Il est de coutume de présenter Caṇḍeśa comme l’un des Nāyānar, ces saints śivaïtes du sud de l’Inde. Cependant, ilest le seul parmi ceux-ci à posséder un templion près du sanctuaire principal dans les grands temples à Śiva (Tanjavur,Gaṇgaikōṇḍacōḷapuram, Darasuram, Tribhūvanam). Caṇḍeśa est d’ailleurs considéré comme un assesseur (sanscrit.parivāradevatā) depuis le IXème siècle. Le but de cette étude est de montrer l’évolution de son iconographie du VIIIème siècle,moment où apparaissent ses premières représentations, jusqu’à la chute au XIIIème siècle de la dynastie Cōḷa qui anotablement encouragé son culte. Les sources textuelles nous apprennent que Caṇḍa, est, dans le Mahābhārata, l’un des centhuit noms de Śiva. Son origine est donc très ancienne. Parmi les tâches que Caṇḍeśa remplit on précisera qu’il est chargé dunirmālya, les restes du culte. D’autre part les inscriptions le mentionnent comme ayant la charge des biens du temple. Il a également une place dans le culte quotidien à Śiva. Ces prérogatives diverses expliquent les différentes formes iconographiques du jeune bhākta. Si à Bhairavakoṇḍa il apparaît comme un gardien, la période Pallava le montrera souvent dans le cadre d’une Caṇḍeśānugrahamūrti. À partir du IXème siècle, il prend place dans une petite chapelle située au nord-est du temple. Dans ces structures il est souvent figuré à deux bras, tenant la hachette dans une main, l’autre formant le gested’invitation au don (sanscrit. āhūyavarada mudrā). Sa popularité grandissant, des représentations à quatre bras et plusieursfaces sont apparues. Enfin, il a un rôle important dans les fêtes religieuses, pour lesquelles on a fabriqué des effigies en bronzele représentant. / It is commonly admitted that Caṇḍeśa is one of the 63 śaivite South Indian saints, usually known as the Nāyānar. Butamong them, he enjoys a special place as he is the only one to whom a shrine is dedicated in very important temples such asTanjavur, Gaṇgaikōṇḍacōḷapuram, Darasuram, Tribhūvanam. In fact he was considered a parivāradevatā since the Cōḷaperiod. This study attempts to analyze the evolution of Candesa’s Images and the development of his different iconographicaltypes, from his appearance during the Pallava period (VIIIth century) until the XIIIth century. Textual sources help to determinethe personality of the young bhākta. The fact that Caṇḍa is mentioned as a name of Śiva in the Mahābhārata reveals that hisroots are very ancient. Archaeological and textual evidence shows that he was in charge of the nirmālya, the remains of thesacred offerings to Śiva. Cōḷa inscriptions mentioned him as «ādidāsa », the first devotee. He was recognized as an importantdeity of the South Indian pantheon during the medieval period. To fulfil his duties, Caṇḍeśa took several forms. During the earlyperiod of his evolution he could be considered as a watchman, as in Bhairavakoṇḍa, where he sits at the cave temple’sentrance. A little later, another iconographical form, the Caṇḍeśānugrahamūrti, showed how he was chosen and deified by Śiva.To take care of the sacrificial remains, shrines of Caṇḍeśa were built near Śiva temples (at the North-East corner). Inside hischapel, Caṇḍeśa was often represented as a two-armed deity holding the hatchet with one hand, forming the āhūyavaradamudrā with the other. As he grew popular his iconography was enriched by four-armed and many-headed sculptures. At thesame time bronze images were cast so that he was honoured to take part in several temple festivals.