Image title: Figure 38. A dancer in Vaisnava Sthana

A beautiful dancing girl who seems to be in Vaisnava Sthana. Her Siras is in Avadhuta, her eyes are half closed directly looking in front. Kati is raised on left side and Parsva is unclear. Urah is in Sama. Her right hand is raised and the left hand is in Lata or Dola.

The right hand position implies an Apavestita and Udvestita movement near the shoulder. This also suggests that she is performing Nitamba movement with her hands in which the hand makes a whirling movement. This posture could also have been assumed performing the Parsvakranta Cari in which one Kuncita foot is raised and brought down on its own side on the ground as Ancita. What we are observing in this position frozen in the sculpture can be the end part of the Parsvakranta Cari coupled with the hand making the Avestita movement of the hand.

Gallery information:

Kumbakonam is considered as one of the holiest places in Tamil Nadu and is known for its temples and Mathas (monasteries which were centres of Brahmanical learning). These photographs depict the connection between the sculptures in the temples and Natya Shastra and related texts dealing with iconography.