Cosmetics, Costumes and Ornaments in Ancient India
by Remadevi. O. | 2009 | 54,177 words
This page relates 鈥楧ress for Stage performance鈥� of the study on cosmetics, costumes and ornaments of ancient India based on Sanskrit sources. Chapter one deals with cosmetics and methods of enhancing beauty; Chapter two deals with costumes, garments and dresses; Chapter three deals with ornaments for humans and animals. Each chapter deals with their respective materials, types, preparation and trade, as prevalent in ancient Indian society.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
2.14. Dress for Stage performance
The costume of a character on the stage manifests his rank in a social hierarchy, his ancestral region, profession, religious creed and the fashion of the period. In 狈腻峁瓂补艣腻蝉迟谤补, Bharata much elaborately discusses the different aspects of dressing of actors representing different characters, which is a part of 膧丑腻谤测腻产丑颈苍补测补. Some of the common rules regarding the mode of dressing were maintained by the actors also. Bharata classifies their costume on the basis of the nature of characters they represent. In general, white garments, colourful garments, soiled garments, barks and skins are prescribed by Bharata[1].
The following table describes it.
| Characters | Garments | Example |
| Ascetics, hermits | Bark | 艢补办耻苍迟补濒腻 and 碍补峁噕补 in 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补艣腻办耻苍迟补濒补 |
| Abstainers, recluse | Skin | |
| Performing or attending religious ceremonies, engaged in propitiating gods, old men, Brahmins, 艢re峁ａ弓hi峁僺, ministers, royal priest, 碍补帽肠耻办颈, business persons, worried people, 碍峁迟谤颈测腻蝉, 痴补颈艣测补,痴颈诲测腻诲丑补谤补 ladies, a king in the wake of a public disaster, a lover in separation, those going on pilgrimage. | White colour | 鲍谤惫补艣墨, 笔耻谤奴谤补惫补蝉 and his queen on different occasions, 笔腻谤惫补迟墨 observing penance in 碍耻尘腻谤补蝉补尘产丑补惫补, 痴颈诲测腻诲丑补谤补 damsels in 狈腻驳腻苍补苍诲补, K膩艣墨r膩japutr墨 in 痴颈办谤补尘辞谤惫补艣墨测补, presenting of white silk clothes to 艢补办耻苍迟补濒腻 by Vanadevata鈥檚 on the occasion of her journey towards her husband. |
| Friars male as well as females, Buddhist monks, employees in the lower Rank at the harem, Gandharva females and 艢akyamunis. | 碍腻峁Ｄ乱补 (Saffron colour) | Some characters in 惭峁沜肠丑补办补峁璱办补, 笔谤颈测补诲补谤艣颈办腻 (笔谤颈测补诲补谤艣颈办腻) and 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补艣腻办耻苍迟补濒补, 碍补耻艣颈办颈 in 惭腻濒补惫颈办腻驳苍颈尘颈迟谤补, 碍腻尘补苍诲补办墨 and Avalokita in 惭腻濒补迟墨尘腻诲丑补惫补 (惭腻濒补迟墨尘腻诲丑补惫补), 驰补耻驳补苍诲丑补谤腻测补峁嘺 in 厂惫补辫苍补惫腻蝉补惫补诲补迟迟补 |
| Nymphs | Green colour | |
| Siddha females | Yellow colour | 惭补濒补测补惫补迟墨 in 狈腻驳腻苍补苍诲补 |
| 础产丑颈蝉腻谤颈办腻蝉 in general, who include nymphs or damsels, Divyav膩nar墨 (Female monkey) | Blue colour | 弄谤惫补艣墨 in act III of 痴颈办谤补尘辞谤惫补艣墨测补, 痴补蝉补苍迟补蝉别苍腻 in 惭峁沜肠丑补办补峁璱办补. |
| Censured to death | Red colour | C膩rudatta in 惭峁沜肠丑补办补峁璱办补, 狈腻驳补 and 闯墨尘奴迟补惫腻丑补苍补 in 狈腻驳腻苍补苍诲补 |
| 搁腻办峁蝉墨蝉 | Black colour | |
| 痴颈诲奴峁办补 | Tattered cloths | |
| Frantic, wayfarers, mentally distressed due to hardships, inebriated | Soiled clothes, rags | 笔耻谤奴谤补惫补蝉 in 痴颈办谤补尘辞谤惫补艣墨测补 and damsel in Mattavil膩saprahasana, 痴颈峁璦 and the maid in 狈腻驳腻苍补苍诲补 and 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补艣腻办耻苍迟补濒补. |
In 搁腻箩补迟补谤补峁単颈峁噄[2], it is stated that each character should be represented as attired in the same manner in which they are dressed in their own country.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
狈腻峁瓂补艣腻蝉迟谤补, XXI.55-90
[2]:
搁腻箩补迟补谤补峁単颈峁噄, VII