Surasundari

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A surasundari at a Khajuraho temple

As a house without a wife, as a frolic without a woman, so without the surasundari, the monument will be inferior and bear no fruit.

—Shilpa-Prakasha, 9th century architectural treatise[1]

In

romanized: Surasundarī, lit. 'beautiful goddess') is a young maiden characterizing feminine beauty and graceful sensuality.[2]

yakshis and other spirits since 2nd century BCE. However, the surasundari motif gained prominence in Indian temple architecture only around the beginning of the 9th century CE. Shilpa-Prakasha, a 9th-century Tantric architectural treatise, declares a monument without a surasundari as inferior and fruitless.[1][3] The 15th century text Kshirarnava states that the surasundaris should be depicted looking down (adho-drishti), not looking at someone.[4]

In temple sculptures, the surasundaris are often depicted as attendants of gods and goddesses. They also manifest as dancing apsaras.[5] A salabhanjika or tree nymph is another variation of a surasundari.[1] Other forms of a surasundari include:[1]

  • Darpani (mirror holder)
  • Torana (door leaner)
  • Dalamalika (branch holder)
  • Padmagandha (smelling like a lotus)
  • Ketakibharana (with a ketaki flower)
  • Matrika (mother)
  • Chamari (
    fly whisk
    bearer)
  • Nartaki (dancer)
  • Shukasarika (one who plays with a parrot)
  • Nupurapadika (one who ties anklets)
  • Mardala (drummer)
  • Alasyakanya (lazy)
  • Shubhagamini (thorn remover)

The presence of surasundaris in religious shrines is interpreted in several ways. A spiritual interpretation is that they represent shakti (the feminine cosmic energy), and can be considered as both auspicious and empowering. A secular interpretation is that they represent the prosperity of the king who commissioned the temple.[6]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Surasundari.
  1. ^ a b c d Harsha V Dehejia (9 January 2012). "Beautiful woman". The Times of India.
  2. ^ Theodore Robert Bowie (1965). Ancient Indian Sculpture and Painting. Indiana University Art Museum.
  3. ^ Roberta Smith, Ken Johnson and Karen Rosenberg (29 December 2011). "Some Favorite Things Not Hanging on a Wall". The New York Times.
  4. ISBN 978-81-901318-0-3
    .
  5. ISBN 978-1-74220-347-8
    .
  6. ISBN 978-0-304-70739-3
    .
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