Desire and Passion ride to war (original) (raw)

Erotic Sentiment in Indian Temple Sculptures

Shringara rasa-the sentiment of erotic love, and first of the nine rasas / navarasas as they are called are the natural states of mind experienced by humans. Of the nine sentiments-nava rasas, shringara occupies an important place in the history of ancient Indian literature and fine arts. Indian temples show the figures of apsaras depicting the sentiment of love, both in the theoretical aspects relating to theatrics (as described in Natyashastra by Bharata Muni around 2nd century AD) as well as in the practical side of life with Kamasutra of Vatsyayana (by sage Vatsyayana, around 2-3 century AD) as its base. Many erotic sculptures depicting union also involve dwarf figures at the base as secondary figures which are in pranayama variations with hatha yoga mudras and are tantra based union figures. (Though based on Patanjali Yoga sutra assigned between 3-4th century AD, Hatha yoga gained prominence beyond 5th century AD). Several commentaries on these topics were written in the subsequent periods and by medieval period the kings who sponsored the construction of temples, the sthapatis and sculptors were all well versed on these topics along with religious and philosophical aspects. The outcome was the inclusion of these topics in a permanent medium of stone in temples for mass communication. This article focuses on how to understand the shades of shringara rasa that are depicted on the outer walls of Indian temples and how tantric themes, are different from non-tantric ones as they are based on different ancient texts.

Erotic Sentiment in Indian Temple Sculptures Dr Uday Dokras

Both in India and in Angkor there are erotic sculptures on the walls of the stone frescos depicting nude nymphs. Though in Angkor no copulative activity id denoted Most of the Apsara sculptures are based on different aspects of Shringara rasa, adhering to the rules prescribed in the treatise of Indian theatrics-Natyashastra. Shringara is the rasa used to portray on stage mutual desire and romantic love as primary emotion between a man and

Mix-Mongrel Metaphors: With reference to the Visual Culture of Mīnākṣī-Sundareśvara Temple, Maturai

International Webinar on Mythical Hybrid Beings in Sculptural Art and Asian Region, 2022

‘Mythical Hybrid Beings in Sculptural Art and Asian Region’ is a fascinating title for the literature and art researchers. The term hybrid, derived from the Latin hybrida, variant of ibrida ‘mongrel’, meaning ‘offspring of a domestic (tame) sow and a wild boar’. Hybrid exists in all aspects, but the mythical hybrids are conceptually diverse in the beginning and changing through the course of time. The article will focus on ‘mix-mongrel metaphors’, through the literature and visual culture of the Tamils. The pan-Indian prototype Ardhanārīśvara ‘left-breasted’ icon is entirely different from that of the classical Greco-Roman Hermaphroditus, from the basic idea and form. Consequently, the south-Indian archetype Kaṇṇaki-Ardhanārī ‘right-breasted’ Cōla imagery is an offshoot of the Ardhanārīśvara. Subsequently, the Maturai ‘triple-breasted’ Taṭātakai-Mīnākṣī is a unique form in the evolution of visual culture. Kaṇṇaki-Ardhanārī and Taṭātakai-Mīnākṣī might have been a regional folk theme by origin and elevated to statuesque through the classical post-Caṅkam literature as appearing in Cilappatikāram, the bhakti hymns of Tēvāram and Tiruvācakam and a 10th century literary compilation, called Kallāṭam. The Tiruviḷaiyāṭaṟ Purāṇam is the sthalamāhātmya of the Mīnākṣī-Sundareśvara temple at Madurai (Maturai according to the Tamil Lexicon, Anglicized Madura). It tells the sixty-four plus sacred sports (Tamil viḷaiyāṭal, Sanskrit līlā) of Lord Śiva in and around the city of Maturai. In fact, it deals with the legends of Maturai. The main aim is to see how and why these Tamil regional mix-mongrel hermaphrodites are different and unique in the study of visual culture.