Arts in the Puranas (study)
by Meena Devadatta Jeste | 1973 | 74,370 words
This essay studies the Arts in the Puranas by reconstructing the theory of six major fine arts—Music, Dance, Architecture, Sculpture, Painting, and Literature—from the Major and Minor Puranas. This thesis shows how ancient sages studied these arts within the context of cultural traditions of ancient India....
4. Angikabhinaya (gestures of major and minor limbs)
The Visnudharmottara devotes three chapters viz. 24, 25 and 26 of the 3 rd Ahanda to the angikabhinaya and gives exhaustive treatment of all its aspects. The Natyasastra, in chapters 8 and 9, discuss the angikabhinaya in detail. The angikabhinaya portrays actions and reflects emotions through movements of the various parts of the body. The importance of Gesture-language in Indian Dance is described in the Sangita Ratnakara of sarangadeva.