Abstract:
Śilpa or art is an important marker of the world view of any culture. If we consider the art
traditions in different parts of India as mirroring notions of femininity and masculinity
prevalent in society, the sculptures in various regional contexts provide us with ample
examples of such representations of gender. This paper endeavours to study the normative
understanding of women and femininity as depicted in sculptures on the temple walls of early
medieval Odisha. My research focuses primarily on temple iconography to understand
representations of the feminine.
There are a large number of prescriptive works that throw light on art and architecture in
early medieval India, but many of these refer to specific regional traditions.
Śilpa Prakāśa and Śilparatnakośa are the two main sources to interpret the iconography and
sculptures on the temples of early medieval Odisha. This paper focuses on the idea of
representation of femininity through the sculptures on temples and how the doctrines of the
Śāstras moulded the idea of womanhood in early medieval Odisha. More or less these
Śāstras uphold the details of various parts of the temple, detailing the underlying meaning of
iconography and symbolism, by drawing on Tāntric and other ideas.
The erotic motifs were not only carved out on the Śākta temples, but Śaiva and Vaiṣ ava
temples, were also decorated with these motifs. This paper tries to understand and analyze the
influence of emerging Śākta cult on the sculptures, in general and specifically on erotic
sculptures in the early medieval Odishan temples, on the basis of the Śākta texts.
