| T h e E n c h a n t r e s s of M o h i n i y a t t a m |
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| Rituranga | Salabhanjika | Vikramorvasheeyam |
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 (Heart of a Woman): 2004
Duration 50 minutes
In South India, many temples have Salabhanjika, a stone sculpture in the shape of a woman holding a lamp that
 is set in front of the sanctum sanctorum as a sacred guard to the deity (Dwarapalika). The Salabhanjika in this choreography is no ordinary stone.
The choreography is inspired by the story of Ahalya, the wife of sage Goutama and an important character from the Hindu epic, Ramayana. Besotted by her beauty, the king of heaven Indra fell in love with Ahalya. Once, when the sage went for his early morning bathing, Indra, filled with unholy desire for the beautiful Ahalya, entered their hermitage disguised as Gautama and approached her. She lost her judgment and yielded to his desires. After enjoying the ephemeral pleasure, Indra hurried to leave the place before Gautama returned; but by the time he was leaving, the sage returned and came to know about his daring escapade. He misunderstood Ahalya, cursed her to turn into a stone and that she would stand petrified and become invisible to everyone until Lord Rama stepped on the stone. This choreography is not a mere retelling of the story of Ahalya but a portrayal of a bereaved feminine personality; the varied shades of conflict, pain ephemeral happiness, dreams and aspirations. Both macro and micro levels of human existence are portrayed in this theme.
In the dance piece a sculptor in search of an ideal stone in the dense forest The sculpture imparts all the grace and feelings of the feminine ideal. The physical and mental intimacy between the sculptor and Salabhanjika turns into a sense of mutual possession. The duel personality within the stone branches out into Ahalya and Salabhanjika. This is an imaginary saga of the innate conflicts of the human heart. While Salabhanjika yearns for union with the sculptor and dreams for happiness however ephemeral it might be, Ahalya, the bereaved spirit longs for salvation that Rama will bring ...... a contrast of worldly desire and spiritual divinity. Every human being is bound to pass through temporary transformation in the great drama of life. Nevertheless, even while the transformation goes on he is the same personality in the inner recesses of his existence. Ahalya's waiting for Rama, for her salvation, symbolizes the liberation from all bondages that is the ultimate aim of human existence. |
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to make the sculpture of a Salabhanjika finds the stone in which Ahlaya once lied dormant. He works tirelessly on the stone touching every bit of the evolving feminine shape, enjoying the emanating beauty. The result is a captivating Salabhanjika, which will be placed in front of the sanctum sanctorum of a Rama temple. In spite of this metamorphosis, the true longing of Ahalya still remains in the stone.