Miniature Sculptures at Tirupathi Venkateswara Temple

Abstract

Arts are said to be sixty four in number; “Aya kalaikal Arupattunangu is an of quoted saying. The most prominent of them are painting, sculpture, dance, music and poetry. Primitive man danced in ecstasy as an emotional outburst at times of peril and pleasure. Music came to occupy an integral part of dance later. The world kalai in Tamil and kala in Sanskrit are the equivalents of the English word, Art. In samgam poetry, Kalai connoted deer as well as its horns. It is also used to mean wide knowledge paranta arrivu. In the Cilapadhikaram, kalai is used to mean body in the word kalaiyilan he without a body. Kallvi-education is derived from kal meaning read. Karpu-chastity, kalai-art are also derived from kal. Kala in sanskrit it derived from kal, which means spreading. Whatever be the original of kalai in Tamil and kala is sanskrit, art may be taken to mean all that is beautiful, serene and elevating.