Paṭṭadakal; Rasa theory; Art history; Hindu temple; Iconography; Sanskrit drama
摘要
Bas-reliefs of scenes from the epics Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata are extremely common in temples all over India, but depictions of scenes from a Sanskrit drama (mahānāṭaka) in places of worship are virtually unheard of. A few bas-reliefs at the Lokeśvara Temple and the Trailokyeśvara Temple at Paṭṭadakal depict scenes centring around a female figure, who is arguably Śakuntalā. The story of Śakuntalā is first mentioned in the Mahābhārata and was subsequently dramatised by Kālidāsa in the fifth century in the Abhijñānaśākuntalam. From a comparison of these bas-reliefs with the aforesaid texts in the original Sanskrit, it is evident that they match the storyline in the drama better than that of the epic. Apart from corroborating the probability that these reliefs may have been inspired by a Sanskrit drama, this paper also explores how the rasas, which can normally be experienced through live performances or literature, can also be depicted and communicated through a non-dynamic medium. Additionally, this paper demonstrates that the works of Kālidāsa were known and cherished by the Cālukya royal figures, some of whom memorialised them in stone, in an unusual form of temple iconography in the two temples at Paṭṭadakal.
