13. Illustration from a Ramayana Series: Rama Visits Bharadvaja’s Hermitage
An
inscription on the back in Hindi states that after destroying Ravana, Rama
stopped at the hermitage of Bharadvaja, where, with his entire army, he
accepted the sage's hospitality (see Appendix).
The
picture shows Rama and his entourage being received by the sage and his
assistant. Behind Rama stand his wife, Sita, and his brother Lakshmana. They
stand as if on a pedestal on elevated ground painted in bright red. Behind them
and at a lower level are two animal-headed figures. The one with the simian head
is Hanuman, and the one with the bear's head Angada. Beyond stands the chariot
that brought them to the hermitage, which is represented by a small pavilion
behind the two sages. In the foreground is a rectangular strip of water
representing a river. A waterbird and a cow stand in the water and watch the
welcoming ceremony.
It
is remarkable how a simple meeting has been visually narrated with lively drama
through a spartan, unpretentious composition that uses few so-called pictorial
devices. The postures and gestures are ritualistically stylized, and spatial
perspective was eliminated altogether to convey a sense of timelessness.
14. Rama s Court
In
this formal composition Rama and Sita receive homage from Hanuman, who stands
with his club under his right arm, Angada with the bear face, and Sugriva,
another simian. Rama holds his principal attributes, the bow and the arrow. The
three brothers stand behind, and one uses the flywhisk. Characteristically,
Rama has a dark complexion, whereas his three siblings are fair.
At
least two pictures and a mural with the same subject and similar compositions
have been attributed by Archer (1973, 2: 60, figs. 30-31, 2; 61, fig. 33) to
Chamba. The two pictures are dated by him to about 1765— 70, while the mural is
from about 1840. In all three Rama and Sita are seated similarly on a low seat
and are supported by bolsters. Sita sits in an identical position in the two
eighteenth-century pictures and the Green painting. Hanuman appears in two of
the pictures illustrated by Archer and in the, Green picture. The Green
picture, however, has more figures and is a larger and more elegant composition
than the others. In any event, clearly the theme was especially popular with
patrons in Chamba, where Rama was a state deity.
15. Hermitage of Valmiki
In
the picture both Valmiki and Sita are identified by labels over their heads.
Three different incidents are included in the composition, following the
traditional Indian preference for continuous narration. On the left a group led
by the bearded Valmiki approaches the hermitage. The group includes three
companions of the sage, all of whom carry wood. Sita brings up the rear.
Her
bulging waistline clearly indicates that she is pregnant. In center stage is
the same group, and now Sita, prostrating herself, pays her respects to the
wives of the sages. Then, within an oval, reed hut on the lower right, a seated
Sita is given a plate of food. Presumably she was isolated because of her
condition and did not eat with the others. Within a protective wooden fence, in
addition to small oval huts for individual families, the artist has included
the kitchen, which is a large rectangular structure, and a cow shed with two
calves inside. Predatory cats, deer, hare, cows, and peacocks rest or roam
about in peaceful coexistence, as described in the text.
The
picture is a typical example of the Kangra idiom of the early nineteenth
century. It may have been painted by an artist belonging to the family of Godhu
(fl. c. 1775), who had moved to Kangra from Chamba and became attached to the
court of Raja Samsar Chand (r. 1775-1823). According to V. C. Ohri (personal
communication), it belongs to a series known as the Nadaun Ramayana, as it
emerged from the Nadaun principality, one leaf of which is in the Himachal
State Museum, Shimla.
16. Illustration from a Ramayana Series (?): Battle Scene
Whatever
the exact subject of the picture, it is a characteristic example of the
so-called Paithan style. Although stylized, the figures have a heroic stature
and are striking for their strong animation and boldly imaginative forms.
Indeed, they are strongly reminiscent of the puppets that are still used by traditional
storytellers in parts of Maharashtra and neighboring Karnataka. In some ways
the forms are also strangely reminiscent of figures in Mayan art of the New
World.
17. Illustration from a Mahabharata Series: The Pandavas in Drupad's Court
In the
upper left composition we see Drupad conversing with the five brothers Yudhisthira,
Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva once inside the palace and again on a
terrace. In the room below, the brothers are being fed. At the upper right
Kunti, their mother, and Draupadi, their common wife and the daughter of
Drupad, are first being led to their meal and are then being served. In the
fourth segment six pairs of horses and three visible chariots are waiting to
take the group back to their kingdom.
Another
painting from the same series depicting Abhimanyu in the battlefield is in the
collection of the Himachal State Museum, Shimla (V. C. Ohri, personal communication).
Stylistically both pictures are close to Bhagavatapurana and Ramayana paintings
rendered in a Kangra workshop of the last quarter of the eighteenth century (cf
Goswamy & Fischer, pp. 340, no. 143: Randhawa 1660). Following Goswamy and
Fischer, one might ascribe this painting to "a Master of the First
Generation after Nainsukh." In other words, the Kangra workshop was probably
headed by a member of this Pahari master's family.
18. The Goddess Durga Slays a Titan
Individual
pictures representing the cosmic goddess Durga slaying titans were popular with
patrons in the states of Bundi and Kota during the eighteenth century. Usually
in such pictures an elaborate setting is eschewed in favor of a direct and
dramatic combat between the goddess and one or more titans. In this simple
composition, for instance, only two curved segments at the two upper corners
indicate a horizon and a sky. The figures are represented against a
monochromatic background, which accentuates the forms and enhances the sense of
movement.
The
exact identification of the goddess's protagonist is not possible. He conforms
to a type and is not distinguished by individualizing iconographic features.
The goddess is eight-armed and rides a tiger rather than the more common lion.
Instead of a saddle a soft cushion of lotus flowers serves as her seat. She
does not appear to be very bellicose but sits on her haunches like a demure
lady. What is interesting is that she has acquired a new weapon in the form of
a dagger known as a katar and popular in Mughal India (second hand from the top
on her proper left). The blue-black figure at the left margin brandishing a.
dagger is very likely one of the goddess's companions, perhaps even the
terrifying Kali. However, the sex of the figure is not clear, and it may be a
male rather than a female. Behind Durga stands a young ascetic holding a
trident in his right hand and what appears to be a flask and a cup in the left.
Interestingly, both standing figures are wearing wooden slippers. The most
impressive creature in the group is the tiger, which attacks the titan with
customary ferocity, in strong contrast to Durga's serenity.
19. Siva and Parvati
The
closest parallel for Siva's head can be seen in Basohli-style paintings of
about 1725 (cf. Khandalavala 1958, study supplement, no. 31), while Parvati's
figure is remarkably like a Gujari Ragini attributed by Archer (i973, 2: 254,
110. 32) to Kulu and about 1765-70. The use of the beetle thorax casing for
Siva's earring would also indicate a Basohli origin. Most scholars who have
seen the picture are divided between a Guler or a Chamba provenance. Although
it is difficult to be precise about the origin of the Green picture, it can be
dated to around 1750 with greater certainty. The manner in which the trees are
painted, the soft coloring, and the mode of rendering the sky are not
encountered in Basohli paintings prior to 1730 and, in fact, anticipate the
more painterly treatment of nature seen in Pahari pictures from about 1750.
There
can be little doubt that the unknown artist was highily accomplished. He was an
excellent draftsman, and his sense of coloring and skill in composition are
admirable. The picture displays his sure vivacity in handling forms and an
unfailing sense of style. If the picture was rendered in Guler or Chamba, the
artist may have belonged to the school, if not family, of Pandit Seu of Guler,
a family that is regarded as ushering in a new direction in Pahari painting and
may have been influenced by the Basohli mode.
20. Holy Family on the March
This
picture depicts Siva and his family coming down the mountains. The group is led
by Siva's simian attendant, Nandisvara, who carries a bundle on his head and a
drum (a mridangam) hanging from his right shoulder. Siva, distinguished by his
leopard skin shawl, the trident, and the snake, waits gallantly to help Parvati
negotiate the difficult terrain. She has the multi headed Karttikeya held
against her left shoulder. Above them Ganesa looks very comfortable on Siva's
bull. Karttikeya's peacock too hitches a ride, while Ganesa's rat ambles along
in front of the bull. The rear is brought up by the goddess's saddled tiger.
An
almost identical composition of roughly the same date is in the Bharat Kala
Bhavan, Varanasi (Kramrisch 1981, pp. 206-7, no. P-4o). In her catalogue (p.
205) Kramrisch has noted that "to this day, the people of the Himalayas
believe that every twelve years Siva and Parvati descend from their residence
on Mount Kailasa and come down to earth. Taking their children and some of
their possessions with them they go from place to place to check on all of
creation, for which Siva is responsible." It may be remarked further that
the mountain-dwelling shepherds known as gaddis or gujars lead a seminomadic
existence and move down from the mountains every year. And, although Siva's
original habitat is Mount Kailasa, he is also known to lead a nomadic life.
Therefore, it is not difficult to understand why the subject would be popular
with the artists in the Hill States.
Because
of their strong similarities, it is very likely that the two pictures are based
on the same drawing or pounce. Pounces were made for popular compositions and
kept in a family of artists to be used when necessary. If indeed the Green and
the Varanasi pictures are based on the same pounce, then the two renderings may
be by two different artists, but of the same family. The shapes of the. rocks
as well as the trees are more schematized in the Varanasi picture. In the Green
version Nandisvara holds his stick jauntily over his left shoulder, and great
sensitivity is expressed in the manner in which Siva holds Parvati's hand. The
bull is drawn more realistically than in the other version, and the saddle
cloth is a patchwork quilt rather than a carpet. In both, however, the rat has
the proportions and shape of a dog. For other versions of the theme, see
Panthey and Khandalavala.
Writer Name: Pratapaditya Pal
