Same but Different? Dance Images from 16th to 18th-Century Vaiṣṇava Temples in the Tamiḻ Region and Bengal
Although, dance in Hindu art is today commonly associated with Śiva, i.e. Naṭeśa / Naṭarāja, vaiṣṇava manuals like the Viṣṇudharmottara Purāṇa see Viṣṇu as the creator of dance and especially his avatāra (incarnation) Kṛṣṇa is associated with social dance. Therefore, it is not surprising that we find dance imagery in Viṣṇu temples from all over India created under varying patronage. In the Tamiḻ region several Viṣṇu temples were (re-)built or expanded under the patronage of the Vijayanagara dynasty and subsequent Nāyaka rulers. These temples feature dance relief series and sculptures inspired by the dance imagery from the Cōḻa period.
At around the same time in West Bengal, the Malla kings commissioned the famous terracotta temples in Bishnupur, dedicated to Viṣṇu and his avatāras. Their surfaces are adorned with terracotta tiles depicting various scenes, including frequently human dancers and Kṛṣṇa's rāsalīlā, the circular dance with the cowherds. Comparing dance imagery from Viṣṇu temples in the Tamiḻ region and West Bengal from the 16th to 18th century sheds new light on pan-Indian and regional developments in dance imagery.
Dr. des. Sandra Jasmin Schlage has a multidisciplinary study background including a BA-degree in “Asian Cultures and Societies – India” and “Cultural Anthropology” (University of Cologne) and a MA-degree in “Asian studies – Art History of Asia and the Orient” (University of Bonn). She completed her doctoral dissertation “Elegant Dancers Engraved in Stone. Content, Style, and Symbolism of Dance Reliefs of the Tamiḻ Region” at the Department for Asian and Islamic Art History (University of Bonn) where she works as research assistant and lecturer. Her research interests include Asian dances, South Asian visual arts, and the cultural exchange between South- and Southeast Asia.