<P> Bhikshatana is depicted with jatabhadra (dishevelled matted locks) or with jatamandala (matted hair arranged in a circle). A serpent may be depicted in his matted hair, which is also adorned by the crescent moon . His forehead bears a tripundara, the Shaiva tilaka composed of three horizontal lines of sacred ash with a red dot in the middle representing the third eye . He wears a patta (ornamental head band)--sometimes adorned with a human skull motif--on his forehead . Snake ornaments adorn his body, and bronze images often depict multiple necklaces, a waist - band, armlets, elbow bands, bracelets, anklets, and rings on all his toes and fingers . A snake is also tied around his waist and a white yagnopavita (sacred thread) is worn across the chest . </P> <P> Bhikshatana is often pictured with four arms in South Indian iconography . The front right arm is stretched out downwards and the hand holds a bit of grass or another plant in the kataka gesture, near the mouth of his pet deer or antelope, who leaps playfully by his side . The back right arm is raised and holds a damaru (drum). The front left hand holds a kapala (skull - cup), used as a begging bowl . The back left hand holds a trishula decorated with peacock feathers . The left leg is firmly rooted in the ground while the right one is slightly bent, suggesting walking . He often wears paduka (wooden sandals) but sometimes may be barefoot . The sandals are unique and identifying feature of Bhikshatana's iconography and distinguish him from other forms of Shiva and all other deities, who are always depicted barefoot . Sometimes Bhikshatana's iconography is amalgamated with that of Bhairava, in which case he displays Bhairava's attributes in addition to his own . </P> <P> One feature that does not appear in the canons but is often found in stone sculptures and bronzes is the presence of a small bell tied by a string just below the right knee . The bell is interpreted by the scholar Mahadev Chakravarti to be symbolic of Bhikshatana's outcast status, as the bell is symbolic of the Pariah "untouchables" of South India, who traditionally had to ring a bell when entering a Brahmin village . In bronzes, the deer and the trishula were generally cast separately and positioned later in the icon, but since many of these separate pieces have been lost over time, bronzes often appear without them . </P> <P> Bhikshatana is often accompanied by women and bhuta - gana (goblin attendants of Shiva). One of the attendants placed to the left of Bhikshatana should carry a large bowl used for storing the food alms of Shiva . The women, often seven in number, are variously pictured as enamoured of Shiva, eager to embrace him, blessing him, or serving him food in his begging bowl with a ladle . The clothes of some of these women are slipping from their loins, symbolising their lust . The woman giving Bhikshatana alms is also interpreted as Annapurna, the goddess of grain . Various gods, celestial beings, and sages bow to him with folded hands . In some scenes, the sages are depicted as angry and trying to beat Bhikshatana, alluding to the Deodar Forest legend . </P>

Who pursued the deer on the request of brahma