Slavlje božanskoga plesa

Music and dance have long been a component of the celebrations of the people of all nations and on all continents. Music and dance are also used as a method to transcend the profane and to experience ecstasy and bliss. The objective of this research is to analyse the “Divine Dancing Celebration” as practised in India and Tibet by including heroic and ecstatic dances that are believed to grant immortality; also included are the sculptural dynamics of rapturous dance which symbolizes transformation and happiness. The paper also looks at the iconography of some Yoginī/ Ḍākinī who represented the dancing cult and the symbolic meaning buried inside the icon in an effort to make a connection between dance and the cult of Yoginī/ Ḍākinī. Yoginī / Ḍākinī exhibit their bodies and faces, radiating youth and beauty while advocating for freedom from all social restrictions. The Yoginī is dressed in charnel ground jewellery and performs a dance in a field of decaying corpses. Her body is vividly colored and gives the impression of being formed of light; its transparency reveals a sparkling yet hollow nature. The interior of her body is a vast, limitless domain, which may also contain visions. The female force, which can occasionally be evil and may result in destruction and beheadings, is shown as a component of each element existing in the cosmos in the iconographies of the Yoginī. The significance of this research is that it demonstrates the importance of the Yoginī/ Ḍākinī cult in ancient and early medieval India and Tibet. Although this cult is still practised in some manner in South East Asia but not in India, it has lost its relevance and no longer is known to anyone in India. This study is an initial step in educating the general population on this prominent cult of Hinduism and Buddhism and its significance.