Why Label Them? Inscribed Rāmāyaṇa Temple Reliefs in Early South Asia

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Published: Dec 24, 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14434/tc.v17i2.40319
Keywords:
Hindu temple reliefs, terracotta panels, Palāsbāḍī, Rāmāyaṇa, Word and Image

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Laxshmi Rose Greaves
Cardiff University

Abstract

This article investigates the little understood practice of inscribing early Hindu temple reliefs with labels. A close reading is conducted of the iconography and formal qualities of a group of seventh-century terracotta panels from Palāsbāḍī (Bogura District, Bangladesh) depicting lively scenes from the epic Rāmāyaṇa, thus allowing us to identify the various purposes and uses of the labels attached to the imagery. The article concludes that the interplay of word and image acts to enhance both media.


 

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Article Details

Issue
Vol. 17 No. 2 (2024): Textual Cultures: Texts, Contexts, Interpretation
Section
Essays

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Author Biography

Laxshmi Rose Greaves , Cardiff University

Laxshmi Greaves is lecturer in the Religious Art and Architecture of Early South Asia at Cardiff University. In recent years she has focused primarily on visual narratives, and especially on Rāmāyaṇa reliefs belonging to early and medieval temples across South Asia.