Sunk or sunken relief is one in which the image is made by cutting the relief sculpture itself into a flat surface. In most cases the figure itself is in low relief, but set within a sunken area shaped round the image, This method minimizes the work of removing the background, while allowing normal relief modelling. The technique is most successful with strong sunlight to emphasize the outlines and forms by shadow, as no attempt was made to soften the edge of the sunken area, leaving a face at a right-angle to the surface all around it.
For more on Relief Sculptures in Indian Temples click on "Relief Sculpture" below.
