South Indian Bronzes: A Historical Survey of South Indian Sculpture with Iconographical Notes Based on Original Sources c6.31

c6.31

The next exponent of South Indian art that we meet with has at least some historical association. This is Nagnajit, the author of some works on *silpaśāstra*. He is quoted in *Brihat Sanhitā* in the chapter dealing with *Pratimā Lak-hana* (vide Chapter 58, sloka 4, *Brihat Sanhitā*, edited by H. Kern, 1865, *Bibliotheca Indica*). None of his works appear to have survived. But from the above quotation in the *Brihat Sanhitā* it appears that he was in some way associated with the Drāvida, that is to say, the South Indian system of image-making, and gives the length of the face as practised in the South as 14 *angulas* as opposed to 12 *angulas* current in other parts of India². Some have supposed that he was the author of works on architecture but the reference in the chapter of *Brihat Sanhitā* where he is twice quoted seems to suggest that he was an authority on image-making³. His works must have survived up to the time when *Brihat Sanhitā* was compiled. He must have lived therefore some time before 404 A.D., the date assigned to Barāha Mihira. As an authority on *painting and image-making* Nagnajit is also mentioned in *Chitralaksana* one of the Essays embodied in the great Tibetan canonical work, the Tanjur. He seems to have personified a school of art connected with the cult of Siva¹. In the *Matsyapurāna* (ch. 252, sloka 2), Nagnajit is named as one of the eighteen authorities who expounded the principles of architecture. Nagnajit is no more than a mere name in South Indian art. And although he may be supposed to have lived in periods later than Agastya, Kasyapa or Maya there is no system or artistic tradition specially attributed to him and none of the living hereditary artists of South India from whom enquiries were made can offer any information regarding his contributions to South Indian art.