Hindu Theatre (Part 2)
By V. Raghavan
Summary
Continuing the debate on ancient Indian stage terminology, this note addresses R.C. Majumdar’s comments on the Hindu theatre and the stage parts called rāṅgaśīrṣa and rāṅgapīṭha. The author reiterates his position that textual evidence from the Nāṭyaśāstra and its commentaries supports the existence of distinct parts of the stage. He acknowledges that the text is corrupt but argues that dismissing the commentaries as unreliable is unwarranted. He emphasises that reconstructing Bharata’s theatre requires synthesising the various readings and considering archaeological evidence. The note also touches on chronological debates about historical figures mentioned in earlier articles, demonstrating how interpretations of texts affect historical conclusions.
Conclusion
The second part reaffirms that careful textual criticism and consideration of commentarial literature are necessary to understand the design of the ancient Hindu theatre. The debate highlights how philological disagreements inform broader historical interpretations.