occupying the principal shrine in the wall (Pl. LXVIII, a). The explanation of the three heads given by Dr. Burgess in his work on Elephanta which has hitherto been accepted by other writers is incorrect. The splendid photographs kindly placed at my disposal by M. Victor Goloubeff afford clear proof that the head in the right which Dr. Burgess took to be Vishnu is really a woman's head, and must be identified as Parvati, Siva's nature-force, taking the part of the Creator—a very appropriate idea for a temple dedicated to Siva.
The late Mr. T. A. Gopinatha Rao, in his admirable treatise on Hindu iconography, identified the Trimūrti of Elephanta with the five-headed form of Siva, or Mahēshamūrti. The reasons given are not, however, artistically convincing. It is difficult to understand
- ↑ See Census Report for 1901, vol. i, p. 363.
