Hey guys, thanks for your support!
And nechesh, yes, you certainly know me.
I'd like to hear your opinion on what the hilt represents.
http://www.kampungnet.com.sg/modules...view_photo.php
I thought all the major keris hilt forms (maybe except for the jawa demam) are representations of deities and supernatural beings derived from animism, Buddhism, Hinduism and the Hindu epics (Ramayana, Mahabharata).
I have read that in many parts of Southeast Asia, the coming of Islam did not result in the outright abandonment of old beliefs, and fear/respect of old deities, spirits and supernatural beings. Thus, in order not to breach the tenets of Islam, and yet not offend/discard the old deities and spirits, some carvers found ways to hide features of the original image in vegetal motifs. If you look carefully at the hilt, you can actually see 2 eyes (2 'c's beneath the crown), a nose (the 'double-hooked' oblong shape), and 2 fangs (2 'c's flanking the lower ends of the nose).
Also, if you look at the other pictures of this hilt, you can see the 'ear-covers'* on the side of the head. This 'ear-cover' goes all the way down from the side of the head to the shoulder. This part of the headdress/crown is commonly worn by the 'literal' rashaksa hilts.
So my argument would be that it is a rashaksa, and it evolved from the 'literal' rashaksa forms under the influence of Islam, which forbids the depiction of idols.
Actually, at this point, I want to pose a question to all forumnites reading this -- we always refer to these sort of hilts as representations of rashaksas, but do any these sort of hilts represent other types of figures other than rashaksas?
* - sorry, I do not know the term for this part of the headdress, but you can see the pierced through part on both sides of the neck.
http://www.kampungnet.com.sg/modules...view_photo.php
http://www.kampungnet.com.sg/modules...view_photo.php