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INDIAN SCULPTURES AND STATUES |
Sculptures of the Indus Valley
The story of Indian art and sculpture dates back to
the Indus valley civilization of the 2nd and 3rd
millennium BC. Tiny terra-cotta seals discovered
from the valley reveal carvings of peepal leaves,
deities and animals. These elemental shapes of
stones or seals were enshrined and worshipped by the
people of the civilization. Two other objects that
were excavated from the ruins of the Indus valley
indicate the level of achievement that Indian art
had attained in those days. The bust of a priest in
limestone and a bronze dancing girl show tremendous
sophistication and artistry.
Hindu Art
The 4th, 5th and 6th centuries AD witnessed a
tremendous resurgence of Hinduism when it became the
official religion of the Gupta Empire. Consequently,
this era was also marked by the emergence of
innumerable images of popular Hindu Gods and
Goddesses. Images of Vishnu, Shiva, Krishna, the
Sun-God and goddess Durga evolved in this period.
The Udaigiri caves in Madhya Pradesh house a
colossal image of Vishnu. Here he is presented as
the great savior who rescued 'mother earth' from the
depths of the ocean, in his incarnation as a varha
(boar). Other statues of this period found in
various temples and museums are indicative of the
various dimensions of early Hindu art and sculpture.
The link between dance, drama, literature and art
became crucial to aesthetic expressionism in
centuries to come. This new era in art and sculpture
witnessed a unique fusion, a synthesis embodied in
the caves at Ajanta and Ellora and the temples of
central and South India.
Ajanta and Ellora
North-east of Bombay, near Aurangabad are two
astonishing series of temples carved out of living
rock over the course of fourteen centuries. During
the 4th century AD. in a remote valley, work began
on the Ajanta caves to create a complex of Buddhist
monasteries and prayer halls. As centuries passed,
numerous Buddhist monks and artisans excavated a set
of twenty-nine caves, some cells, monasteries and
Buddhist temples. All of these were carved from the
rock cliff at Ajanta. These caves are adorned with
elaborate sculptures and paintings which have
withstood the ravages of time.
The sculptures are finely wrought images of animals,
guards and deities while the paintings tell ancient
tales of courtly life and depict hundreds of
Buddhist legends. Amid the beautiful images and
paintings are sculptures of Buddha, calm and serene
in contemplation.
Work started on the Ellora caves in the seventh
century AD where another set of caves were created
from living rock. Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism
inspired these sculptors to create these elaborate
rock carvings. The Buddhist and Jain caves here are
ornately carved yet seem quiet and meditative
whereas the Hindu caves are filled with a divine
energy and power.
The most impressive and majestic creation at Ellora
is the Kailasa Temple, a full-sized freestanding
temple flanked by elephants carved out of solid
rock. Pillars, podiums, spires and towers combine to
produce an awe-inspiring representation of Shiva's
Himalayan abode.
Khajuraho
The tranquil town of Khajuraho, in the central state
of Madhya Pradesh boasts of the best medieval
temples in India, known all over the world for their
erotic sculptures. These glorious temples are the
state's most famous attraction.
Amid green lawns and brilliant pink flowers is a
complex of temples, glowing with the warmth of
sandstone and ornamented with the sinuous curves of
sculpture unparalleled in their beauty. Out of the
85 temples built originally, only 22 survive today.
These temples were created by the Chandela rulers in
the Indo-Aryan style. The site was forgotten for
centuries before it was rediscovered in 1838. The
temples were restored and attract visitors from all
over the world.
The sculptures include statues of gods and
goddesses, warriors, celestial dancers and animals,
besides those of couples in erotic poses. The Hindu
philosophy of Yoga and Bhoga (physical pleasure),
the two paths leading to final liberation, seem to
be the underlying theme of these sculptures. These
temples celebrated a Hindu faith exuberant in its
love for the divine. All life was seen as an
expression of divinity, including human love. The
union between man and woman was viewed as the
culmination of devotion, symbolic of the union of
the devotee with god and divinity. The other
sculptures in these temples depict the daily lives
of the people in the 10th and 11th centuries AD.
The famous temples at Khajuraho include the
Lakshmana Temple and the Kandariya Mahadeva temple.
The latter is dedicated to Lord Shiva and has a
shikhara or spire that is 38 meters high. Here we
see an attempt to reconstruct the image of Shiva's
home in Mount Kailasha. Giant reliefs also portray
various manifestations of Shiva, who is both a
destroyer and a savior. Of the many statues found in
this temple, the most fascinating is that of an
ascetic performing the shirshasan (a yogic posture
where the yogi balances himself on his head).
The temples of Khajuraho display a wealth of
sculptural beauty, evoking the grandeur of the
snow-capped Himalayas as well as the earthly
pleasures of life.
Elephanta Caves
The most profound aspect of the mighty Shiva is in
evidence at the Shiva temple in the Elephanta caves.
Situated near Bombay, these caves present an
introduction to some most exquisitely carved
temples. One can witness a symphony in stone in
praise of Lord Shiva, created by India's expert
stone carvers of the sixth century.
The central attraction here is a twenty-foot high
bust of the deity in three-headed form. The
Maheshamurti is built deep into a recess and looms
up from the darkness to fill the full height of the
cave. This image symbolizes the fierce, feminine and
meditative aspects of the great ascetic and the
three heads represent Shiva as Aghori,
Ardhanarishvara and Mahayogi. Aghori is the terrible
form of Shiva where he is intent on destruction.
Ardhanarishvara depicts Shiva as half-man/half-woman
signifying the essential unity of the sexes. The
Mahayogi posture symbolizes the meditative aspect of
the God and here Shiva is shown in his most quiet
and serene form. Other sculptures in these caves
depict Shiva's cosmic dance of primordial creation
and destruction and his marriage to Parvati and
Shiva as half man/half-woman . The Elephanta
sculptures meaningfully convey the oneness of the
human and the divine and the images transcend the
scope of human imagination to achieve a grandeur
that remains undiminished by time.
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