Elegant Dancers Engraved in Stone

Dance imagery is almost omnipresent in Tami? 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 Ce??ai (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 Tami? region: the Pallava, Pa??ya, Co?a, Vijayanagara, Nayaka, and Maratha emperors, as well as late 19th century, and contemporary dance imagery.