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The association of the various Gods with dance made it necessary for the
sculptor to study the Natyasastra before depicting these deities in
stone. This knowledge was one of the main factors that contributed to
the refinement of sculpture. The presence of an accomplished nartaki -
the dancer - attached to the temple induced the sculptor to create dance
sculptures. In turn, such sculptures remain as everlasting guides for
successive generations of dance enthusiasts. They served to codify and
preserve the art for all time. Among such closely inter-related
creations, benefiting each other, the most important is the karanam in
the field of dance and sculpture. It is a matter of pride for Tamilnadu
that it has been able to preserve in pristine purity the Kashmiriyan
sage Bharata’s style of dance in the form of sculpture. Though there are
dance sculptures all over India, such close adherence to the Bharata
tradition cannot be seen anywhere else.
(‘The Role of Dance Sculptures in Tamilnadu,’ Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam in
paper presented at Second International Conference Seminar of Tamil
Studies, Chennai, 1968)
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