840 THE MAGIC OF JEWELS AND CHARMS
Radha.
A curious series presents Jagannath, Balarana and Subhadra; the
unnaturally large heads of the figures and the truncated crowns and
legs are explained by the fact that the group was carved from the
trisala of a tope of a Buddhist temple erected at Puri in the third
century b.c., the
Hindus of a later time having utilized this relic of a former faith for
gods of their ethnic religion. There are also a number of stamps,
incised with emblematic figures such as a shell, a sankha wheel,
a serpent, two footprints, etc., so that the corresponding seal may be
impressed in colored clay upon the arms of the faithful in the
sanctuary of Jagannath. Many of the amulets bearing the double
footprint, emblematic of Vishnu (Krishna-Jagannath), are arranged in
groups of five, all being perforated so that a group can be suspended
on the person.
The
footprints are explained by a curious legend to the effect that when a
dispute as to superiority arose between the gods of the Trimurti,
Brahma, Siva and Vishnu, the selection of a test to decide this was
left to Bhrigu, one of the ten patriarchs. He approached Brahma without
saluting him ; this infuriated the god, but he restrained himself.
Approaching Siva in turn, Bhrigu failed to return the god's
salutation, which so enraged him that he raised his trident to slay the
insulter, and was only prevented from doing this by the timely
intervention of the goddess Parvati. Nothing daunted Bhrigu pursued his
test, and, finding Vishnu reposing with his head in Lakshmi's lap, he
kicked the divinity to arouse him. Vishnu, however, instead of losing
his temper, quietly arose; saluted the rash patriarch, and even thanked
him for the reminder, and craved his pardon that he had not immediately
greeted him, asserting that the kick (which must have been most
vigorously administered if it left two footprints) had left on his breast a mark of good augury.
A fine presentation of the style of jewels worn by the
