Keywords
Yoga
Gender
Hindu Iconography
Sanskrit Aesthetics
How to Cite
Abstract
This article examines Gupta art (c. 300–600 CE) as a cultural synthesis in which ascetic and sensual impulses were reconciled through the philosophical and religious transformations of the period. The Gupta era witnessed the systematization of Hinduism, the standardization of cult images, and unprecedented artistic and literary achievement fostered by stable governance and royal patronage. This study is organized in three parts: the first examines the religious, economic, and political contexts that shaped Gupta artistic production; the second analyzes the aesthetic principles—particularly yogic philosophy—and their manifestation in sculpture, terracotta, and narrative relief panels depicting the Rāmāyaṇa and Krishna; the third explores gender representation in Gupta visual culture. The argument is twofold: first, that Gupta art forms cannot be understood in isolation from the philosophical ideas of yoga, sāṃkhya, and evolving religious practices; second, that gender in Gupta art is not a monolithic category but rather reflects diverse and often contradictory representations.
References
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