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The costumes similarly had distinct iconographic connotations. Vishnu’s icons were required to be clad in golden yellow silk {pith- ambara ), those of Shiva covered with the skin of the animals ( charma ). The contribution of iconometry to iconography is of great sig- nificance, particularly in so far as the differences in sizes were con- cerned, which indicated spiritual or the gender status of the icons. The measurements or the tala, mana concepts involved in making the icons, highlight their special traits. While the icons of Tirthank- aras were done to a specific scale the icons of his attendant deities, were executed on a smaller scale. The icons of Vishnu were invari- ably done to a scale much larger than those of Lakshmi. Such rela- tive disparity in the sizes of the icons between the king and the at- tendant, queen and the maids, the dancers and the accompanists were invariably adopted by artists in making the icons. The artists were expected to execute an icon with due consid- eration of Bharata’s Natya Shastra (fig-17), Abhinavagupta’s Alankara Shastra (fig-18) and Vatsayana’s Kamasutra. The im- pact of these sciences was expected to enhance the aesthetic qualities of icons. The standard of beauty, stances, poses, senti- ments gradually permeated the silpa shastra, is evident from a large number of sculptures executed within the format of the traditional scheme. The well - built, long-limbed ( ajanubahu ) concept of the male ideal was incorporated into the icons of Tirthankaras, Buddhas and Bodhisattva. The icons of the female deities were required to have round moon-like face, fish-like eyes, slim waist, large breasts and broad hips, which extended their jurisdiction over the figures, done in the secular idiom. Apart from the. symbols, accessories, iconometry and the aes- thetic requirements, the colour symbolism played an important role in endowing a certain degree of distinctiveness to the iconographic forms. Though the practice of painting the icons of wood, clay, stone,metal and ivory did exist, the painted pictures of the icons with colour attributes began to appear subsequently on a larger scale. A convention had been set up which made it mandatory on the part of the artists to follow the colour symbolism as prescribed by the texts (shastras). Blue for Krishna and Rama, white for Shiva, black for Kali, are some of the important colour symbolisms inte- grated into the iconic forms. The popular use of terms like adoption, assimilation, amalga- mation, transference, transformation in the context of the develop- ment of iconography, in recent times, have acquired distinct conno- tation, enabling the scholars to make iconography in general, more articulate and understandable. ( T . K ) SELECTED REFERENCES Gopinath Rao, T.A., Elements of Hindu Iconography, Varanasi, II edition. 1971. Banerjea, Jitendranath. The Development of Hindu Iconogra- phy, Calcutta 1958. Gupte. R. S. Iconography of the Hindus, Buddhists And Jains, Bombay 1972.

The other set of motifs which came under the category of decora- tion and ornamentation was jewellery (fig-14), some of which in course of time acquired iconographic connotation. Long necklace or Vijayantimala, ear-studs based on the fish motif (makara kun- dalas) were the ornaments associated with Vishnu. While the gar- land of skulls (rundamala), serpentine ear studs (sarpakundala) had developed as the special attributes of Shiva, Kaustubha, keyura, kankana, mauktika, vesara, nupura acquired significance in relation to the deity wearing them. Added to this were some of the weapons, such as Vishnu’s quoit (■ chakra ) and mace ( gadha ), Shiva’s trident ( trishula ), axe (parasu ) and a variety of weapons which enlarged the conceptualization of an icon. Enriching the iconographic traits and enhancing their aestheticity were the coiffure and costumes, in course of time which had devel- oped distinct traditions of their own. Coiffure was arranged in a variety of styles, depending on the socio-religious and cultural status of the icons. The head gears of the divinities in particular known as mukuta were of two types, the crown ( kirito ) (fig-16) and matted hair arranged in piles (jata), (fig-15) Vishnu and the Vaishnavite icons were adorned with kiri- tas indicating the status of a royal divinity. Brahma, Saraswati, Shiva and Saivite icons on the other hand, had them arranged in the jata fashion revealing their ascetic associations.

Daniel Smith, H. Vaishnava Iconography, Madras 1969.

Encyclopedia Britannica.

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