Essay name: Hastalaksanadipika a critical edition and study
Author:
E. K. Sudha
Affiliation: Government Sanskrit College (Tripunithura) / Department of Sanskrit
This is an English study on the Hastalaksanadipika—a manual depicting the Mudras (gestures) of the Kerala theatre. It is a very popular text supposedly dating to the 10th century A.D. This study also touches the subject of Krsnanattam, Kathakali and Kutiyattam—some of India's oldest theatrical traditions in Kerala.
Chapter 4 - Hastalaksanadipika—a study
13 (of 29)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
Download the PDF file of the original publication
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MOST POPULAR GESTURES EMPLOYED IN KATHAKAḶI AND KŪṬIYĀṬṬOM IN RECENT DAYS AGAINST THEIR REFERENCE IN HASTALAKSANADĪPIKĀ It is known that the mudrās together form the alphabet of stylised theatrical language. Changes may occur in any language. Main causes for these changes are - 1. Regional variations 120 2.
Eg: Varuna, mudrās for plural.
Time-bound variations
Eg: Belief, Varuna
3. Character and character type-bound (same character changes in
A.
5.
different situations)
Eg:- Bhima in Rājasūya and in Duśśānavadha (in Kathakaḷi)
Integration of themes of the mode of lyrical deliberation many a
time include new words hiterto unused. This obviously leads to
innovations
Eg: Karṇa, Varuṇa.
Due to high or low frequency of words the complete prescription to
present a subject /object may become less and less precise just as
the suggestion supported by the other components of acting can in
many cases transmit the totality of the intended subject/object.
Eg:-Night, Kubera
