Early Buddhist dance scenes

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Early Buddhist dance scenes can be found in reliefs and paintings of some early Buddhist sites in India . In the scenes, the dance is mostly used for entertainment in a worldly or divine context or to seduce you into worldly life. The latter aspect is often represented in depictions of the daughters of Mara trying in vain to seduce the meditating Buddha .

introduction

In Bharhut (in the north of Madhya Pradesh ) and Sanchi beginnings of movement patterns can be found, which are mainly in Amaravati (near Guntur ) and Nagarjunakonda (island in the Nagarjuna reservoir ), but also in the Buddhist caves (see cave temples in Asia ) so refined and stylized that one can establish a connection with the classical Indian dances that refer to the Natyashastra. In the development of classical dance in the 20th century, the actors repeatedly referred to dance representations in temples to explain unclear passages of Natyashastra for dance practice.

A closer look at some of the scenes reveals movements that are present today in classical Indian dance styles or folk dance styles.

Most of the dancers shown are surrounded by musicians, some of whose instruments are still played in Indian classical music today. The stone reliefs show: vinas as bow harps and stick zithers, the bamboo flute Venu (with eight holes today in southern India), the barrel drum Pushkara as the forerunner of mridangam and pakhawaj , and hand cymbals. The first playing stick, which can be interpreted as a bow, appears on a sculpture from the 4th to 6th centuries in Cave 4 of Ajanta . The Streich-Vinas were a far cry from the later Sarangi .

The stupas of Bharhut and Sanchi

Dance and music representations in the reliefs of the stupas of Bharhut and Sanchi bear witness to a society in which both art forms - dance and music - were alive.

Complete postures cannot be identified with the information in Natyashastra, but the general style, especially the arm posture in connection with the posture of the upper body, as well as the emphasis on the hand postures correspond to the special dance type that occurs in the South Asian classical dances. The contrast between the suppleness and flexibility of the upper body and the stiffness of the lower limbs is striking. The most common hand position corresponds to the Pataka Hasta.

Bharhut

(Relief: Indian Museum, Calcutta, No. 182)
The following scene adorns the upper third of a pillar: The Buddha's turban is kept in a meeting hall and venerated by adorers. Four dancers are pictured below the assembly hall. They are nymphs or courtesans dancing in a row and accompanied by musicians on their left. Their dance suggests a special festivity for worshiping relics. Three of the dancers keep their feet turned outwards, as in the basic posture of some South Indian classical dances - the "Aramandi" - while the knees, in contrast to the Aramandi, are completely straight or slightly bent. The outer dancer holds one leg straight while the other is crossed in a swastika position. The dancers' arms are either fully stretched out or bent at the elbows with their hands on their ears. Almost all hands are held in pataka-hasta.

Sanchi

(Relief: western pillar of the southern gate)
Another dance scene, in which the headdress of the Buddha is venerated, is located in Sanchi at the lower end of a pillar of the southern gate. Around the center, in which the turban is depicted, admirers gather, a dancer with musicians and seated figures, presumably representing the 33 gods who caught the headdress of the enlightened one after he had thrown it into the air. The nymph's legs are straight and the upper body is kept straight while the head is slightly bent. Your arms are brought together in a curve at chest level, with one arm bent at the elbow and wrist. A similar movement, albeit with more pronounced flexion, can be seen in a painting in Cave 1 in Ajanta .

Gandhara

The dance performances of Gandhara also prove the use of arm and foot positions as they are typical for classical Indian dance. There are mainly several depictions in which dancers are shown in a swastika position with their backs to the viewer and one arm bent over their head turned to one side.

In a relief, two dancers are shown in a classic posture, dancing facing each other. Both keep their legs in the swastika position. One of the dancers is shown in the described rotation, while looking at her partner at the same time. She holds one hand in front of the lower rib cage, as is often done in dance in Nrtya - the expressive part of classical dance. The hand position in which the fingers seem closed and the position of the arm are reminiscent of the representation of a bud in Bharatanatyam.

The stupas of Amaravati and Nagarjunikonda

Compared to the stupas of Bharhuts and Sanchis, the dance is shown here in a more detailed, exuberant and stylized way. Some of the images show complex postures that are defined in Natyashastra or other ancient dance scripts.

Amaravati

(Relief: British Museum , No.17, Elliot Collection No. 131 and 134)
Visible kinship with classical Indian dance is a scene of courtly entertainment in which a central dancing figure is surrounded by musicians and relaxed, amusing spectators. Presumably, the portrayal is about a performance for the entertainment of Nanda and his wife. Other elegantly portrayed women are also watching the performance or are busy playing. The dancer's posture is very finely worked out here: while her upper body is held frontally, her hips are turned towards the musicians, which is also where her crossed leg points. One arm is bent, the elbow is angled to one side, and the hand is set up in Pataka or Tripataka, as seen in Bharatanatyam. The other arm is held diagonally downwards and at the same time appears relaxed and controlled - properties that are highly valued in classical Indian dance training today. The upper body is divided into two halves. The top from shoulder to waist is raised and pushed to one side without affecting the shoulder line, which requires a high level of training from a dancer.

Nagarjunikonda

On a relief in Nagarjunikonda, three dancers are shown frontally in the bent leg posture “Aramandi”, which is typical for South Indian classical dances and which was already indicated in Bharhut. The central figure holds the arms symmetrically bent at the elbows, with the hands held in pataka hasta next to the chest. The other two figures support their outer arms on their hips and extend their inner arms diagonally upwards towards the middle dancer. The inner hands are also in Pataka Hasta.

Buddhist caves

Few complex dance scenes can be found in the Buddhist caves. However, there are depictions of the dancing Shiva in Ellora, Elephanta and Ajanta. Particularly in Ellora and Elephanta, specific postures of Shiva can be seen, which will be found again and again in South Asian art in the following centuries and which are included in the category of Nrttamurtis.

Paintings in Ajanta

Some dance scenes can be seen in Ajanta's paintings . Four paintings are worth mentioning here: a courtly dancer in cave 1, daughters of Maras at the bodhi tree in cave 10, a dancing figure in the wheel of rebirths in cave 17 and a daughter of Maras in cave 26.

Cave 1

The most famous of the paintings is the depiction of a dancing woman surrounded by musicians above the door of the second cell on the left wall of the first cave. It is part of the story of Mahajanaka. With the help of the dance performance, Mahajanaka's wife tries to prevent her husband from withdrawing from worldly life. The dancer is the focus, while the musicians and other figures are arranged in a circle around them. Mahajanaka, however, remains unmoved and is seated some distance away from the action accompanied by his wife. The artist has succeeded in holding the dancing figure in a moment of movement. She holds one hand in the alapallava while the other hand is brought back in one motion from the opposite side. The right foot is in samapada while the left is shown in motion. The bending of the head, waist and knees make the figure appear in perfect balance. The posture is reminiscent of the Tribhanga position in the classic Odissi dance. The long, long-sleeved dress that emphasizes the figure looks rather strange in both the cut and the pattern. Nothing comparable can be seen in other dance performances. The hands wear a thumb ring set, the earrings are finely worked and the head is covered with pearls while the braid is adorned with flowers. The costume, hairstyle, and shape of the eyes, as well as the general mood of the depiction, indicate the late style in Ajanta's paintings.

The floral decoration on the braid is a striking element in many South Indian classical dance styles today.

Cave 10

The painting in cave 10 deals with a different topic: In the middle of the picture is the Bodhi tree, on the right side of which Mara is shown with a following. To the left of the tree are shown daughters of Mara clapping, dancing and making music. In the center of the action are two dancers, around whom the other figures are arranged in a semicircle. The torso is free and adorned with a long, broad chain. Bangles are worn on the arms. Due to the poor condition of the painting, only the upper body of a dancer is clearly recognizable: Its inclined position with tilted head, as well as the arms, one of which is loosely supported on the hips and the other is stretched diagonally upwards, gives the impression of one very lively and exuberant dance as it is more likely to be found in folk dances.

Cave 17

Another dance scene is shown in Cave 17 in the Wheel of Rebirth to the left of the veranda. The small representation is in the lower corner of the top sector - the world of the gods. A solo dancer is shown in a posture reminiscent of Shiva - Nataraja , as one arm is held in gajahasta (elephant trunk gesture , left arm stretched forward with hand pointing downwards towards the raised left foot) while the feet are in swastika position with the knees only slightly bent. Six heavenly nymphs , who accompany him musically, are arranged in a semicircle around him. Numerous gods and other heavenly beings are depicted in the same section. The dance scene is less central here than in the pictures mentioned above.

Cave 26

A relief on the left wall of Cave 26 shows Mara and his daughters trying to distract the meditating Buddha. The dancer is here in the center of the lower section of the scene. She holds the left leg straight, while the right is crossed in the swastika position. The hip is pushed to the left. She holds her right hand in front of her chest, probably in a gesture that is called kapitha in the Abhinayadarpana. The right arm hangs down along the hip. The posture is reminiscent of the gait movement in the Odissi dance.

literature

  • Kapila Vatsyayan: Classical Indian Dance in Literature and the Arts . Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi 1968
  • Choodamani Nanda Gopal: Dance Forms in the Art of Ajanta with Reference to Amaravati and Bagh, in The art of Ajanta, (Vol II). Books & Books, New Delhi 1991
  • Madanjeet Singh: Ajanta . Edita Lausanne, Lausanne 1974
  • C. Sivaramamurthy: Amaravati Sculpture . Tansi Press, Madras 1977