 Gautam Patel, author of many works about Kalidasa, credits him as the first person to introduce the petrification motif.In the "Ramavataram" too, Rama does not have to touch Ahalya with his foot; the dust from his feet is enough to bring her back to life.As in other versions of the tale, the repentant Ahalya is turned to stone, only to be liberated by Rama, and Indra runs away disguised as a cat but is cursed to bear the marks of a thousand vulvae.