Title : Kathakali Style Surpanaka
Accession No : 53/22/9
Painted figure of Kathakali dancer depicting Surpanaka. Surpanaka was the sister of Ravana. The female figure is shown with a large crown. The figure is ornamental. The garment is traditional. The figure is supported by a small pedestal with title inscribed in English 'SURPANAKA'.
Gallery
Provenance
- StateKerala
Condition
- ConditionGood
- Action NoteCNR
Dimensions
- Measurement (CMS)39 x 18 x 14
- Weight (GRMS)0.00
Significance
- ReligiousSurpanakha, also spelt as Shurpanakha, literally means the "one with sharp fingernails" or the "one whose fingernails are like winnowing fans". She is an important character in the Valmiki Ramayana and is the sister of the main antagonist, Ravana, the demon-King of Lanka. According to the Valmiki Ramayana, Surpanakha met Rama, She was instantly smitten by his handsome persona and youthful good looks. She tried to make advances towards Rama, but he repeatedly kept rejecting her. Surpanakha then approached his younger brother, Lakshmana. He reacted very differently from Rama. He was harsh and cruel in his rejection of her and said that she would never become that which he desired in a wife. Eventually, she realized that the brothers were making fun of her. Insulted and humiliated, she attacked Sita, but was thwarted by Lakshmana. When he had had too much, he cut off her nose and left ear and sent her racing back to Lanka. Ravana thus got angry and kidnapped Sita .
- Socio economic
- Artistic Kathakali’, an important genre in the Indian classical dance form, is associated with storytelling form of this art. It is the dance drama from the south Indian state of Kerala. Author Phillip Zarrilli mentions that the basic components and distinct features of this form of classical dance can be traced back to ancient Sanskrit Hindu text called ‘Natya Shastra’, a text on the performing arts written by the sage Bharata Muni, an Indian theatrologist and musicologist. Kathakali is typically structured around ‘Attakatha’ meaning the story of attam or dance. ‘Attakatha’ are plays that were historically derived from Hindu epics like ‘Bhagavata Purans’, ‘Mahabharata’ and ‘Ramayana’.
Description
- DescriptionPainted figure of Kathakali dancer depicting Surpanaka. Surpanaka was the sister of Ravana. The female figure is shown with a large crown. The figure is ornamental. The garment is traditional. The figure is supported by a small pedestal with title inscribed in English 'SURPANAKA'.
- Inscription/Markings Yes
- ReferenceRanjan, Aditi. Handmade in India: Crafts of India. Edited by Aditi Ranjan & M. P. Ranjan. Ahmedabad: Council of Handicraft Development Corporations, 2007.
- KeywordSarupanaka, Ravana, Ramayana, Mythology, Epic, Figurative, Performance, Art, Dancer