Himachal is one of the states of India, which is known for its beauty, tradition, culture, and many more. The art of Himachal has grown out of fusion of cultural strains, migration and religious beliefs.
The Kangra Paintings:
Patronised by rulers of hilly kingdoms, indegenious Art forms blended with Mughal style blossomed into Kangra School of Paintings. The fame of Kangra school of miniature paintings is such that reputed museums around the world have masterpieces permanently displayed at their galleries. Paintings from Guler, Basohli, Chamba, Nurpur and Kangra, patronised by the rulers between 17th and 19th century, collectively form part of this school of paintings. The three main centers of Kangra painting are Guler, Nurpur and Tira-Sujanpur.
This great art originated Guler State, a small hill state in the Lower Himalayas in the first half of the 18th century when a family of Kashmiri painters trained in Mughal painting Style sought shelter at the court of Raja Dalip Singh (r. 1695-1741) of Guler. Pahari painting is the generic term for the paintings created in the various hill states of the northwestern Himalayas. The rise of Guler Paintings started in what is known as the early phase of Kangra Kalam.
This style reached its zenith during the reign of Maharaja Sansar Chand Katoch (r.1776-1824) who was a great patron of Kangra art. Being a liberal patron, the painters working at his atelier received large commissions while others accepted a permanent settlement in the form of lands. Maharaja Sansar Chand was an ardent devotee of Krishna and used to commission artists to paint subjects based on the loves and life of Krishna.
Exhibiting the taste and lifestyles of the times, and religious themes are mainly the subjects of this art form. In most artworks, the goddess-like portrayal of women with beautiful figures and facial features give these paintings a rare charm.
Bhakti cult was the driving force and the love story of Radha and Krishna was the main source of spiritual experience, which was also the base for the visual expression. Bhagvata Purana and the love poems Gita Gobinda by Jayadeva were the most popular subjects dealing with the legends and the amorous plays of Radha and Krishna symbolizing the soul’s devotion to God.
Thangka Paintings
The literal translation of the Tibetan word ‘THANG KA’ means ‘recorded message’. Thangkas communicate a message to the practitioner, serving as an aid to teaching and as an aid to meditation through the visualization of the deity. It is a medium through which the Buddhist philosophy can be explained.
Painted with a religious zeal, beautiful Thangka paintings depicting themes from the Buddha’s life, popular instances from the Jataka tales, Bodhisattvas, female deity of Tara, mandala’s and other religious events are carefully preserved at many monasteries. They are brought out to adorn walls or the venues when important ceremonies are conducted. Many domestic altars also portray these rare paintings.
Most of these elaborate paintings, on linen or silk canvases, are created strictly in accordance to rules of the iconography. Thangkas are painted on auspicious dates by the monks, in a fragrant environment of lighted incense sticks and chants of sutras (doctrines). Traditionally, the pigments of vegetable colours and mineral dust, bound by gum, were used on these artworks.
Mural Wall Paintings
Himachal is a Mecca of beauty and art for the visitor who has a taste for it. One historical art form that embellishes many religious monuments, forts and palaces are the murals, the wall paintings that depict gods, goddesses, palace scenes, of nature and from common daily lives in fine colours. Wall paintings at the Tabo Monastery, Narvadeshwar Temple in Sujanpur, Arki palace, on the ceiling at Rang Mahal in Chamba and others are works by master artists who never got and never sought any recognition. Over centuries, many of these wall paintings may have lost their luster but the artistic brilliance still shines through.
Wood carving
Age old temples in areas like Minghal, Chadrari, Bharmaur in Chamba district, Kullu, Karsog (Mandi), Sarahan (Shimla) and Kinnaur having finely chiselled wood carvings of gods, goddesses, court scenes and those from everyday life cut out on pillars, wall panels, roof ceilings, wood beams, doors and at other places. This timeless treasure is a heritage from which younger generations take inspiration to improve upon the craft.
Not spoken of much, the wood carving tradition of Himachal is also visible in household stuff like cradles, bedsteads, rolling pins, churners or wooden utensils. Pahari architecture also demonstrate excellent woodworking and attention to detail in crafting wooden houses which advocate form and functionality over a strong structural foundation.
Embroidery
The skill of embroidery is a favourite pastime as well as an engaging skill among Pahari women. Creating household accessories like tablecloths, rumals (handkerchief), coverlets, caps and other stuff, are some of products that these skilled embroiders make. The embroidery of the Chamba Rumal, the Kullu Kinnauri Shawls are counted among the finest crafts of India. Chamba rumal, as Chamba kasidakari/ kadhai (embroidery) is popularly called, is a part of the larger Pahari craft tradition of Himachal Pradesh practised mostly by women since time unknown.
Because of its name, Chamba rumal is often confused for a literal handkerchief, but it refers to the art form of Chamba embroidery, which involves various stitching styles, techniques, images and most importantly, stories. Chamba rumal extends across various artworks like double-sided frames, handkerchiefs, covers, belts, sheets, shawls, dupattas, fans, and more. The embroidery is intertextual as literature and paintings are reinterpreted and one cannot distinguish paintings, stories and embroidery from one other when woven as one in the final creation.
Themes and Motifs
Ram te Lachhman chopar khel de, Siyarani kadh di kasida ho’
(Rama and Lakshmana play chaupar while Sita is engaged in embroidery)
[from a Chamba folk song]
Before the advent of miniature style kasidakari, the Chamba rumal woven by women of the hills had themes from the daily life of Chamba, its landscapes and themes related to its faith, which included drawings of Shiva, Krishna and Rama.
As Chamba rumal also borrowed from the Kangra, Guler and Basohli schools of painting, the rumals carry themes encompassing stories like Gitagovindam (a twelfth-century text on Krishna by the poet Jayadeva), Ramayana , Mahabharata, Bhagavad Purana, Raasmandala (an episode of the dance of Krishna), Parijata Haran (episode of Krishna uprooting the parijata tree for his wife), Kurukshetra Yuddh (the epic war from Mahabharata), Rukmini Haran (the episode of Krishna and Rukmini’s wedding in Mahabharata), Kaliya Daman (an episode from the life of Krishna where he defeats the serpent Kaliya), and Baramasa (a folk song of the region). Rumals embroidered with scenes from Rukmini Haran were used as sacred hangings in mandapams (wedding venues).
Metal Craft
The metal craft of Himachal Pradesh stands exemplary as the antique metal statuettes are one of the most significant aspects in many temples of Himachal Pradesh. The statues of gods and goddesses also appear as ‘mohras’ or in metal plaques.
The metal crafts of Himachal Pradesh not only serve the religious purpose but they serve as utilitarian items also. As per the history, the metal craft in Himachal Pradesh grew because the courts of the Himachal kings had the craftsmen who were specialised in metalware in the 600 AD. Since that age, the artisans have been practicing the art and have mastered in this field of exclusive creations. The statuettes at temple entrances in Brahmaur, Chamba and the Vajreshwari Devi temple in Kangra are glaring examples of excellent craftsmanship. Even the temple doors of Vajreshwari Devi, Jwalamukhi in Kangra, Bhimkali in Sarahan and Chandika Devi in Kinnaur exhibit the Repousse technique in which the craftsmen excelled. A canopy made of gold at the Jwalamukhi temple is one of the most admired examples of the metal craft of Himachal Pradesh, which is believed to have been gifted by the Mughal emperor Akbar.
Stonework
Cutting a hard granite stones and patiently chiselling out an idol that is worshipped for generations as a deity signifies the importance stone craft had among the hill community. Most of the masterpiece stone craft works that have survived hundreds of years are attributed to anonymous craftsman.
Gazing at the many stone temples of Mandi, the Laxmi Narayan temple of Chamba, the rock-cut Temples at Masroor (Kangra), the Shiva temple at Bajaura in Kullu or the Shiva temple at Baijnath (Kangra), one cannot but admire the brilliance and artistic skill of the craftsman who worked on them.
In everyday lives, one can get a glimpse of stone carving skills in the angithis (classical stoves), kundi (round pots) and chakki (stone mill) which are used in Kinnaur, Mandi, Chamba and Shimla since ages.
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