Indian Painting B.A. II Dr. O. P. Parameswaran, Assistant Professor, Department of Fine Arts, Post Graduate Govt. College for Girls, Sector-11, Chandigarh.

Unit-II: History of Indian Sculpture (BA-3) 4. Khajuraho: Mother and Child, Chandelle Dynasty (c A.D.)

Konark-Musicians figures (about Century AD) (Eastern Ganga Dynasty, 8th to 13th Century A.D., Orissa)

Introduction: The excellent sculptural figures of ‘musician’ in the Sun Temple from Konark belong to the Eastern Ganga Dynasty in the present Orissa (8th to 13th century A.D.) Among the temples of this region, the period of the Konark temples may be placed between c A.D.

The ruined Surya Temple at Konark, the so called Black Pagoda that is considered to be the masterpiece of the Medieval Orissan style. Standing on the edge of a wide beach on the Bay of Bengal, the temple soars to a height of 100ft. Built during the reign of Narasimhadeva I, c , the temple was conceived as a gigantic stone representation of the Sun God’s chariot.

Twelve huge wheels are carved into plinth, and the building is preceded by seven sculptured horses. The temple’s gigantic deul was probably never completed because the sandy foundation proved incapable of supporting a tower that would have been some 225 feet high

The major unit the Sun Temple, still intact, is the jagamohan with its pyramidal roof. The assembly hall faces the sea is preceded in its eastward orientation by the remaining plinth and massive square piers of a separate dancing-hall or natamandir. The jagamohan and natamandir are covered with a filigree of sculpture of the highest quality.

On the pyramidal roof of the Surya temple two wider space between the narrow horizontal courses were originally lined with sculptures of female musicians, who provided music for the passage of the God’s chariot through heavens. They are some of the most impressive examples of the style of the Eastern Ganga dynasty.

 A separate female figures from another area of the temple’s fallen façade depicts a dancer posed gracefully in the three-body bends position in strikingly reminiscent of the yakshis or shalabhanjika figures on ancient Buddhist gateways.

Ladies in various dance poses, some holding musical instruments, adorn the pillars of the nat mandir (dance hall) in front of the main temple. They stand with half-bent legs, a posture used even today in Bharatanatyam. Strangely enough most of these figures look rather heavy and buxom with robust limbs seemingly quite unsuited for dancers.

They have an earthy sensuousness as they sway to the music of their own making, as for example the ‘woman clashing cymbals’. Her round smiling face has a low hairline decorated with a headband. She wears rows of necklets as well as simple keyuras (armlets) and nupuras (anklets).

The folds of her clothing, represented by closely incised wavy lines, resemble a chauri. The lower garment ends just above the knees. The ‘lady playing the dholak’ or drum holds the drum gracefully with her forefingers and thumb.

Her large round earrings have figures carved in the centre, while small bells hang from the outer rim. Scalloped edges indicate the clothing tied with a Katisutra (tight girdle). The sculptured faces of this region are usually full and round, with short, broad noses.

The brows form a cupid’s bow above the smallish eyes. While the earlier figures are rather short, the later ones are slightly taller with longer limbs, their arms reaching almost to the knees. Very often, the short drapery, both plain and patterned, ends for above the knees. While the men usually wear simple pearl necklets, the women have rows of kanthis and haras.

The hair in the dhammila style- flat in front and decorated with rows of jewels- forms a large round coil at the back or side. Some times the kundalas (large round earrings) have figures carved in the centre. Two chains resembling the channavira (like a double sacred thread crossing at the centre of the chest) issue from the pearl necklets. These figures are relatively less over laden with jewellery.