Dancing to Celestial Tunes

Corresponding in some respects to stone sculptors, bronze casters and wood workers of past centuries, the weavers painters of Kalahasti have evolved a technique of preparing the Kalamkari and have represented the entire iconography of the Hindu pantheon on simple cottons.

Here we see a blue bodied Ganesha, dancing on a socle. Ganesha has four hands; in three he holds a trident, his broken tusk and a lotus flowers; the fourth arm being in 'dolahasta' position. He wears a yellow loin-cloth and a flowing scarf. He wears anklets bracelets, a pectoral, earrings and a crown. He rests the weight of his entire body on his right toe and lifts his left foot. Since Ganesha here holds a trident and a lotus, the artists tries to reiterate his association with Shiva and Lakshmi. Ganesha dances here in abandon in accompaniment to music played by two kinnaras (heavenly musicians). His vehicle, the mouse, is depicted near the socle, saddled in finery but proportionately too small.

Since Kalamkari is a temple art, the niche shows that the image belongs to a temple wall, and the artist replicates it. He has not left any empty space; the background is filled with flowers and petals, symbolizing prosperity. The colour palette is limited but does not effect the beauty of the work.

This description by Renu Rana.

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