Educational Galaxy

Dance and Sculpture — EG's own notes, in simple words

Book: Kriti (CBSE, Class 7)  |  Chapter 10  |  Medium: English

Section: Dance

Diagram (labels are printed on the image): A temple sculpture and a dancer in the same pose. A general teaching picture; it is not a picture from the book.

A child frozen like a statue mid-dance. A general picture about dance and sculpture; no book picture is copied here.

What the chapter is about

The Vishnudharmottara Purana emphasises the interrelation and interdependence of the art forms. Dated around 400 to 600 CE, the end of the Gupta period — also known as the golden age of Indian arts — it understands the importance of spatial concepts of the performing body. In it, a discussion occurs between King Vajra and Markandeya on painting and drama, in a memorable verse: without the knowledge of dance (nritya-shastra), the principles of sculpture (shilpa-shastra) are very difficult to understand. Sage Markandeya instructs that one who does not know the laws of painting (chitra) can never understand the laws of image-making (shilpa), and it is difficult to understand the laws of painting (chitra) without any knowledge of the technique of dancing (nritya). The precision of geometrical shapes in dance and sculptures was probably worked out because of this interdisciplinary understanding.

Dance and mathematics intertwine: when you observe postures in dance, you can identify geometrical shapes and angles formed by the body, such as triangles, circles and lines. You have already learnt small, medium and big body parts mentioned in dance texts, and how to identify shapes created by upper-body bends or torsos. The upper-torso postures are Samabhang, Dwibhang, Abhang, Tribhang and Atibhang. Arms create various geometrical angles too — you have moved them in circles, half circles and diagonals. The lower torso adds its own geometry: knee bends from standing on both feet with no knee bend, through one-fourth, half and three-fourth bends, to full seating on toes; and distances between the feet — standing on both feet with equal weight, half-bent from the knees with heels near each other, standing with feet apart making a square shape, and placing the feet at maximum width. The chapter’s pictures show these stances in Bharatanatyam, Kathak and Kathakali.

Temple sculptures throughout India show beautiful dance representation. Important temples named are the Chidambaram Temple in Tamil Nadu, the Konark Sun Temple in Odisha, the Dilwara Temple in Rajasthan and the Elephanta Caves in Maharashtra. The chapter’s pictured sculptures, left to right and top to bottom, are: a Dancing Hindu Goddess at the Hoysaleshwara Temple, Halebidu, Karnataka; a Lady Dancer at the Sun Temple, Konark, Odisha; Dancing Shiva at the Kedareshwara Temple, Halebidu, Karnataka; a Hindu Temple at Hoysaleshwara, Halebidu, Karnataka; Dancers from Hampi, Karnataka; and a Jain Temple at Haridwar, Uttarakhand. The chapter also shows Dancing Shiva carvings at the Ellora Caves, Maharashtra.

Hand gestures link dance and sculpture. You learnt Asamyuta hastas (single hand gestures) and Samyuta hastas (double hand gestures) in Kriti, Grade 6, and this chapter asks you to recall them. The Asamyuta hastas named are: Pataka, Tripataka, Ardhapataka, Kartarimukha, Mayura, Ardhachandra, Arala, Shukatunda, Mushti, Shikhara, Kapittha, Katakamukha, Suchi, Chandrakala, Padmakosha, Sarpashirsha, Mrigashirsha, Simhamukham, Kangula, Alapadma, Chatura, Bhramara, Hamsaya, Hamsapaksha, Samdamsha, Mukula, Tamrachuda and Trishula. The Samyuta hastas named are: Anjali, Kapota, Karkata, Swastika, Dola, Puspaputa, Utsanga, Shivlinga, Katakavardana, Kartariswastika, Shakata, Shankha, Chakra, Samputa, Pasha, Keelaka, Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Garuda, Nagabandha, Khatwa, Berunda and Avahitta. In sculpture, hastas impart artistic beauty to the body and convey emotions effectively without words — and some hastas in dance are also found in the sculptures of heritage monuments.

Emotions and expressions are integral to Indian dance, and the basic emotions give rise to the emotive ambience everyone enjoys: that is rasa. The Natyashastra verse quoted names eight rasas in natya: Shringara, Hasya, Karuna, Raudra, Veera, Bhayanaka, Bibhatsa and Adbhuta — beauty, laughter, sorrow, anger, courage, fear, disgust and wonder. The ninth rasa, Shanta, was included later by Abhinava Gupta in the 10th century CE. The chapter remembers them through a garden: smelling the fragrance of flowers is Shringara; squirrels and their activities making you happy and smile is Hasya; sadness when someone destroys those flowers is Karuna; anger when someone cuts down the garden’s trees is Raudra; bravely rising in protest to stop the destruction is Veera; a snake in the branches is Bhayanaka; decaying plants giving out a pungent smell is Bibhatsa; the beauty of nature is always wondrous, Adbhuta; and finding peace in nature is Shanta.

What you should learn

• Explain the Vishnudharmottara Purana’s chain: dance → painting → sculpture.
• Identify geometrical shapes and angles in upper-torso, lower-torso and arm movements.
• Name the temple sculptures and temples in this chapter, and try their postures.
• Recall Asamyuta and Samyuta hastas, and find hastas in sculptures.
• Name the nine rasas with the chapter’s garden examples, and enact a daily activity in a chosen emotion.

Try it: My body in various shapes (Activity 10.1)

1. Combine your upper torso, lower torso and arms to make various shapes and postures.
2. Let your friends identify the shapes: squares, triangles, rectangles, parallels or rhombuses?
3. Use the lower-torso range: no knee bend, one-fourth, half, three-fourth, and full seating on toes; and the feet distances: equal weight, heels near, square shape, maximum width.

Try it: Dancing sculptures (Activity 10.2)

1. Observe the combination of upper and lower torso in the chapter’s dance pictures, and try the postures shown.
2. Identify the various angles in these images.
3. Try one simple posture and one challenging posture, and discuss why some positions feel more challenging than others.
4. Recall the temples named: Chidambaram (Tamil Nadu), Konark (Odisha), Dilwara (Rajasthan), Elephanta (Maharashtra), plus Hoysaleshwara and Kedareshwara at Halebidu, Hampi, and the Jain Temple at Haridwar.

Try it: Hastas in sculptures + matching emotions with chores (Activities 10.3–10.4)

1. Look at the sculptures’ pictures: can you see hastas in them? Try them out and match them with the hasta illustrations; discuss with friends, try the mudras seen, and create new ones.
2. Prepare two bowls of chits. Bowl 1: nine emotional states — happiness, sadness, anger, surprise, fear, excitement, calm, confused, proud. Bowl 2: daily activities — brushing teeth, dressing, going to school, eating lunch, doing homework, doing yoga.
3. Each child picks one chit from each bowl and enacts the daily activity in that emotional state, including hand gestures. Example: “confused” + “do homework” = willing to do homework but not right now — scratching the head, leaving the pen and holding it again, closing the book and opening it.

Chart / Table: Body geometry in this chapter

Body part	Positions and shapes
Upper torso	Samabhang, Dwibhang, Abhang, Tribhang, Atibhang.
Arms	Circles, half circles, diagonals, and various geometrical angles.
Lower torso — knee bends	No bend; one-fourth; half; three-fourth; full seating on toes.
Feet — distances	Equal weight on both feet; half-bent, heels near; feet apart making a square; feet at maximum width.

Practice set — try it yourself

1. What does the Vishnudharmottara Purana say about dance and sculpture?
   Hint: Hint: Without dance knowledge, sculpture’s principles are very difficult to understand.
2. Name the five upper-torso postures.
   Hint: Hint: They run from even (Sama) to extreme (Ati).
3. List the lower-torso knee bends in order.
   Hint: Hint: From no bend to full seating on toes.
4. Name two temples and one sculpture from each, as pictured in the chapter.
   Hint: Hint: Think of Konark’s Lady Dancer and Halebidu’s Dancing Shiva.
5. Enact “going to school” in the emotion “excited”, using hand gestures.
   Hint: Hint: Pick your emotion chit and your activity chit, then act both together.

Questions with Answers

1. Explain the interrelation of dance, painting and sculpture in this chapter.
   The Vishnudharmottara Purana (c. 400–600 CE, end of the Gupta period) records King Vajra’s discussion with Markandeya: without knowledge of dance (nritya-shastra), the principles of sculpture (shilpa-shastra) are very difficult to understand. Markandeya adds that one who does not know the laws of painting (chitra) can never understand the laws of image-making (shilpa), and painting itself is difficult to understand without dancing technique. The precision of geometrical shapes in dance and sculpture probably came from this interdisciplinary understanding.
2. What geometrical shapes and positions does the body make in dance?
   Triangles, circles and lines, among others. The upper torso gives Samabhang, Dwibhang, Abhang, Tribhang and Atibhang; arms move in circles, half circles and diagonals and form various angles; the lower torso moves through no knee bend, one-fourth, half, three-fourth bends and full seating on toes; and the feet range from equal weight on both feet, through half-bent with heels near, to feet apart making a square, and feet at maximum width.
3. Which temples and sculptures does the chapter name?
   Temples: Chidambaram (Tamil Nadu), Konark Sun Temple (Odisha), Dilwara (Rajasthan), Elephanta Caves (Maharashtra), with Dancing Shiva carvings also at Ellora Caves (Maharashtra). Pictured sculptures: Dancing Hindu Goddess, Hoysaleshwara Temple, Halebidu; Lady Dancer, Sun Temple, Konark; Dancing Shiva, Kedareshwara Temple, Halebidu; a Hindu Temple, Hoysaleshwara, Halebidu; Dancers from Hampi; and a Jain Temple, Haridwar.
4. What are Asamyuta and Samyuta hastas, and why do they matter in sculpture?
   Asamyuta hastas are single hand gestures and Samyuta hastas are double hand gestures, learnt in Kriti, Grade 6 and recalled here. In sculpture, hastas impart artistic beauty to the body and convey emotions effectively without words, and some dance hastas are also found in heritage monuments’ sculptures.
5. Name the nine rasas with the chapter’s garden examples.
   Shringara — smelling flowers’ fragrance; Hasya — squirrels making you smile; Karuna — sadness when flowers are destroyed; Raudra — anger when garden trees are cut; Veera — bravely protesting the destruction; Bhayanaka — a snake in the branches; Bibhatsa — decaying plants’ pungent smell; Adbhuta — nature’s beauty, always wondrous; Shanta — finding peace in nature. The first eight come from the Natyashastra; Shanta was added later by Abhinava Gupta in the 10th century CE.

Extension Questions — for deeper understanding

1. Why does the chapter call the Gupta period’s end a golden age of Indian arts?
   Because the Vishnudharmottara Purana, dated c. 400–600 CE at the end of the Gupta period, already treats the arts as an interrelated system — dance, painting and sculpture understood through shared spatial concepts of the performing body — showing how developed and precise Indian art theory already was.
2. How would you connect this chapter to a geometry lesson?
   By mapping body positions to shapes and angles: upper-torso bends, arm circles and diagonals, knee-bend fractions (one-fourth, half, three-fourth), and feet positions making a square. The chapter itself suggests involving the geometry teacher in planning, so lines and angles are learnt enjoyably through the body.
3. Why are hastas called a communication medium in this chapter’s principles?
   Because hastas convey emotions and messages without words — in dance and in sculpture alike. A gesture can show an emotion, an object or an action, which is why Activity 10.3 asks students to find hastas in sculptures, try them, match them with illustrations, and create new ones.
4. Compare a simple and a challenging posture from Activity 10.2 — what makes one harder?
   A simple posture might use equal weight on both feet with no knee bend; a challenging one might combine a three-fourth bend or full seating on toes with wide feet and an extreme upper-torso bend (Atibhang). Difficulty comes from balance, flexibility, strength and holding several geometries at once — which is why the chapter asks you to notice, not just to copy.
5. How does Activity 10.4 teach rasa better than a list of names?
   By forcing the body to combine an emotion with an ordinary action: “confused” homework looks different from “proud” homework, and “calm” yoga differs from “excited” yoga. Rasa stops being a word and becomes something you can see in gesture, posture and timing.
6. A friend says sculptures are “frozen dance”. Is that what the chapter means?
   Partly: sculptures do show dance postures, hastas and emotions. But the chapter’s point is deeper and two-way — dance technique helps you understand painting, and painting helps you understand sculpture. The arts explain each other; none is merely a copy of another.

How to use this page: Read the summary, say the Key Terms in your own words, then try the practice set without looking. Check your answers against Questions with Answers, and ask your teacher or parent to check your work.