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India: Art |
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story of Indian Arts & Handicrafts comes from one
the oldest civilizations of the world. The vast cultural
and ethnic diversity has enabled a variety of motifs,
techniques and crafts to flourish on this land. Born
of centuries old craftsmanship, the history varies designs
and motifs that have fascinated the people the world
over. Unique in their style reflects the mood in Indian
heritage. The arts & craft of India are seen on
the following headings. |
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| Wooden
Art |
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Kashmir is the only state in India, where walnut trees
grow. The craftsmen here create intricate carvings on
wood obtained from the walnut tree. Furniture items like
tables, chairs, stools, partitions etc have rich floral
and trellis patterns carved on them. Carving done on walnut
is either deep or shallow. Items like tables, fruit trays
and bowls etc are also decorated with inlay work. Wax
polishing is done on finished products, so that the beauty
of the wood grain is not lost. Rajasthan is known for
articles and decorative objects made from locally obtained
wood. |
Each region of Rajasthan has its own unique wood tradition.
Barmer is well known for carved furniture. Some furniture
pieces like tables, low stools etc have miniature paintings
on them. Carved wood items such as cabinets, screens,
chairs, tables, almirahs, racks etc are highly ornate.
Rajasthan is also known for wood figurines in the shape
of animals, which are beautified with inlay work. Exquisite
jali or latticework is also produced here. Craftsmen of
Rajasthan also make delicately carved figures of deities
on rosewood and sandalwood. Craftsmen from Madhya Pradesh
use a variety of wood like shisham, teak, dhudi, sal and
kikar for making household items. Woodcraft from the tribal
belt of Bastar is known for figures of tribal deities,
carved wooden memorials, masks etc. Madhya Pradesh is
also famous for painted and lacquered wood product such
as toys, boxes, bedposts, cradles posts, flower vases
etc. Gwalior, Sheopur-Kalan, Rewa and Budhni are main
centers of wood lacquering. Uttar Pradesh has many craft
centers engaged in making different items out of wood.
Saharanpur is known for vine-leaf patterns on Sheesham
wood. Floral, geometric and figurative carving is also
done here with wood inlay work. Inlay work is done with
bone and plastic as ivory is banned in India. Mainpuri
is famous for woodwork on ebony or black sheesham inlaid
with brass wire. Banaras is known for lacquered toys and
miniature utensils for children to play with. |
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| Gems
& Jewellery |
In early India, people fashioned jewellery out of natural
materials found in abundance all over the country-seeds,
feathers, leaves, berries, fruits, flowers, animal bones,
claws and teeth. Even today such jewellery is used by
the different tribal societies. Excavations at Mohenjodaro
and other sites of the Indus Valley civilization have
unearthed a wealth of ornaments. It appears that both
men and women of that time wore jewellery made of gold,
silver, copper, ivory and precious and semi-precious stones.
The Ramayana and the Mahabharata are abound with descriptions
of ornaments and the code of Manu defines the duties of
the goldsmith. By the third century B.C., India was |
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| the leading
exporter of gemstones, particularly diamonds. Gold was
usually imported into the country, a practice prevalent
even during the Mughal period. In India the ornaments
are made practically for every part of the body. Such
a variety of ornaments bears the testimony to the excellent
skills of the jewelers in India. The range of jewellery
in India varied from religious one to purely aesthetic
one. Jewellery was crafted not just for humans but also
for the gods, ceremonial elephants and horses. The craft
of jewellery was given a royal patronage right from the
ancient times. The rajas and maharajas vied with each
other to possess the most exquisite and the most magnificent
pieces of jewellery. Temple complexes supported many different
styles of jewellery-scented sandalwood bead necklaces,
the prayer bead or the rudraksh (berry of the elaocarpus
canitrus) necklace, multicoloured silk and gold thread
necklaces. In the Hindu, Jain and Sikh community where
women do not inherit landed property, jewellery was a
major component of the stree dhana (gifts given to a woman
at the time of her marriage). Jewellery, because of its
easy convertibility into cash, was thus regarded as security
and investment. |
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| Paintings |
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Indians knew the art of painting since prehistoric times.
The earliest paintings in India can be found on the walls
of Bhimbetka caves in Madhya Pradesh. The walls of these
caves have been decorated with animal and human figures.
The Indian art of painting is varied and diverse, like
the cultures, to which they belong. Paintings are made
using a variety of medium. Traditional Indian paintings
depict gods and goddesses, mythological scenes, scenes
pertaining to erstwhile royal houses and scenes from daily
life.
Paintings created by artists belonging to different tribal
societies are vibrant, symbolic and depict all aspects
of tribal life. The introduction of Persian styled miniatures
by the Mughals, lent a new dimension to the art of painting
in India. |
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Mughal miniatures great masterpieces, they also influenced
local miniature schools in Rajasthan, Punjab and Himachal
Pradesh. Various miniature schools flourished in Rajasthan,
during the Mughal era and continued even after it. Some
of the important miniature schools of that period were:
Mewar, Marwar, Kishangarh, Dhunbar and Hadoti school.
Each school had its own distinct style, which distinguished
it from the others. Court scenes, love scenes, hunting
scenes, images of local deities and mythological episodes,
dominate these paintings. Painted geometric designs and
symbols had also been found on pottery items belonging
to the Indus valley civilization. The high point of painting
in the ancient period can be seen in the frescoes from
Ajanta, which depicts the life and style of that period
realistically. |
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Textiles |
The first literary information about textiles in India
can be found in the Rigveda, which refers to weaving.
The ancient Indian epics-Ramayana and Mahabharat also
speak of a variety of fabrics of those times. The Ramayana
refers to the rich styles worn by the aristocracy on one
hand and the simple clothes worn by the commoners and
ascetics. India has a diverse and rich textile tradition.
The origin of Indian textiles can be traced to the Indus
valley civilization. The people of this civilization used
homespun cotton for weaving their garments. Excavations
at Harappa and Mohen -jo-Daro, have unearthed household
items like needles made of bone and spindles made of wood,
amply suggesting that homespun cotton was used to make
garments. Fragments of woven cotton have also been found
from these sites. India had numerous trade links with
the outside world and Indian textiles were popular in
the ancient world. Indian silk was popular in Rome in
the early centuries of the Christian era. Hoards of fragments
of cotton material originating from Gujarat have been
found in the Egyptian tombs at Fostat, belonging to 5th
century A.D. Cotton textiles were also exported to China
during the heydays of the silk route. Ample evidence on
the ancient textiles of India can also be obtained from
the various sculptures belonging to Mauryan and Gupta
age as well as from ancient Buddhist scripts and murals
(Ajanta caves). Legend has it that when Amrapali, a courtesan
from the kingdom of Vaishali met Gautam Buddha, she wore
a richly woven semi transparent sari, which speaks volumes
of the technical achievement of the ancient Indian weaver. |
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| Potterry |
The evolution of Indian ceramics began with the Harappan
age and the art of shaping and baking clay articles as
pottery, earthenware and porcelain has endured through
the ages. While pottery and earthenware are distinctly
utilitarian and often decorative, porcelain and studio
pottery belong to the realm of art. Except for a few examples
of Indian ceramics, which have been produced from a single
mould, most of it is completely hand-modeled, a tradition
carried over to the 20th century. There is evidence of
pottery making, both handmade and wheel-thrown, from all
over India. At Harappa and Mohenjodaro, pottery has been
excavated showing that potter’s place was quite an important
one in society. The craft was well advanced. Rectangular
kilns for firing the product were in use. Seals and grain
and water containers were made that were put to use effectively.
The place of the potter in the craft tradition of India
is unique. India has more than a million potters. They
are exquisite masters - men and women alike. Despite the
hi-tech that has invaded the Indian scenario, it is doubtful
if it will ever destroy the potter’s inherent creativity.
Hopefully, new generations will perceive the worth of
pottery. Among the various media chosen by man for expressing
his joy through art, music or literature, the simplest
has been soft and malleable clay. Nimble fingers mould
the most beautiful form and expression. Clay is such a
fascinating medium that if a lump of it is given to a
child, he instinctively creates things out of it. Pottery
is the measure of a country’s civilization. Being one
of the oldest crafts, man has expressed his feelings and
his aesthetics in clay. A piece of pottery has a visual
message in its shape and colour. It is the most sensual
of all arts. It is not only to be looked at, but also
to be handled carefully. No wonder then that pottery has
been called the lyric of handicrafts. Lyrical because
of its irresistible and universal appeal. But, it is the
association of religion with this art that has given it
a deeper significance and another dimension too. |
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| Carpet |
India offers a wide range of floor coverings that have
evolved over the centuries to suit a variety of tastes,
climates and budgets. The woollen and silk carpets are
more renowned compared to the other materials such as
cotton and several vegetable fibres, which are used for
making attractive and practically useful mats and durries.
In the early stages, the motifs used in the Indian carpets
were purely Persian. Later, various other designs were
introduced from Afghanistan, Turkey, China, Morocco and
France. Gradually, the pile carpet industry was Indianised
and assumed a character of its own. Each region developed
a distinct style of carpet weaving. In the mountainous
regions of India, from Ladakh through Darjeeling in West
Bengal and Sikkim to Manipur, carpets are made of pure
wool in glowing colours. The predominant motifs are those
of the dragon, snow-lion and lotus. |
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| Patterns are
also taken from Buddhist iconography with dhawaja (flag),
the kalash (water-vessel) and the twin fish being favourites.
Carpets from these regions are based on techniques that
are as distinct as the motifs. These are essentially Central
Asian in tradition. For over 2500 years the patterns reproduced
were those of flowers arabesques and rhomboids with an
occasional animal design. The patterns have never become
outmoded. Some motifs have a profound meaning: the circle
signifies eternity, the zigzag water and light, the swastika
darkness and the tree happiness and goodness. |
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| Stone
Work |
The stone-carving tradition in India is one of the richest
in the world. Guilds of masons and stone carvers have
existed here since the 7th century B.C. The skills were
handed down as family lore from father to son, a practice
prevalent in some parts of the country even today. The
classical tradition of stone carving was closely linked
with architecture. All major temples of India-be it Puri,
Konark, Khajuraho, Kailash Temple, or the Shore Temple
at Mahabalipuram-illustrate the rich tradition of Indian
stone carvings. The geologically old land of Rajasthan,
rich in different kinds of hard rocks like granites, marbles,
quartzite, slates, and other metamorphic rocks, has been
a stone-carver's paradise. Right from the medieval times,
the ready availability of high-quality stone (the use
of brick was almost unknown) made it easy for the Rajasthani
builder to construct strong and beautiful forts, palaces,
and temples. The sculptures found in the ancient and medieval
temples of Bharatpur, Baroli, Ramgarh, Nagda, Ajmer, Chittor,
Mandore, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, and Udaipur speak highly
of the artistic skills of the Rajasthani stonecutters.
Apart from temple carvings, the stone carvers of Rajasthan
are noted for their jali (latticework) carvings. Most
ancient palatial buildings of Rajasthan sport jali work
on their doors and windows. The jali screens, sculpted
from both sandstone and marble, were frequently used in
the windows of the zenanas (women's quarters) enabling
the women in purdah to view the events of the courts without
being seen. The screens also offered protection from the
elements while allowing the passage of fresh air through
the intricate geometric patterns. Rajasthan continues
to be one of major centres of stone carving in the country.
The capital city Jaipur is the centre of marble carving
in Rajasthan. Here one can see artisans creating marble
images of the deities as well as domestic utensils such
as bowls for grinding spices and kneading dough. At Ajmer,
Udaipur, Jodhpur and Bikaner, one comes across some very
fine examples of the intricate jali work done on screens
and panels of the royal palaces |
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to chalk out your tour plan or you may write us… your choice
of destinations to design a tour for you with travel period
and budget to: sales@india-tourism.net |
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