Lord Kamadeva is Hindu dharmas presiding deity over desire. Devi Rati is the object of the desire He embodies. In the murti that you see on this page, the two are captured in the midst of the passionate dance. Their arms and legs are in the air. The spinal column, all the way from the hips to the neck, is contorted at an expressive angle. Fashioned from panchaloha, a blend of five (loha) iron-based (loha) alloys, this sculpture is cast using the traditional lost-wax technique. The same is expounded in the shastras as madhuchista vidhana. In fact, there are many hallmarks of the traditional South Indian aesthetic in this composition: from the style of the multi-tiered pedestal on which Kamadeva and Rati are dancing, to the twin-parrot aureole that curves high above their heads. Zoom in on the tall, slender bodies of Kamadeva and Rati, sculpted to fill the mind with desire. A world of adornments accentuates the beauty of their forms. Their hands are wound around a sprig of paddy, which stands for nourishment, which lies within the same range of human experience as carnal desire (material).
Loading
