Wednesday, December 21, 2011

TERRA COTTA TEMPLES @ BAHIRGARH & JAGATBALLBHPUR,Dt : HOOGHLY

A FEW  REMARKABLE WALL-RELIEFS
 - ART of  GROTESQUE !


Restored Damodar  temple, Bahirgarh, Dt  Howrah


 
The state of affairs in 2007 . From my blog - http://cshyamal.sulekha.com/blog/post/2010/12/damodar-temple-bahirgarh-west-bengal-india.htm. 
 
Temple @ the crossing of Domjur- Jangipara road & left lane to Jagatballbhpur.
Lots of weeds on the top - but wall-reliefs are clean.

Two small temples - not many enthusiasts will seek these temples  out. When Ruby & I visited these two temple 4 years ago in December, 2007, the one @ Bahirgarh was found ravaged by time and the other @ Jagatballabhpur did not look very promising either.

Bahirgarh temple  has since been thoroughly repaired by ASI. Looks much better now. The deity still  stays shifted in his neighbouring make-shift abode - but the structure looks good. In 2007, when I tried to remove a strong root  above the wall-relief on ' Krsna's Birth', locals  stopped me  informing that the adjacent wall was precariously unbalanced and could fall off at the slightest disturbance. Exaggeration though it sounded, the temple was in a pathetic state. The owners, not doing so well, were very disturbed about State's help not coming forth.

The Temple @ Jagatballabhpur has now lots of weeds on its roof - but, the terra cotta work looked far brighter because of maintenance. It is close to the main road - dust-cover is inevitable.But, it seemed that  caring hands have given the terra cotta work on this temple's walls a lot brighter look this year.

Devaki gives birth to  Krsna.  Celebration all around !
Damodar  temple,Bahirgarh, Dt  Howrah

Details of the above - Debaki uses of an inverted 'dhasmaa' - a large hemispherical caned container.

I  shall draw  special attention of the viewers on the vultures , Debaki's use of an inverted 'dhamaa' - a large hemispherical caned container - during child-birth, art of grotesque, apart from convention Rama-Ravana battle and Krsna-Leelaa scenes. There are several other social scenes which are quite interesting ! Specally mentionable is -- social scenes on arches came into vogue from late 18th century. Sribati's temples and this one @ Jagatballabhpur are excellent examples of this practice.


On close scrutiny, we find  a man with moustache and head-gear, 
very likely an Englishman -
perhaps an Indigo Planter - terrorises people with a lash or a sword. In the top LH corner, he has a sepoy to assist him.On the lower RH corner, he whips a naked peasant (?) while a cut-off head lie on the ground. Also watch the horse-bodied woman playing a flute on lower RH corner ! **
Jagatballabhpur,  Dt : Howrah.

A Lanka Yuddha scene - vultures feast on corpses.  Motifs of nice parrots  decorate 
Siva temples built on the edges of the arches.
Damodar  temple,Bahirgarh, Dt  Howrah.


**NOTE :- My friend Amit Guha from London has commented :
" "Also watch the horse-bodied woman playing a flute on lower RH corner!"

This is actually Maricha. This scene with Rama on the left of the arch and Maricha holding the arrow on the right is common in Hugli and Medinipur.
"

5 comments:

  1. "Also watch the horse-bodied woman playing a flute on lower RH corner!"

    This is actually Maricha. This scene with Rama on the left of the arch and Maricha holding the arrow on the right is common in Hugli and Medinipur.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Amit,

    Thanks for your suggestion. I have come across this depiction for the 1st time... I hv not seen any temple in Medinipur district so far.

    Can u pname a few more rples or load a couple of wall-reliefs' photos ?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Excellent. I shall try to go there.
    Regarding the posture of Devaki during the birth of Krishna, I can comment as a Gynaecologist that similar posture is used during labour in many aboriginal tribes.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Brooklyn Museum, NYC has a wonderful collection of terracottas. I think their website has good photos, or they're in IGNCA. Where is the Seshayana Vishnu terracotta from, do you know?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Very beautifully described, thanks for the post.

    Ayan

    ReplyDelete