ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the different positions of the body, hands and legs of an image as described in various textual sources. The first part of this chapter will focus on stances or sthanas. The different positions of the body will be analysed according to two main systems, one delineated by the Visjudharmottara Puraja and the other by the Filparatna. The second part will consider different mudras or positions of the hands and the meanings conveyed by these positions to the viewer. The main textual sources used in this section are the Samarakgaja Sutradhara, the Natya Fastra1 and the Vastusutra Upanisad.2 The third part of the chapter will focus on pada mudras3 or leg postures of standing images, according to the Samarakgaja Sutradhara, Natya Fastra and Visjudharmottara Puraja, and the fourth part on asanas or sitting postures, according to the Vastusutra Upanisad.
