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PAINTINGS & WOOD-CARVINGS
(PART VII
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FIG. XXIV. Sittannavasal : a painted danseuse One of the paintings in the cave, that of a lake showing a delightful representation of fish, animals, birds and flower-gatherers, probably does not illustrate the parable of the lotus-pool, but the 'region of the lake', the second katika-bhūmi (region) where the bhavyas, the good ones, rejoice while washing themselves, as they pass on from region to region in order to hear the discourse of the Lord, in the samavasarana structure.
The flower-gatherers are portrayed in elegant proportions, and there is a great charm in their face. The stalks of the lotuses that they carry as well as the petals of the blooming flowers and the buds are wonderfully realistic. The ducks, fish and other aquatic animals here, particularly the buffaloes, are perfect examples of the painter's study of their form, movement, life and habits (colour-illustrations 1-4).
The figure of an apsaras (col.-ill. 5), with the left hand in the dandaposture, and the other, with the finger composing the patāka, with the face slightly tilted, and the eyes turned in that direction, is as effective as in Nataraja in the usual bhujanga-trăsitaka ('scared by snake') pose. The disposition of the bands in this manner is repeated to great aesthetic advantage in the catura-mode of dance of Siva in an exquisite early Cola example of metalwork from Tiruvarangalam. It is essential to compare this with a similar
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