To hundreds of millions of Hindus, in India and around the world, the Ganges is not just a river but also a goddess, Ganga. According to Hindu mythology the holy river Ganges was brought down to Earth from her home in the Milky Way (Heaven/Universe) by Lord Shiva, flowing through his dreadlocks to break the force of her fall to prevent destruction of planet earth. This epic tale was carved out with intricate details in a Pallava dynasty period (7AD) temple. The puzzle arose with the carving of howling dog in the scene.
Theory 1 : The howling dog is just sign of warning for the catastrophe that might happen due the forceful descend of Ganges. It is popular believe in rural areas where howling dog or fox are considered negative sign or something bad gonna happen soon.
Theory 2 : It represent a constellation probably canis minor constellation since Ganges originated from somewhere other site of universe. In fact the main star of Canis Minor is the star Procyon. Procyon actually means the fore-dog in ancient Greek. Is this early recording of constellation by ancient Indian astronomers ? ?? The discussion continues with some interesting arguments...
Canis minor constellation
Warning sign ?? Canis minor constellation or some other symbolic historical recording ? So far no proper explanation for it and don't know what that dog represent in this ancient carving.