The Beginnings of Buddhist Art and Other Essays in Indian and Central-Asian Archaeology c7.s1.t1.18

c7.s1.t1.18

a) The most interesting are the fées (yakṣiṇī, cf. above, p. 70), who, with the curve of the mango-tree from which they hang by the two arms, form so ingeniously decorative a bracket. Only the figure on the right is preserved. Like the men, she wears a long dhoṭi; only it is made of a more transparent material. Her hair, curiously erected in the form of a brush on the top of the head, is spread over the back (instead of being gathered in a plait, as is the case, for instance, with the female dancers of § 6 a). In addition to earrings, necklace and bracelets for the wrists, she wears ankle-rings, which come nearly up to her knees, and the characteristic feature of an Indian woman's toilet, the rich belt of jewelry which covers the loins. In conformity with the custom of the ancient school, the sex is indicated.