Elegant Dancers Engraved in Stone (eBook)

Content, Style, and Symbolism of Dance Reliefs of the Tamiḻ Region

Sandra Jasmin Schlage (Autor)

eBook Download: PDF

2025
540 Seiten
Regiospectra Verlag Berlin
978-3-911679-09-1 (ISBN)

Infos

Dance imagery is almost omnipresent in Tamiḻ temples. Therefore, it is surprising that general dance motifs with symbolic functions have largely been overlooked in academic research to date. This book presents the first comprehensive study of the dance relief series located between Ceṉṉai (Chennai) and Maturai (Madurai) from the 8th century CE (Pallava period) to the present day. Based on photographic documentation of dance reliefs at 34 sites (mostly temples), it examines the contents, stylistic features, and symbolic meanings of various dance motifs within an art-historical approach to dance
iconography.
The first part of this book introduces theories and methods for studying South Asian dance imagery. This includes implementing a typology for dance relief series based on content and form parameters. Another tool for studying individual dance images is the modular construction system derived from deconstructing dance positions. Furthermore, art historical theories, such as Vidya Dehejia’s modes of visual narration and Julia A. B. Hegewald’s re-use theory, have been adapted for the study of dance reliefs.
The second part of the book is an in-depth, chronological analysis of the development of dance relief series. As it describes changes in motifs and stylistic features, as well as their connection to the overall iconographic programmes of buildings, special emphasis is placed on analysing the symbolic functions of different dance motifs. The study covers relief series created under the patronage of major dynasties in the Tamiḻ region: the Pallava, Pāṇṭya, Cōḻa, Vijayanagara, Nāyaka, and Maratha emperors, as well as late 19th century, and contemporary dance imagery.

Inhalt

Abstractv
Prefacexiii
I. Note on Transliteration, Illustrations, Tables and Imagesxiv
II. Acknowledgementsxv
1. Introduction1
1.1 Literature and Fieldwork5
1.2 Methodology 16
1.3 Structure19
A) Theoretical Framework
2. History of the Tamiḻ Region25
3. Dance Iconography 39
3.1 Academic Research39
3.2 Dance and Visual Media50
4. Categories of Dance Reliefs 67
4.1 Typology of Dance Reliefs68
4.2 Symbolic Depictions of Classical Dance 93
4.3 Karaṇa Reliefs and the Nāṭya Śāstra 109
B) Development of Dance Reliefs
5. Pre-Cōḻa Period 127
5.1 Early Dance Imagery in South Asia127
5.2 Nṛtta Mūrtis (Dancing Deities) 143
5.2.1 Naṭeśa Sculptures at Pallava Temples145
5.2.2 Naṭeśa Sculptures of the Chāḷukya and Rāṣṭrakūṭa
Dynasties160
5.2.3 Stylistic Features and Symbolism169
5.3 Female Dancers (Type 1A)183
5.3.1 Stylistic Features 185
5.3.2 Symbolism and Contextualisation192
6. Cōḻa Period 213
6.1 Early Cōḻa Period: Dancers as Bracket Figures (Type 1D)214
6.2 Middle Cōḻa Period229
6.2.1 Reliefs Featuring Classical Dancers (Type 1A)232
6.2.2 Karaṇa Reliefs in Royal Temples (Type 2A)238
6.2.2.1 Karaṇa Series at the Rājarājeśvara Temple239
6.2.2.2 Karaṇa Series at the Śāraṅgapāni Temple249
6.3 Late Cōḻa Period270
6.3.1 Depiction of Different Dance and Drama Forms
(Type 3A)276
6.3.1.1 General Type 3A Series277
6.3.1.2 Type 3A Series on Structures Conceived as Ratha 290
6.3.2 Dancers Integrated in Ornaments (Type 1C and 3C)316
6.3.3 Vertical Arrangement of Dance Reliefs (Type 1B)327
6.3.4 Vertical Arrangement of Karaṇa Reliefs (Type 2B)339
7. Post-Cōḻa Period353
7.1 Vijayanagara and Nāyaka Period353
7.1.1 Dance and Drama Forms in Horizontal Series (Type 3A)354
7.1.2 Dance Reliefs Arranged as Vertical Series
(Type 2B and 3B)368
7.1.2.1 Linearly Arranged Temples (One Gopura)369
7.1.2.2 Temples of Maṇḍala Configuration (Four Gopuras)378
7.1.3 Dance Reliefs Integrated in Ornaments (Type 3C)394
7.1.4 Dance Motifs as Architectural Sculpture (Type 3D (p))405
7.2 Depiction of Dance Forms under Ceṭṭiyār Patronage (Type 3A)419
8. Contemporary Dance Reliefs429
8.1 Classical Dance and Dance and Drama Forms (Type 1 and 3)429
8.2 Re-Use of the Karaṇa Motif (Type 2)440
9. Conclusions455
9.1 Trends in the Development of Dance Imagery460
9.2 Discussion of Dance Relief Typology 472
10. Bibliography483
10.1 Primary Sources483
10.2 Secondary Sources483
10.3 Internet Sources498
10.4 Unpublished Sources501
11. Appendices503
Appendix I: Glossary503

Figures and Pictures (online)
Appendix II: List of Figures and Images
Appendix III: Illustrations and Tables
Appendix IV: Images
Appendix V: Reliefs Series Information
Appendix VI: Temple Map
Appendix VII: Identifications of the Śāraṅgapāni Temple Karaṇa Panels

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 22.12.2025
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Kunst / Musik / Theater ► Kunstgeschichte / Kunststile
• Schlagworte: Cōḻa • female dancers • Maratha • Nāyaka • Pallava • Pāṇṭya • South Asia • South India • Tamil Culture • Temples • Vijayanagara
• ISBN-10: 3-911679-09-2 / 3911679092
• ISBN-13: 978-3-911679-09-1 / 9783911679091