Art Galleries
In
art-minded India, it is difficult to find even the smallest utensil without
some decorative element in it, or a piece of cloth without some beautiful
design at least on the border, or a wall in a house without some decorative
figures, or the floor without some patterns thereon. Even pots and vessels have
some decoration in colour or pattern worked on them in low relief. Art in some
form or other cannot be missed in everyday life even in the remotest corners of
villages. While even animals like cows and calves, horses and elephants are
decorated to fit into a scheme of colourful life radiating joy and beauty, art
as a separate entity cannot be expected to be crystallised in isolation. Still,
like the immanent spirit of God concentrated in temples, art galleries have
been conceived and fostered in India from the earliest times to bring together
art objects. These are known as the chitrasalas.
Early
references to chitrasalas occur in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Three
types of chitrasalas are known, those in the palace, the public art galleries
and in private houses. To the first category belong the chitrasalas of the
harem. Some princesses had their own bedrooms converted into chitrasalas or had
chitrasalas as an annexe to their sleeping apartments. These are the
sayanachitrasalas. This is accounted for by the fact that looking at an
auspicious object on waking up was considered a good omen. Bathing apartments
also had picture galleries, abhishekachitrasalikas, adjoining them.
Private
chitrasalas, particularly those in the houses of courtesans, were very
gorgeous. This was the place of the activities of vitas, dandy, dhurtas, rake
and chetas, sycophant, vesyas, courtesan, and vesyakantukas, erotomaniac, a
veritable treasure-house of all fine arts. Pictures representing sringara,
hasya and santa alone were allowed in private houses, including the king's
residence, while in temples and other public and dance halls and the public
apartments of the royal palace, all types of pictures could be shown. It is thus
clear that these galleries displayed the greatest variety. The preference,
however, in all painting was for auspicious themes, mangalyalekhya.
The
galleries, well arranged, were known as vithis, a word for conveying aptly the
connotation of 'gallery'. The word vithis used by Bhavabhuti to suggest the
long and spacious halls composing the galleries, and the word vimanapankti used
by Bana for describing the mansions, composing the picture galleries, suggest
the type of buildings that housed the pictures. The text of the Naradasilpa
gives a description of the building composing the chitrasalas. It is to be
shaped as a vimana, with a small gopura in front, provided with
sikizara-kalasas, etc., with windows at intervals for the long galleries.
Ornamental doorways, deco-rated balconies, verandahs, massive pillars
supporting the main structure, are all architectural details of the chitrasala
gathered from references to it in general literature.
The
Naradasilpa prefers the chitrasala to be located at a junction of four roads,
opposite a temple or royal palace, or in the centre of the king's highway; it
could be drum-shaped or circular in plan, and have a verandah, a small hall, a
main central hall and side halls with stairs leading to the upper storey. It
would be supported by 16, 20 or 32 pillars, have several windows, an ornamental
canopy, several square terraces near entrances, and stairs sideways leading to
several halls, provided with seats for visitors to rest. The roof should have a
Sikhara and a kalasa to make the structure look like a vimana. Chandeliers and
mirrors are suggested for illuminating the halls. The main building is provided
with a small gopura.
Different
varieties of paintings of devas, Gandharvas, kinnaras and so forth are to be
exhibited in the galleries. These should show mighty heroes and various other
noble themes, all well drawn, in proper proportions, coloured attractively, and
decorated with jewels, all in gold.
There
is frequent mention in literature of the themes of the pictorial material in
the galleries. Scenes from the Ramayana are mentioned by Bhavabhuti, Kalidasa
and others. Damayanti's life, similarly portrayed, is described by Sriharsha.
Contemporary life is also portrayed as in the pictures in the Malavikagnimitra
and the Vidhasalabhanjika. The Naishadha-charita specially describes at some
length sringara pictures in art galleries. The love of sages and their amours
with celestial damsels, as also similar loving dalliance of Indra, are themes
for exquisite pictures in the imperial palace of Nala. Pictures of Kamadeva had
a special place in the bedroom though they were painted in other places too. It
should have been a principal theme in the chit rasalas of the harem as well as
the sayanachitrasalas. Bana mentions nagas, devas, asuras, yakshas, kinnaras
and garudas as prominently represented in the murals. He also refers to lovely
designs of creepers and decorative foliage. In the Navasahasankacharita,
hunting scenes are mentioned in the picture-gallery and these can be understood
in the context of general gay scenes like jalakrida, panagoshthi, rasalila,
etc. The motifs of animals and birds occur freely as favorites subjects with
Indian painters.
When we
consider the themes that have survived in painting like miniatures representing
the Ramayana, Nalacharita, Bhagavata, contemporary court scenes and paintings
portraying lovers, sringara cheshtas and the seasons, iconographic pictures and
designs of decorative motifs, and animal and bird studies, all of the Mughal,
Pahari and Rajasthani schools, which are comparatively recent, this continuous
tradition of a hoary past becomes very clear. From general literature we know
several interesting facts about chit rasalas. There were stationary ones
located at a fixed spot, and those on wheels, which could be moved from one
place to another, as mobile museums or travelling art galleries. The chit
rasalas were perfumed to spread a fine aroma in the interior. The galleries
were open in the evenings for enabling visitors to spend their time pleasantly
there. This was also a place of diversion for lovers. In the sarad season the
chitrasalas had a rush of visitors, and as it is well known that it is this
part of the year in India which is the most pleasant, it is quite justified.
Though the chit rasalas were repositories of art treasures, the other
apartments of buildings were not bereft of decoration. Schools and libraries
had paintings of Sarasvati. Vidyamandiras had paintings of Yamaloka. Even the
sutika griha or the apartments for child-birth had pleasant pictures. The
natyasala was another beautiful hall profusely decorated with pictures. But it
is the chitrasala that was a perennial source of all the beauty that art could
provide. The importance of the chitragriha as a vinodasthana and a kalasthana
was fully realised. Naturally, with its own educative values, it had an
important place in the life of a nagaraka.
Writer - C.Sivaramamurti
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