Appaneravanda Kiran Subbaiah's Sculptures

THE '135 HEADED ADISHESHA' STATUE

Mr. Kiran Subbaiah’s masterpiece, the 135 headed Lord Adishesha is a mind blowing piece of sculpture and is on its way to the Record books. Presently the Adishesha deity at Pashupatinath temple in Nepal holds the record with 108 hoods. Apart from 135 heads of the Adishesha, the statue also depicts 45 individual snakes carved in different postures on the pedestal and sides of the 5 ft 1 ½ inch tall deity.

About the statue of Adishesha

  • The All powerful serpent god ‘Lord Adishesha’ is believed to be carrying the whole Earth on its head.
  • At present the number of heads carved of Lord Adishesha is 108 (One hundred & Eight) at Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu, Nepal.
  • Now, the number of heads carved by Mr. Kiran Subbaiah of Lord Adishesha is 135 (one hundred & thirty five) which could be a world record and find a place in the Guinness book of world records.
  • 135 heads, wherein according to Numerology, the individual numbers in the number 135, each one is an odd number, the sum of 1, 3 & 5 being 9 which is also an odd number & considered a lucky number. Above all this, Serpents are always depicted or carved with the sum of the number of heads being only odd numbers.
  • Apart from the 135 headed Lord Adishesha, there are 45 (forty five) individual snakes carved in different poses or postures on the pedestal & the sides of the main statue. The sum total of the individual numbers of 45 is also 9.
  • Shri Yanthra, Om Yanthra and Gayathri Mantra are also engraved on the backside of the statue.
About Adishesha

Adishesha is the thousand headed serpent on which Lord Vishnu reposes in Vaikunta. Adishesha floats upon the sea-of-milk in Vaikunta. He is the first born of the serpents. His mother is Kadru, a daughter of Daksha. His father is the sage Kashyapa. According to the Mahabharata, he was asked by Lord Brahma to bear the weight of the world on his head.

He was saddened by the wicked ways of his brothers and left them. He repaired to the mountain Gandhamadana and practiced ascetic devotions, living upon air and rigidly observed his vows. He passed his days in those sacred regions, with his passions under complete control. When Lord Brahma saw the devotion of this serpent, he appeared in person and offered to grant him a boon.
Sesha said, "My brothers are wicked of heart. I do not wish to live among them. Let this not draw the censure of the world. I wish to cast of this body of mine and attain salvation. I am very much grieved by the treatment meted out to my aunt Vinata and her son by my mother and brothers."
Brahma said, "Thou shalt attain salvation in due course. Ask me another boon."
Sesha replied, "O divine, O Grandsire, Let my heart always delight in virtue and in ascetic penances."
The Lord said, "So be it. I shall also confer another honor upon you. You shall bear the earth upon your head and support her great weight steady."

Dimensions of the statue of Adishesha

  • Total height of the statue including the base…………………….5 feet, 1 ½ inches
  • Width ………………………………………………………………………3 feet
  • Breadth……………………………………………………………………3 feet 8 inches
  • Height of the statue without the base……………………………….4 feet 3 inches
  • Width ………………………………………………………………………3 feet
  • Breadth……………………………………………………………………2 feet 8 inches
  • Height of the base(Pedestal)…………….……………………………….10 ½  inches
  • Width ………………………………………………………………………3 feet
  • Breadth……………………………………………………………………3 feet 8 inches

 

Time taken for carving this statue has been about 3 years till now. Completion of the statue would approximately take another year.