Portrayal of The Woman: In the Art and Literature of the Ancient Deccan

"An attempt is made in this work to present the female form in all its dimensions." The approach is interpretative and appreciative but in doing so the aesthetic values have not been overlooked. The female sculpture appearing on the walls of the sacred templed demand their legitimate dues. The rich imagination, the almost perfect skills of the artists and the implied significance of the themes carved remain to be looked into. An attempt is therefore made in this form and its symbolism by including a detailed study of the Ashtanaikas and Surasundaris which have generally escaped the attention of art historians. Name and any emotion and it is there, be it anxiety, grief, anger, jealousy, bashfulness and love, presenting the inner world of woman which important categories of texts, such as religious and legal are habituated to ignore.