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Queen Sembiyan Mahadevi as goddess Parvati, India, state of Tamil Nadu, Chola period, ca. 998 Bronze; height 92.1 cm (36 1/4 in.), Purchase: F1929.84 (Washington D.C.)

Vita

Queen Sembiyan Mahãdevi (aslo Cempiyan Mãtevi, 10th century CE), was the grandmother of Rajaraja Chola I of the Chola dynasty (also referred to as Rajaraja's great aunt. Queen Sembiyan Mahadevi, whose husband Gandaraditya Chola reigned 949–57 AD, was widowed at an young age and lived until about 1006 AD, but did not have quite secluded life style that some Dharmaśāstras advocated for widows. Over a period of sixty years she gave generous gifts to many temples in South India. We hear Sembiyan Mahadevi for the first time in an inscription dated 941; she is said to have made an endowment so that a lamp may be kept permanently lit in front of the Shiva (Śiva) diety (perhaps not long after the crystallization of the Chidambaram Nataraja (Natarāja) cult). The last inscription recording her activities is 1001.

Archaeometallurgical background

The origins of the Nataraja cult is in the state of Tamil Nadu in southern India. The trajectory of the dancing Shiva is traced: from the processional worship of metal icons outside the sanctum to the cultic elevation of the Nataraja bronze into the sanctum at Chidambaram. Archaeometallurgical, iconographic and literary evidence shows that the Nataraja bronze, depicting Shiva's anandatandava or 'dance of bliss', was a Pallava innovation (seventh to mid-ninth century), rather than tenth-century Chola as widely believed. That formulation was informed of 'cosmic' or metaphysical connotations is also argued on the basis of the testimony of the hymns of Tamil saints.

Sensuous and sacred

Sembiyan Mahadevi was a consummate temple builder and a highly respected patron of the arts. During her lifetime, special celebrations marked her birthday in the Shiva(Śiva) temple in the town of Sembiyan Mahadevi, named after her, and a metal portrait of the beloved queen was presented to the temple in her honor, possibly commissioned by her son. As such, it would have been recognized as Sembiyan Mahadevi by its use in processions celebrating her birthday. This highly stylized bronze image is an instance of the blurring of lines between royal and divine portraiture in ancient Indian art. While the pose is reminiscent of the goddess Parvati, this tall, svelte image with heavy, naturalistically shaped breasts, pliant bamboo-shoot arms and drapery clinging to her lower limbs is uncommonly individualized in the shape of her face, pursed lips, and long nose. This convergence between sensuous and sacred were more likely to be identified by their placement in a temple, or their function in specific rituals, than through an actual resemblance to their human counterparts. Indian artists often portray Hindu deities with great attention to arm/hand details to emphasize their omnipresence and omnipotence. A variety of hand gestures, known as mudras, are used to express the mood and meaning of the images of the gods. For instance, when the palm is raised to face the worshiper, it is the gesture of protection (abhaya), while a lowered hand with the fingers pointing downward signifies a promise to grant the devotee's wishes (varada). The contrapposto pose, known in India as tribhanga, or triple-bent, was a popular stance; it produced a sense of swaying movement, and most images, whether human or divine, are thus poised.

♦ Rajika Puri discusses a Bharatanatyam dancer's history of the form and its profound depth of meaning. Puri introduces the complexities of abhinaya (roughly “mime”) and hasta mudras (stylized hand gestures), revealing how it is that Indian dancers combine dancing and acting (nryta) with so-called pure movement (nrtta) in every performance. She tells us that both abhinaya and nrtta are included in nrtya, the word that is closest to the idea of “dance” in India. And, nrtya is the main vehicle of n[`(a)]tya (theater). In an elegant exegesis of the theory of rāsa (“taste” or “flavor”) Puri introduces us to the metaphysical concepts that permeate Indian classical dance forms. She concludes by saying that, “Wherever they may be found in the world, the great traditions of dancing deliberately and consciously convey meaning. They are not simply mindless entertainments.”.

Neuroaesthetics

The psychology of art and the evolution of the conscious brain are the two most nebulous topics in psychology. In the 1950s, C. P. Snow pointed out that the “two cultures” (science and the humanities) are separated by a huge gap, which many have considered impossible to close. But during the last ten years there has been a growing realization that neuroscience provides an interface that may allow us to bridge the gap. There have been two recent groundbreaking books on neuroaesthetics: one by Semir Zeki, who coined the term, and one by Marge Livingstone. Both emphasize neuroscience more than aesthetics, which gives a different psychological perspective for to the Chola bronze of Sembiyan Mahadevi. How does the artist convey the very epitome of feminine sensuality? He simply takes the average female form and subtracts the average male form - leaving big breasts, big hips, and narrow waist. And then amplifies the difference. The result is one anatomically incorrect but sexy goddess. Here the Chola bronze artist has done something quite clever. There are some postures that are impossible for a male owing to the constraints imposed by pelvic anatomy, curvature of the lumbar spine, and angle between the neck and shaft of the femur. A man cannot stand like that even if he wants to. But a woman can do it effortlessly. So the artist visits an abstract space we could call it "posture space", subtracts the average male posture from the average female posture, and then exaggerates it. Doing this produces the elegant triple flexion-or tribhanga-pose, where the head is tilted one way, the body is tilted exactly the opposite way and the hips again the other way. And again the viewer's reaction is not that the figure is anatomically inappropriate because nobody can stand like that. What the viewer should see is a beautiful celestial goddess. This evocative image is an example of the peak shift principle in Indian art.

Visual metaphor

A metaphor in literature juxtaposes two seemingly unrelated things to highlight certain important aspects of one of them. The same is possible in visual art. With all exaggerated features, Sembiyan Mahadevi bronze is not meant to be taken literally. Sembiyan Mahadevi is a visual metaphor yet the most elusive from neuronal and aesthetic perspective. According to Ramachandran the exaggerated features of Sembiyan Mahadevi is meant to symbolyze specific devine attributes.

See also

• History of Tamil Nadu