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PREFACE
It is proposed to reconstruct from the Principal
Puranas and Upa Puranas the theory of six major fine arts.
The six fine arts under discussion are Music (Vocal and
Instrumental), Dance, Architecture, Sculpture, Painting and
Literature (Poetics and Dramaturgy).
The material for the study of fine arts in the
Puranas is voluminous. An exhaustive and detailed treatment
of the above six fine arts would necessitate a separate thesis
for each of them. All these six arts have been dealt with
cumulatively in order to give a broad and synthetic view of the
scientific and studious manner in which the Puranas had
imparted and treasured knowledge about them. It will indicate
the nature of the cultural setting in ancient India and the
depth and care with which the ancient sages had studied them.
No one work containing all information about fine arts
dealt with in the Puranas, is in existence. Brief and scattered
information about Architecture and Sculpture as contained in
the Puranas can be obtained from the works of P.K. Acharya
(Manasara), T.A. G. Rao (Elements of Hindu Iconography), Dr. J.N.
Banerjea (Development of Hindu Iconography) and Dr. Stella
Kramrisch (Hindu Temple). In these works the authors have
attached greater value to ancient Indian Texts on Architecture
and sculpture. The Puranas have been considered in the context
of such ancient texts. Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan has discussed the
art of dancing as dealt with in some of the Puranas in her
work "Classical Indian Dance in Literature and the Arts."