Abstract:
Hinduism is both a way of life and a highly organized social, religious and cultural
system. Although it is difficult to define Hinduism precisely, there can be no denial that
a true Hindu recognizes consciously or unconsciously, a force or a power outside of
man, which is nevertheless in constant relation with him. And this recognition manifests
itself in thought, action and in artistic activities. Included in the religion are strands of
philosophy, psychology, aesthetics, rituals and mythology that are interrelated in some
way. The important base-level texts for understanding the Hindu way of life are the
Vedas and Agamas. The ancient scripture of the Vedas and their ancillary, a large
corpus of Vedic literature, which are all in Sanskrit, have been considered a great
authoritative source for religion, ethics and poetry, and also for the cultural and artistic
life of the Hindu (or Indian in a large sense) from very remote times. Then followed the
compilation of Saiva and Vaisnava Agamas, formulating the worship of Siva or Visnu
as a preferential (istadevata) or family (kuladevata) deity, either at home or in the
temple. Both the Vedas and Agamas are not associated with human authorship but
considered as revealed by the Supreme Being (apauruseya). This paper examines the
Indian classical dance and temple traditions according to the Vedas and Agamas. The
paper concludes that that a detailed study of the gestures used in classical dramatic
tradition and those in Saiva Agamas will prove very useful in understanding and
analyzing their symbolism, purpose and goal.
