International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research

E-ISSN: 2582-2160   •   Impact Factor: 9.24

A Widely Indexed Open Access Peer Reviewed Multidisciplinary Bi-monthly Scholarly International Journal

Call for Paper Volume 8, Issue 4 (July-August 2026) Submit your research before last 3 days of August to publish your research paper in the issue of July-August.
Submit Research Paper Join as a Reviewer

Plagiarism is checked by the leading plagiarism checker TurnItIn

Call for Paper

Volume 8 Issue 4
July-August 2026

Submit your research paper

Indexing Partners
Academia Advanced Sciences Index Bielefeld Academic Search Engine CiteSeer DRJI Google Scholar Independent Search Engine & Directory Network ISI (International Scientific Indexing) Issuu Mendeley Research Networks
RefSeek ResearcherId - Thomson Reuters ResearchGate Scirus Scribd Semantic Scholar UTeM - Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka Wiki for Call for Papers WorldCat Zenodo

Sacred Fauna in stone: An iconographic study of animals depiction in the temples of Panchbaktra, Trilokinath, Bhutnath and Ardhnarishwara in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh

Author(s) Deepika Gautam, Nirupama Singh
Country India
Abstract In Indian temple art, depiction of fauna extends beyond mere decoration. Their depiction serves as a strong visual language through which religous, philosophical and cultural ideas are expressed. The worlds of animals and birds is closely tied to compassion, dharma, discipline, loyalty, sacrifice and wisdom. Indian epics like Puranic stories, Panchatantra and Jatak tales etc. contributes to creating a symbolic world in which animals were considered human like intelligent and having moral depth. This is the reason behind understanding animal imagery in Indian temple art as visual language of faith, ethics and metaphysics.
The Research work examines the iconography and significance of animal representation carved in stone at four major temples in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh. Namely: Trilokinatha, Bhutnath, Panchbaktra and Ardhnarishwara. Combining the textual sources, field documentation and stylistic analysis, the ritual, symbolic and socio-cultural meanings in context to Himalayan Temples is studied. Their placement and composition in temple architecture, sculptural techniques and Narratives are also discussed. This study situates animal imagery within broader North Indian temple tradition while foregrounding distinctive features shaped by, patronage, topography and devotional practice. It provides insights into how animal imagery functions as both theological signifier and repository of regional identity.
Keywords Animal iconography, Temple sculpture, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, Sacred animals
Field Arts > Drawing
Published In Volume 8, Issue 4, July-August 2026
Published On 2026-07-09
View / Download PDF File

Share this



E-ISSN 2582-2160
CrossRef

CrossRef DOI prefix of IJFMR is 10.36948/ijfmr

Downloads
Research Paper Format Copyright Permission Form and Undertaking Form Cover Page Vol 8 Isu 4Cover Page Vol 8 Isu 3Cover Page Vol 8 Isu 2

All research papers published on this website are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, and all rights belong to their respective authors/researchers.

CC-BY-SA Open Access

About IJFMR
Fees & Payment
Current Issue
Publication Archive 		Submit Research Paper
Track Submission Status
Publication Guidelines
Publication Ethics
Peer Review & Plagiarism 		Join as a Reviewer
Editors & Reviewers
Reviewer Referral Program
Get Reviewer Membership Certi. 		Website/Journal Policies
Usage Policy
Content Policies
Privacy Policy
Contact Us +91-9687-828-838 editor@ijfmr.com
Powered by Sky Research Publication and Journals