The Body Adorned: Dissolving Boundaries Between Sacred and Profane in India's Art

by Vidya Dehejia

The sensuous human form-elegant and eye-catching-is the dominant feature of premodern Indian art. From the powerful god Shiva, greatest of all yogis and most beautiful of all beings, to stone dancers twisting along temple walls, the body in Indian art is always richly adorned. Alankara (ornament) protects the body and makes it complete and attractive; to be unornamented is to invite misfortune.

In The Body Adorned, Vidya Dehejia,...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0231140282
• ISBN13: 9780231140287
• Release Date: February 2009
• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Length: 219 Pages
• Weight: 2.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.2" x 10.2"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher