Nandipada
The Nandipada ("foot of Nandi") is an ancient Indian symbol, also called a taurine symbol, representing a bull's hoof or the mark left by the foot of a bull in the ground. The nandipada and the zebu bull are generally associated with Nandi, Shiva 's humped bull in Hinduism.[1] The Nandipada symbol also happens to be similar to the Brahmi letter "ma".
The Nandipada appears on numerous ancient Indian coins,[2] such as coins from Taxila dating to the 2nd century BCE. The symbol also appears on the zebu bull on the reverse if often shown with a Nandipada taurine mark on its hump on the less worn coins, which reinforces the role of the animal as a symbol, religious or geographic, rather than just the depiction of an animal for decorative purposes. The same association was made later on coins of Zeionises or Vima Kadphises.[1] [2]
The Nandipada also appears in Buddhist and Jain art. Buddhists identify it with Triratna, while Jains refer it to the Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves.
References
[edit]- ^ a b Many Heads, Arms, and Eyes: Origin, Meaning, and Form of Multiplicity in Indian Art, Doris Srinivasan, BRILL, 1997, p.224
- ^ a b Bopearachchi, Osmund (1971). Monnaies Greco-Bactriennes et Indo-Grecques. Bibliotheque Nationale de France. p. 189. ISBN 2-7177-1825-7.