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NCSAS Workshop on Different Cultural Expressions of Indian Art and Culture

Friday 15 March 2002, 10am to 3pm (including lunch)

The purpose of the workshop is to encourage Australian scholars to discuss their research and exchange ideas. The workshop will take the form of a roundtable discussion with most participants being asked to provide brief descriptions of their current research. The question is whether we can identify any common themes in our work with a view to publishing a monograph on these topics.

If you would like to take part in this workshop please forward a synopsis to marika.vicziany@adm. monash.edu.au .

Please note: Marigold Acland, Editor of Asia, Cambridge University Press will be at the Monash Asia Institute from 9.30 onwards to meet academics and discuss publishing opportunities with CUP.

Presentations

Other participants and discussants

Abstracts

Reis Flora - Religious symbols associated with the medieval reed instrument madvar�: iconographic and textual links inside and outside India

Data for reedpipes in Indian antiquity exists in iconographic and textual sources. The most extensive early data for a reedpipe is the descriptive account of a wind instrument named madvar�, which appears in the Sanskrit treatise Abhinavabharatas�rasangraha, a compilation by Chikkabh�p�la (c. 1650 AD), where it is attributed to Matanga (c. 700 AD). Originally this passage may have been part of Matanga's well known treatise Brhaddesi. One sloka clearly notes the length of the instrument and another the existence of seven fingerholes. Other identifying characteristics, however, such as the overall shape of the madvar� and the vibrating mechanism needed to produce sound, are problematic. Several Hindu deities are associated with different parts of the instrument. This information may encapsulate broader symbolic meanings and suggest certain morphological details. This paper will discuss these issues in an attempt to bring further clarification to our understanding of the early Indian madvar�. An instance of iconographic data from Egypt dating from the twelfth century AD, which illustrates the shape of the hand positions noted in the Sanskrit text for playing the madvar�, also will be discussed.

Jayant Bapat - Lajjàgaurã or the Unclothed Mother

For the last 4-5 months, I have been translating a remarkable book from Marathi into English on the worship of the primordial mother goddess in India since ancient times; a worship that is still prevalent today. The book is called Lajjàgaurã, a word which translates roughly as bashful Gaurã or Pàrvatã. Pàrvatã, øiva's wife, is of course the mother of the world in Hindu mythology. The author of the book is Dr. R.C.Dhere who has written prolifically on folk culture. Author of over a hundred books, Dhere has been a recipient of numerous awards including Sahitya Academy Award from the Indian government and Maharashtra Gaurav Award from the Maharashtra government. In archeological excavations all over India, unusual images were found which consist only of a headless female torso. The breasts and vagina are shown prominently and this has been achieved by folding both the hands and feet and placing them sideways. Occasionally a lotus replaces the head. Dhere argues that the word Lajjà is derived from Lanjà, meaning naked. Lajjàgaurã would thus mean ß naked mother û. He identifies Lajjàgaurã with mother earth whose main functions are procreation and sustenance of the universe. To Dhere, this is the reason why she is depicted by showing only those organs responsible for the two functions. Dhere also shows that other folk goddesses such as Joguëàmbà, Reõukà, Màtangã, Ellammà and Kottavvà are representations of the female generative principle and gods such as Jyotibà and Subramaõyam represent the equivalent male principle. Lajjàgaurã was awarded Maharashtra Government Puraskar (Prize) in 1980.

Monash Asia Institute

NCSAS