LOVERS & ONLOOKERS - 'DROLL STORIES' in TEMPLES OF SRIBATI

Social scenes from terra cotta temples  - I : A kaleidoscope of human emotions

An onlooker indeed !The other 'peeping out' panel I have come across is 
in the hexagonal temple @ Ilambazar,Dt _ Birbhum.

Now is the time to look into the social scenes of terra cotta temples - so much about these panels have been written by Zulekha Haque ( photo of the cover of the book  titled 'Terracotta Decorations of Late Medieval  Bengal - Portrayal of a society' not avaible in the Internet. Refer to : http://www.amazon.co.uk/Terracotta-decorations-late-medieval-Bengal/dp/B0000EE2RP/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1284332934&sr=1-2 ) and David McCuchion.

Refer - http://www.amazon.com/Brick-Temples-Bengal-Archives-McCutchion/dp/0691040109

Sribati is avillage 15 km off  the road connecting Calcutta with Katwa.One can reach these temples by car or train/bus - vide my friend Rangan Dutta's article in the Telegraph - http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=8929322336097938925.

You will find about these temples' history from Rangan's article. I shall go direcly into the specifics of my subject.The three temple of Sribati are smaller than many of the more famous of this genre - but, what I enjoyed in these temples was is the quality of story-telling I have come across not many times.

Return of the prodigal.The king wipes the tear  from the face of the queen he left behind years ago.

The onlookers have not been placed correctly on this panel - they should have been placed on the right side.

I read about a folk-tale about a  king marrying twice. The second marriage took place when he wandered away to another place .The pining and devotion of the  1st wife  forms a large of the story. The story also describes how she tharted the advance of a local powerful man to entice her to his bed. The king returns after a long time with his second wife t his kingdom. While I was going through the photos I took in the temple, I realised this panel tells the story of the return of the prodigal.

At a courtesans' boudoir.

The other panel I fell in love with depicts  a courtesns' place.  The courtesan on the lefthand side has been wooed by a man while the unsuccessful  bidder looks stands grumpily.The third courtesan is enjoying the process of wooing. The couple in the extreme  righthand corner of this  panel is engaged in a close embrace , oblivious of the people around. All these characters are placed on a very ornate band of abstract motifs.

Resting after the act ?

The above panel was not easy to find......it was nearly hidden under the cobwebs and dust. The features of the man and his lover have been ravaged by weather. The postures -  the woman staring at the face of her lover while her head rests on his lap and the lover's hand touches the thigh of the woman - is very sensuous.No onlookers here - the couple rest in privacy

I end with a panel showing an elderly couple on the bed. We see their faces and upper torsos resting on big pillows, the man trying to caress the face of his old lover,partly undressed, her face shows reluctance to be drawn to the act !

The reluctant partner.

When my wife Ruby I were ending taking photographs, the sun was at the western horizon.A panel on boats caught my notive.... but light was not satisfactory. When I 'photoshopped' the panel, I found a 'story' emerged from the same. Look at the postures of the boatmen -  don't you think they are sharing  'droll stories' ?

What are the 'naughty' stories these whispering boatmen are sharing  ?

Is he reluctant  or afraid that his wife will wake up to catch them  ?

This is a funny situation. The apparently pious husband is being wooed by a very much decked up woman, while his wife is asleep. He appears to be reluctant. Whether it is because he does not want his wife to discover  his  infiedelity or he is genuilely pious and monogamous is left to the imagination of the viewer .

KRSNA & RAMA , THE ICONS of Vaishnavites - 1

A few panels from the largest and the best

All the six temples I have mentioned in the previous blog on Timeline are temples of Krsna.......therefore under deep impact of Vaishnavite scripture and literature . The biggest two I have seen  are from Shyam-Rai and Baronagar temples.In fact , the one from Shyam-Rai temple - the one depicting Rasleela - has deep root in 10th Canto ( Dasham Skandha) of 'Bhagavat Gita' as well as 'Vaishnav Padaabalee', the poems on Krsna's childhood and adolesent life in Vrindaavan.

Rasa Mandala.Shyam Rai Temple, Bishnupur.1643 AD.

Rasa Mandala  is one of the most famous among the terra cotta panels of Bengal. Almost iconic, symbolising the art of terra cotta temples of Bengal. This large panel comprises of segments forming three near concentric circles.At the centre, we find Krsna with two Gopies .Two circles outside - sixteen and twenty four figures respectively - show Krsna dancing with Gopis in many manifestations.Krsna plays drum and dances in top coners among peacocks in slightly different postures.In thr right hand corner, the peacock has spread its tail.At  the lower corners, Krsna-Radha are playing flute. A deer in the right hand corner makes the difference.

Slaying of Kansa.Siva Temple,Baronagar ( near Azimgunj) .1755 AD.

This is the 1st panel  we see as we enter the cluster of four temples at Baronagar ( near Azimgunj) . This panel on top of the left arch of the very first temple has two scenes from  the acts of Krsna-Balaram at Kansa's court. On the left is the 1st hurdle,elephant Kuvalayapeeda . As it charges , Krsna holds it by its teeth while Balaram kills its mahout.On the right , we see Krsna killing Kansa. Kansa's headgear is on the ground. His left hand holds a shield which he could not raise. Kansa's right hand holds a sword he has been unable to use as Krsna overpowered him.

The other two panels are from lesser known temples at Surul ( near Shantiniketan) and the famous Pratapeswar temple at Kalna.

Panel above LH arch of Siva Temple  at Surul. 19th century.
(Photo taken by Ruby Chatterji)

This panel has three rows. The top two rows cover one scene each. The lowermost panel has snatches from several scenes. In the top row, we  find 'Sita's Agnipareeksha' ( Sita's Trial by fire) Four sages are around the fire. Faces of Sita and three on-lookers from Rama's party disfigured. Rama and Lakshman watch from a pavilion on the right hand side.In the central row, we find Rama's court after his return to Ayodhya.Rama and Sita are seated on the throne while adulators and visitors flock in.The lower row is divided into three parts - three phases of Sita's life.. On left hand side, we find Sita in a pavilion and a maid seeks her permission with folded hands. The cental one depicts Sita and Rama in loving embrace under a tree, presumably during the their stay in the forest. An extremely rare scene. In the right hand side, Rama enters Sita's pavilion while Sita is dressing up - her hair being combed by a servant.Beyond this panel, in the right-most corner, we find Sita left in a chariot and a sage's wife bringing a pot of water to her.

Worship pf Devi Durga at Lanka. East wall.Pratapeswar Temple at Kalna.1849 AD.

A very intricately done panel. Top row has Devi Durga at the centre - flanked by Ravana, fully armed yet pondering and Rama about to release an arrow on her two sides. The panel is filled with 'Rakshasas' and monkeys in  battling mode. Durga is not in her 'Akaal Bodhan' manifestation - but 'Mahishasura-mardini' manifestation. A serious deviation from the accepted imagery !