Abhisarika Nayika

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The artist has represented here an abhisarika nayika. The abhisarika nayika, one of the ten types of female characters, or heroines, appearing in dramatic, poetic, fictional or other literary renderings, has been classified as a heroine who goes to secretly meet her lover at a mutually agreed upon rendezvous. Obviously led by her own strong passion she desires her lover to respond to her urge with alike intensity. She, hence, carries with her, besides her bewitching charms, betel leaves, wine, flowers, sweets, perfumes like objects which are known to intensify sexual urge. Here in this painting the abhisarika is seen carrying with her a goblet and cask, obviously filled with wine.

Elegantly clad in costume of soft tint and decent jewelry, the nayika is on her way to meet her lover. Her breasts swell with the passion within and eyes radiate with the colors of love, yet she, the coy maid as she is, is not as much steady in her strides for there lurks in her mind along with her passion the feminine hesitation and the apprehension as to whether she will have the accomplishment of her longing or not. The background defines the hour as one of late evening. Flowers are artificially laid depicting the traditional auspicious geometrical patterns instead of a meadow or a garden-site. The halo around her face is an element from the spiritual realm rather than the one from the Nayika-bhed tradition.

This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of ancient Indian literature. Dr Daljeet is the chief curator of the Visual Arts Gallery at the National Museum of India, New Delhi. They have both collaborated on numerous books on Indian art and culture.