The first Prakasha or section of the Indian text Shilpaprakasha, a treatise on architecture and sculpting talks about a popular element in Indian temple art- beauteous young women, in different postures and forms adorning the walls and other parts of the sanctum with their grace. These enchanting maidens are called “Alasya Kanya” or idle women, a name derived from their laid-back attitude and bodily posture in which their allure is best displayed by the sculptor.
According to the Shilpaprakasha- “As a Vaasa (home) and Kreeda (playfulness) is incomplete without the presence of a young woman, so is art without the imagery of the feminine, fruitless and devoid of pleasure.” The numbers of Alasya Kanya are 16 or 32 or even more, but the essence of these stunning female icons is one- the artistic exaltation of fertility and auspiciousness possessed by women.
One of the most recurring motifs from the Alasya Kanya retinue is the lady with a mirror, also known as Darpana, who holds a darpana or mirror. This large wooden Darpana statue depicts a young maiden engrossed in gazing at her beauty, which can mesmerize humans, gods, Yakshas, and Gandharvas (celestial beings). She is standing on a long wooden pedestal that emerges from a lotus underneath and is surrounded by lush foliage that adds grandeur to this wooden Darpana statue.
Several parrots, Shuka in Sanskrit, the mount of Kamadeva (Hindu god of Love) are nestled in the greenery that haloes the ethereal lady with the mirror wood statue. Her skin carries the earthy appeal of the typical Indian skin tone and is covered in exquisite ornaments. The beauty shares her platform with a minuscule attendant figure and a peacock who though richly engraved is dwarfed by her transcendental loveliness.
On the lower section of this wooden lady with the mirrored statue are two dancing females, holding a flower in one hand while supporting the platform with the other. Stationed on a high pedestal and smeared with tints of traditional colors, this wood Darpana icon seems to be descending from the heavens.
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