The body adorned : dissolving boundaries between sacred and profane in India's art by Vidya Dehejia
The sensuous human form--elegant and eye-catching--is the dominant feature of premodern Indian art. Alankara (ornament) protects the body and makes it complete and attractive. In this book Dehejia draws on the literature of court poets, the hymns of saints and acharyas, and verses from inscriptions to illuminate premodern India's unique treatment of the sculpted and painted form. She focuses on the coexistence of sacred and sensuous images within the common boundaries of Buddhist, Jain, and Hindu "sacred spaces, "redefining terms like "sacred" and "secular" in relation to Indian architecture. By juxtaposing visual and literary sources, Dehejia demonstrates the harmony between the sacred and the profane in classical Indian culture. Her synthesis of art, literature, and cultural materials not only generates an all-inclusive picture of the period but also revolutionizes our understanding of the cultural ethos of premodern India.