The Art Shroud

Understanding Art In All Forms

By

Nayanna Chakrbarty

How far would you go to prove you are an art aficionado? Would you hang around every painting and mural exhibition, consider stalking art connoisseurs or prefer dating columnists to infiltrate the elite art lover’s inner circle? What if you could attract your peers by making a statement that you are an expert in art and literature without talking or writing about it?

Engulfing your mind and body in ancient literature that are more than five thousand years old, can surely bring a lot of attention to your distinguished taste. Textile art and literature when combined together brings out the rich heritage in the art of weaving.

This article is a small window to the world of knowledge that has remained untapped or unappreciated. It represents textile technique and knowledge from the ancient scriptures that are still prevalent in modern India.

There are many references in this article that depict the significant influence of Indian literature in art, and it is impossible for everyone to know all of them. Providing links to the theme from which the design has been provided can lead to distraction from the main theme hence no reference links have been provided.  I believe the thirst of knowledge should be on one’s own initiative. An extract of this article has been published by Polu Texni Magazine.

‘Saree’, the national costume of the Indian woman dates back to 2800-1800 BC. Every state of India, defines its saree styling with different motifs and patterns based on its cultural influence and habitat. The southern states of India derive their designs from carvings made on temple pillars and archways. These fine artworks are beautifully weaved in the borders popularly called ‘temple sarees.’

The state of West Bengal is extremely proud of its cultural heritage, and the Baluchari style is one of their trademark designs. The traditional Baluchari sarees specialize in depicting folklore, symbolical motifs and translates momentous scenes from the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata.  

The Warrior Motif

The Baluchari designs are usually weaved in silk and epitomizes some of the landmark incidents from the Mahabharata. The popular depictions from the Mahabharata include confrontation of the armies of Kauravas and Pandavas at the Kurukshetra battlefield.*

Other patterns from the Mahabharata include the agony of Bhishma, the grandsire of the Kauravas and the Pandavas, lying on a bed of arrows. These epics are the backbone of Indian heritage and there are innumerable soul-stirring events that can be encapsulated through weaving and painting. Another favorite scene is the depiction of Lord Krishna driving the chariot of Arjun, taking him to the center of the battlefield and to narrate to him the essence of Srimad Bhagavad Gita. There are lessons to be learnt from these patterns as each serve a purpose and are transcendental in nature.  

Lord Krishna Driving The Chariot Of Arjun

The scenes from the epic of Ramayana are also elaborate and distinct.  The common backdrops include the exile of Lord Rama with his wife Sita and his brother, Lord Laxmana from their Kingdom of Ayodhya. The Simian God, Lord Hanuman is always depicted bowing with humility at their feet. He plays an instrumental role in locating Goddess Sita when she was abducted by a demon King Ravana and finding the right herb Sanjivani, to save the life of Lord Laxmana. **    

Lord Hanuman is often portrayed in a flying stance, carrying a mountain on his hand. The legend behind this is when Lord Laxmana was wounded in a battle with Ravana, he was critical. The only way he could survive was if he was given a special herb. Lord Hanuman volunteered to find this potential remedy and flew to the Dunagiri mountain. Among a variety of vegetation, he was unsure of which the right one was and as time was running out, he lifted the whole mountain and rushed back.

Goddess Sita During Exile

Besides illustrating epics, Baluchari saree borders are weaved with symbolical designs like conch shell, lotus, wheel, bow and arrow. Lord Vishnu, the god of preservation is always depicted with a conch in his hand. The conch is played in several auspicious ceremonies, and its resonance emits positive vibrations. It provides a welcoming atmosphere for the deities to partake in the rituals. The battle of Kurukshetra too began when the conch was sounded at dawn and ended for the day, when the conch was sounded again at sunset.

The lotus flower denotes the presence of Goddess Laxmi, the goddess of fortune. Lord Brahma, the creator of the universe and the goddess are depicted seated on a lotus. The lotus-eyed one is another name of Lord Vishnu. The lotus has a lot of significance associated with the chakras of the human body as well. The bow and arrow depicted in motifs extends its significance with the great archer Arjun from Mahabharata.

Conch Motif

The wheel motif has several interpretations. Some wheels depict epochs while others signify the chariot wheels that Lord Krishna drove and took Arjun to the core of the battlefield. Some wheels explain the various battle strategies and formations that were used to outmaneuver the enemy during the Kurukshetra war.

Kantha saree is another style of saree from eastern India that translates literature in art form. This stitch is used to describe folklore and the most popular among them is the story of Behula and her husband Lakhinder. Once Lakhinder’s father had offended Goddess Manasa, and she taught him a lesson by sending a snake to bite his son on his wedding night. In those times, it was believed that a person deceased from a snakebite was still alive and could be revived by a resourceful snake-charmer. So the body was set afloat on a boat and allowed to wander across the river.

Lord Krishna

The devoted bride, Behula decided to remain next to her deceased husband’s body and sailed across the ocean. After a lot of hardships and angst, she managed to appease the goddess who then by her benediction brought Lakhinder back to life. This folklore is predominant in modern times among the Bengali community. On the night of the wedding, the couple stays awake with family members and friends to indulge in cultural activities like dancing, singing, recitations as they believe in the story of the Goddess Manasa.  

The popular Kantha motifs are solar motifs depicting the power of the sun and energy from fire, the swastika which depicts a sign of good fortune, the tree of life that expresses fertility and abundance while the “Kalka” represents a mango leaf which is sometimes also stylized as flames. The mango leaves are considered auspicious in most Vedic rituals. The Kantha patterns are embroidered on bedspreads, handbags, cushion covers, table mats and so on. They can be mounted on frames and can be used as exquisite wall hangings.

Overview Of The Kurukshetra Battle

Arts all forms are a link to the bygone eras, and that continues to give the modern world a sense of identity. There are artisans in the dingy corners of the world, continuing the traditional art that was handed down to them through generations. The artwork is done using rudimentary tools and is tedious. It istheir workmanship that entices us with vibrant embroidery threads and paints true-to-life colors that beckon us to take a journey back in time.  

Footnote: *The details are mentioned in the Kuruskshetra war, (Mahabharata)

                 ** The knowledge is available in the epic Ramayana.