South Indian Bronzes: A Historical Survey of South Indian Sculpture with Iconographical Notes Based on Original Sources c8.156

c8.156

The other peculiarities of South Indian bronze images which remain to be considered are the characteristic ornaments and the decorative accessories of the figures. The most important of the decorative devices is the *Kati bandha*, the waist-band which is used for fastening the garment which has a buckle shaped like a dragon-head with festoons hanging down. This is known as the *arunōn-mālai*. The festoons which hang on the thigh are known as *Urumālai*. Similar festoons hanging down the ear-ornament across the shoulders are known as *bāhu-mālai*. The *Kati bandha* was freely used in the preceding school of Buddhist sculpture as will appear from the Buddhist *Dwārpāla* from Anurādhapura, Ceylon (Figure 6A). The ear-ornaments are as a rule very elaborately designed.¹ The *ratna-kodara bandham* (the jewel-band for the chest) also borrowed from Buddhist sculptures has become an indispensible accessory in all South Indian images and has developed into a distinctive characteristic of the southern school.