IMAGES OF 'PURUSHA AND PRAKRITI'

 FROM TEMPLES TO CANVAS  TO  
STREETS OF CALCUTTA

Those who are worshipers of  Siva the super-ascetic may please stay away from this blog.

Idea of  writing this blog occurred to me when I could get a decent copy of  'Purusha/Prakriti' painting by  Bikash Bhattacharya during an internet search for my desktop background.  This painting - interpreted and discussed by many - is an unforgettable work of BB. Immediately , my thought turned to Sanatan Dinda's 'Durga' of Barisha Club, Puja-2012.

Famous painting by late Bikash Bhattacharya on the theme of 

'Purusha' and 'Prakriti',

marked for its social connotation.

Source - internet.

Lots of words , explaining background/origin of a concept and its evolution  through centuries and various mediums of expression,  are required to tackle the subject of this title. But, I have no big 'funda' on this subject. Therefore, whatever I write here is my very humble personal exposure to the big philosophy of 'Purusha and Prakriti' practiced by various religious groups across the sub-continent and neighbouring countries.

Variation of this concept  has been noted by philosophers studying religions and their practices  in various continents through ages.RamPrasad Sen has used this concept in many of his songs offering obeisance to Kali.  Dan Brown invoked this  concept in his famous book 'Da Vinci Code'.  I wonder if well-known Bengali writer late Probodh Kumar Sanyal used  the concept - somewhat superficially - in a few of his novels.  More visible are the creations of sculptors and painters - a selection from my collection will be presented here.

'Sankhya' is the  book to get at the root of this dualist concept. 'Purusha' is Consciousness , unchanging. "Prakrkiti' is the primordial force and ' material cause of the world'. It is through  intimate interaction of 'Purusha' and Prakriti' , life is created/sustained.The Dualism  can be identified in Yin and Yang of the Chinese, in Avalokiteswara and Tara in Vajrayana or Tantrik Buddhism and ....... in Siva and Shakti of Hindu Saivites.

 

Siva ( ithyphallic)  & Parvati @ 

Parashurameswara temple ,Bhuvaneswara.

Siva linga on square Gauripatta - 

anionic interpretation of Siva and Shakti.

from a small temple @ SriMukhalingam, A.P.

 
Iconic and anionic interpretations  of Siva and Shakti abound in Hindu temples.  Siva is super-ascetic - he is  the 'consciousness' of   'Purusha' too. In context with another Blog I wrote years ago, I found this interpretation of Siva's imagery is difficult for some modern day Saivites to accept. Nevertheless, interpretations of philosopher's and artist's  of the duo can be subject of a very interesting study. Let us examine a few more here :

Above is a Tantrik interpretation of  'Purusha' and Shakti. Here we find 'Kali' as  Shakti on top of passive 'Purusha'  - as if 'passed out' after a session of opium -  in one of the terra cotta temples of Baronagar.

Notable here is the similarity and difference from the 17th century interpretation of  Shakti vis-a-vis 'Purusha'.  Devi is on top of 'Purusha' in both the depictions. But,Sanatan has portrayed 'Purusha' not as inert or passive. He has gone deeper into  Tantra  in planning this imagery where there several layers. I have stopped at the stated interpretation of this unconventional imagery - more on this at appropriate juncture.

 

Present day interpretation of  Siva and Shakti. 

Devi has transformed the 'evil self ' of Mahishasura . What we find here is consciousness of 'Purusha' supporting Shakti !  

Sanatan Dinda's creation @ Barisha Club, Calcutta. Puja - 2012.

 One very interesting point of this 'work' of Sanatan is the cluster where faces of lion,'Mahisha' and Siva co-exist. In Sankhya, it is 'Prakriti' which has manifestation of 'Sattwa', 'Rajah' and 'Tamo gunas' . Here,  the artist has created a reverse imagery - the 'Purusha' manifests the three 'Gunas' !

Three Indian painters have become famous for their interpretation of  Tantra  and interplay of 'Purusha and Prakriti' .  The oldest among them is late Nirode Majumdar who also  contributed to a book on RamPrasad Sen's songs on Kali ('Song for Kali:A Cycle of Images and Songs'- published by Seagull). SH Raza and Ghulam Rasool Santosh have created  niche for their work based on Tantra among connoisseurs. A painting of GR Santosh titled 'Siva-Shakti' is copied here from the internet :

'Siva-Shakti' by Ghulam Rasool Santosh.

Source - Internet.

During last ten years, Sanatan Dinda has used Tantra-inspired motif of 'Yantra'  several times. I follow his current work in Durga's pavilions as he brings out complex interpretation of 'Purusha and Prakriti' there. Revelers of Calcutta Pujas may miss out  some of his imageries and/or their inner meaning - more on this subject in a separate blog.

Nandalal Basu painted 'Annapurna' where Siva is shown as an emaciated 'Nataraja'. Here the 'Purusha' is suffering - not the 'consciousness' unaffected by external factors. Debatable subject - let us have a look :

 AnnaPurna by Nandalal Basu.

 Is this a portrayal of Avalokiteswara and Tara ?

Buddhist Monastery, Bylakuppe, Karnataka.

The last photo of this blog is from Tibetan Buddhist Monastery of Bylakuppe, Karnataka.Their interpretation of Vajrayana Buddhism has a lot of imageries of a  'Purusha' - with specific traits and power - and his consort in deep embrace.More erudite person can compare the inner meaning/s of the imageries,  passive-vs-active 'Purusha' and explain the complexity.  Present blog's scope ends with recording the visuals from my computer's HDD.

SPECIALTY ARTWORK OF BRAHMESWAR TEMPLE , BHUBANESWAR

TEMPLES EXTRA-ORDINARY - OUR TRIP TO TEMPLES OF ORISSA  - VI.

  View of  Brahmeswar Temple Complex - to observe similarity of Jagmohan-Deul here with that of Lingaraja Temple.

Zodiac signs in 'pabhaga' section of Brahmeswar Temple. 

Laced with female figures  meant for attracting viewers' notice !

Brahmeswar temple  is  somewhat  away from the core area of  temple sites of  Bhubaneswar, often missed out by tourists who are  pressed for time. A tidy courtyard , Jagmohan and Deul at its centre, four smaller temples in four corners of the courtyard and a green patch   at the entrance  - maintained by ASI.  Here are another two small temples along the pathway to the courtyard.

A section of the temple wall. Abstract design,erotica,people - 

positioned one above the other as well as  side-by-side, 

in a very aesthetic manner.

Those who have visited  Mukteswar Temple of  Bhubaneswar are familiar with its famous 'Bho'. Shall we call the wall-relief below the 'Bho' for this temple ? Before you decide . please look at the photo above - this wall-relief is certainly not at the centre of the wall ! Was it  moved from its designated place at  some point during renovation ? Or a deliberate positioning as an omen   or just for attracting notice ?

A 'Bho'-like display. Human figures,arabesque,snakes,bells 

- it has all the intriguing ingredients !

This temple was  built by Kolavati Devi, mother of King Udyotkeshari. Probably around 1050 AD. The architecture has  similarity with the gem of Bhubaneshswar - Lingaraja temple. Some of the wall-reliefs are exquisite. I noted a few which appeared to be precursor of  a good nos of  wall-reliefs  we find in Surya temple, Konark - specially those of royalty, seers and erotica.

Royalty  and seers. In court and private chambers. 

We shall see more of them in Surya Temple,Konark.

Amid the usual wall-reliefs of deities and erotica, what attracted my notice are : abstract designs, zodiac signs, a series of unfolding love scenes and on closer scrutiny, swans and flowers. I have  mentioned in one of my  earlier posts about  a wall-relief of 'Veenadhara Siva' (*1) - this is not so common in Orissan temples. I shall also mention a wall-relief of 'Ekapada Siva' - another special manifestation of Siva , not commonly known and a Gajalakshmi with a special attribute.

'Ekapada' Siva with all his attributes, straddling  'Apasmara' 

who is also pierced by Siva's trident.

Gajalakshmi in lalitasana, holding two large full-bloomed lotuses. 

Was the sculptor influenced by Surya's iconography? 

The designs around are interesting too !

 In at least one of the four smaller temples of Brahmeswar temple's courtyard, there is a series of erotic scenes, showing a couple in conflict - the story-line is clear. But, neither the the execution is artistically good nor the story-line is  in good taste. Perhaps, the wall-reliefs were 'banished' to   a smaller temple instead of according them  prominent display.But, the ones below stand out among the whole lot !

 Her music, his desire !

Watch the man's body language & gestures by  hands.

Indian sculptors have pictured 'Kama' on the walls of Hindu temples - photographers have published thousands of photos of erotica on Hindu temples.Ruby and I have collected many such photos over the years , some which can be subjects of serious viewing and discussion. Brahmeswar Temple Complex has at least 3 series - is not that an uncommon practice , one of which is presented here.

Row of swans and an elephant used for adornment of  space

 above a ledge.

 Writers  have mentioned several specialties of this temple  , like the pavilion -'chandratapa' - within Jagmohan, use of Iron beams in a Bhubaneswar temple for the 1st time, adornment with birds and animals  etc. To me, the wall-reliefs of Royalty/seers and string of erotica scenes - proliferation of which happened  during the Konark years are important for studies.

NOTE :
*1 -  Please view - http://przmm.blogspot.in/2012/06/look-alikes-in-architecture.html

THE MAJESTIC SUN-TEMPLE OF KONARK-III

MYTHS, 'CHLORITE' STATUES,MORE MYTHS ....

 Mid-day Sun. Mutilated statue exudes grace !  Dandi on the right.

Because of lack of access, a full frontal view is impossible to capture.

In a giant temple like the one at Konark, there are bound to be 'stories' around the 'birth and life' of the temple.  Through centuries,  some of these  take the proportion of myths.

  Recounting the myths !

Gathering around the story-telling guides.

 It is said that 1200 architects and artisans were given 12 years to build this temple by King NarshimhaDev-1. The team toiled for 12 years while the King spent  his revenue earning for 12 years on this temple-building project. The temple was far from completion  at the end of  the stipulated period. King was quite unhappy - in a mood to punish the team severely for the delay.  Bishu Maharana, the head architect was at his wit's end. His 12 year old son  Dharmapada  reportedly solved the problem of fixing the last coping stone - a 52T magnet according to another version -  though he  was without any experience. He then committed suicide to spare his community  the indignity of wrath of   King's  discovering   the source of   solution of a nagging and critical problem was a 12 year old boy  .

 Was this the principal deity of Konark's Sun-temple ?

Source - ASI Museum, Konark.

Was this death the reason why the deity of Sun was ever was worshiped ? Or did worship  of  Sun in the 'Deul' continue till 1568 AD ( according to another source, desecration  happened during early 17th century) , when Muslims invaded the temple ? Where is the main idol of the sun ? In the temple of Indra at Jagannatha temple complex of Puri ? Or at National Museum, Delhi ?

It is also said that the temple's inner sanctum most of which was damaged had several strong magnets strategically  placed. The iron rich (chlorite ?) statue of Sun was so placed that it did not the touch the base, but, used to float ! These magnets were causing problem to compasses of ships visiting the neighbouring sea coast. Reportedly, the shipping community arranged for removal of the magnets. leading to the collapse of the 'Deul's roof.

  Iron beams preserved within the temple complex.

Strangely, without any explanatory plaque !

  There are stories and counter-arguments....  but,  I find the idol of  Sun floating above the pedestal is a great idea ! We all know, magnets lose power over time . Very likely , ships were not disturbed by the decayed magnets of the temple during 17th or 18th century. Perhaps decay caused collapse of the 'Deul'. There are interesting books on this subject - the most well-known being Sun Temple of Konark  by Pt. Sada Shiv Rathsharma .

  Martanda Vairava at a high level of Jagamohana.  Feet in a posture of dance, Vairava has 'ghora' -fierce - disposition. Fangs out and 'Kapala' in left hand.

A fine 'chlorite' statue.

 But, here stands the temple partly restored, the areas around cleared, foundations of  the smaller temples exposed and rebuilt, the 2 victory horses and 2  giant elephants on elegant pedestals. This site attracts thousands of visitors everyday . King NarashimhaDev- I, Dharmapada and Bishu Maharana  with his team would be remembered  while this Sun temple remains firm at Konark.

 Mythical lion in the Sun temple complex - made of khondalite stone.

ASI uses green hue extensively during evening illumination to highlight the 'chlorite' idols of Surya and 

create an effect on such khondalite statues too !

THE MAJESTIC SUN-TEMPLE OF KONARK - 1

THE BIGGEST 'CHARIOT' ON THE EARTH - 1

Firmly bricked in the earth 

Stands the mould, fired from clay. 

Today the bell shall be. 

Quickly, workers, be at hand. 

   From the forehead hot 

   The sweat must run, 

If the creation shall praise the master,

But the blessing comes from on-high.

                                                     - Song of the Bell, 

                                                            Friedrich von Schiller

( May I request the viewer to kindly click on the photo of the chariot and view it full-size to appreciate the spread of the chariot, a fraction of which is captured here.)

Front-side of Sun-temple.

We can see 3 of the 12 pairs of wheels which drive the god's chariot.

Among the 4 horses in this side,  hardly 2 remain.

( far right-hand top of this photo)

Is this how the Sun temple complex look like ?

Source - ASI Museum,Konark.

We have visited Konark's Sun temple twice earlier  - this visit in February, 2012 brought glimpses of  inner character of this temple to the fore. Looking back, it seems that we did not spend enough time earlier in this temple. During this visit, we  walked into the  compound before the scheduled sunrise hour when a pail of mist was hanging on the top of the Jagamohan ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/cshyamal/6900022783) . After a couple of hours, sun light kissed the temple and we continued here till the mid-day, clicking to our hearts' content. We returned before the sunset and went around , climbed up and down till we were exhausted. The huge Jagomohan, lit up with amber and blue lights, appeared  to be hanging from darkness of the the sky .

  128' high Jagomohan rises beyond the roofless Bhoga-Mandapa.

Who is the rider of this lion trampling an elephant ?

 Is he the 'Langula' King ?

We did not go to Konark very well-prepared  - that was a mistake. But, we visited the local Museum which we did not cover in our earlier visits.Thus, it was one mistake less.I would say our experience and photos and my subsequent browsing helped me to love this majestic piece of architecture a lot more than earlier times. I mostly keep out my own emotion out of the text of my blogs - but not in this one.

 'Poosha' - morning Sun, as viewed from the ground level.  

This chlorite statue adorns the east-wall of the broken deul.

ASI  has placed the statue in such a way that a full view 
is impossible from any level.(*2)

 The first impact is that of its enormity . What remains of this  majestic structure is amazing. Konark's deul, which has been lost  was taller than the tallest of the 'Gopurams' of Meenakshi temple, Madurai,more than double of Chittorgarh's Vijayastambha and less than 10' shorter than its  another near-contemporary   world-famous  Indian architecture - Qutab Minar.(*1)

Mythical elephant with lion's claws tramples a soldier 

equipped with a shield and sword !

Though   Sun temple of Konark draw a lot of attention for its erotic wall-reliefs, what impressed me most among the wall-reliefs and sculptures are the war stallions and the elephants.  I was impressed by these sculptures during my earlier visits too.  I read a comparison between these war stallions and that of  the statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni. The war stallion of  Colleoni  (Venice, Italy) is famous , but apart from the  exposure, in artistic merit, are not the stallions of Konark   superior to that of  Colleni's statue ?

   Awe-inspiring  heavily decorated war stallion.

Surely a dear one of the Monarch among the prized collection  

of Kalinga kingdom.

When king Langula Narasimhadeva I  planned this temple , he had quite a few points in his mind .First is its enormity - both height and size - his temple had to be among the tallest among the existing monuments.   An interesting calculation would be estimate cubic feet of stones used  in various monuments and compare. Well - I find no such data available. Secondly, he conveyed a message  to Buddhists through lions overpowering elephants. Was his enormous wheels of Sun's chariot a score over Ashoka's 'Dharmachakra' ?

 The Divine Wheel of Time - 'Kaal Chakra' - rolls among the daily activities - procreation,survival and annihilation - of  human society.

The third point  - in my opinion - was his message to his subjects - they must multiply to tackle the military pressure against Kalinga. Kalinga had suffered a huge population depletion at the hand of Ashoka. Thereafter, there was no peace. During the rule of King Anantavarman , the founder of  Ganga dynasty to which Narasimhadeva belonged, Kalinga suffered a huge thrashing from the Cholas though the royalties of these two states were closely related. Narasimhadeva I was engaged in battles with Muslims of Bengal. A famous religious leader allowed  menfolks among his followers to practice polygamy  and encouraged widows' marriage to tackle loss of able-bodied male members of the society. I wonder if the King of Kalinga encouraged  his subjects   to be more sexually active with propagation and multiplication  in mind! Here, the message was not only to young,virile  and family-men , but also to those were not so  young and those who were out traditional family set-up.

Dance of life

A  beautiful pillar of Bhoga- Mandapa

 I shall continue my presentation on Sun temple of Konark in coming blogs. The chronicle of royal life,  deities, dancers  and musicians , mythical animals and the 'grotesque' and 'acts of love'  - I would like to share the memories we have brought with us.

NOTES :
1. Sun temple : Height - 229'. Completion  around 1253-60 AD,
Qutub Minar - Height - 237.8'. Commencement   around 1194 AD, repaired by Firoz Shah Tughlaq (1351-88 AD) and Sikandar Lodi ( 1489-1517 AD).
2.  Among all the idols discovered from this temple site, 3 - all of Sun god - have  been retained. Rest are in Delhi. There are conflicting claims regarding the  main idol . But, it is confirmed that these sculptures were placed originally on the side-walls of the deul.

TEMPLES EXTRA-ORDINARY : OUR VISIT TO TEMPLES OF ORISSA - PART -III

 SCRAPS FROM MY TRAVEL DIARY -1

 Jump with joy!

Sea-beach,Puri.

 No visitor to Bhubaneswar with a camera will miss this spot !

On the right, a stair-case goes upto the platform which allows a view of

Lingaraj temple and its court-yard. 

Photography of the temples inside is allowed only from this platform !

The door ahead to the temple complex is closed to movement.

I am motivated now by two comments I read in a gap of two days :

• A young  bro-in-law of mine posted a clutch of  excellent photographs in FB after a  trip to Jodhpur/Jaisalmer. One of his ' commented : 'ariiiiii....manush kothai???' That 'Oh .... why not a soul in your photos ??'
• In a string of e-mail, one friend of mine has asked another : 'Have not you taken photos of your train-journey, scenery from train's window, tea-shops etc ?' 

 

 Four young men were hooked to a 'naughty' wall-relief @ Konark temple. 

As I focused my camera, two of this group moved away while 

the other two were too engrossed to notice me. 

Anyone is curious about this wall-relief being 'captured' in a phone-camera ?

 

Earlier, I have not ever thought that in a trip to cover wonders of our architecture , I need add to my folio photos of the passing scenery. Ruby, if she accompanied me and had a loaded camera handy, would 'fire' away during journeys. During writing or internal presentations,I have often used  photos from her albums which had another perspective.

 A small temple built in the water-body opposite the compound dedicated to 64-Yoginis temple.

Do you notice the small black bird resting atop the same ?

Hirapur ( near Bhubaneswar) , Orissa. 

Mothers and daughters.

Udaygiri, Bhubaneswar.

Gradually, I have also learnt to pick-up a few scenes while focusing on wall-reliefs.Here, I have selected six photos  from my Orissa trip - none of a temple per se -  to put my record straight.

Amidst the beauties in stone @ Konark temple.

 Fat torsos, slim legs - Does this photographer ( face blurred ) have a choice ?

 

TEMPLES EXTRA-ORDINARY : OUR VISIT TO TEMPLES OF ORISSA - PART -II

IN THE TOWN OF TEMPLES : PARASURAMESWAR TEMPLE

 Parasurameswar temple. 7th century AD.

 Bhubaneswar is a temple- town. Most of the temples are devoted to Siva.It is not him in 'samhara-murthy' - the divine annihilator - whom we find  here at Bhubaneswar. We see him as the divine source of energy of creation, symbolised by his 'linga' piercing the 'yonipatta'. Those who study temple architecture of India believe that Orissan temples' shape  has been developed imitating the shape of 'Siva Linga'  ++.

 'Koti Lingam', North court-yard,Parasurameswar temple.

Said to have 1001 'lingam' inscribed on the shaft.

Saivites of India  have evolved from sub-sects spread across this vast country through centuries and are of  much diverse origins than the followers of other Vedic gods Simply stated, Siva had his worshipers among various communities of  non-Aryans . Numerous tales of his deeds, which contribute to his characteristics and his imageries, have sources  across this vast country, recounted through the ages. Historians of Art have written pages about the same and will continue to do so. I submit here  in przmm.blogspot.com what I little I viewed through the lenses of my camera.

Eight-armed  Nataraja . Ithyphallic.

Partly damaged lower portion depicts torso of Bhringee

and legs of Nandi.

 To appreciate  the iconography of Parasurameswar temple, it is relevant to  understand the  timeline  of Saiva architecture of the centuries of 1st millennium AD * :

• Virupaksha temple, Pattadakal was constructed by Queen Lokamahadevi in 745 AD.
• Kailashanatha temple , Ellora caves was  started by King  Krishna I of Rastrakuta dynasty - his rule was between 757 - 773 AD.
•  Mamallapuram - developed during 7th century AD.
• Parasurameswar temple -  developed during 7th century AD.

 These years are important to understand  what I shall state in the next two paragraphs.

 Parvati embraces Siva as Ravana shakes Kailash.

Unperturbed Siva's right-hand is in 'Abhaya mudra'.

 Parasurameswar temple  is the oldest among the surviving temples of Bhubaneswar. Its style is remarkable. The temple faces the west, its Jagomohan has a second door which is south-facing , the  door to inner sanctum has 'Asta Graha'( Eight Planets) inscribed on it . The ninth planet - Ketu - made its appearance in later-day temples.North-west side of the temple's court-yard has a 'Koti Lingam'** installed.

A close-up of 'Siva-Parvati in Kailash'. Parvati sitting on 

left-thigh of Siva. Siva ithyphallic.

To me . more important is that this temple is iconography. On the western wall of its 'deul', just above the roof of 'Jagomohan', we see Ravana disturbing the union of Siva and Parvati @ Kailasa. There are Ganesa, Kartikeya, Bhringee and other characters around. Siva is unperturbed but Parvati is not. Now - if we refer to the timeline above, we shall find that 'Ravana lifting Kailasa' of Ellora and Pattadakal - so very well-known - have their predecessor here.

 Revelry of Siva  and his followers . 

Top row : Siva dancing. Lower row : Musicians among his followers.

Parvati getting ready for marriage

This temple's eastern wall has a big wall-relief of Kartikeya , on its top the scene of Siva's marriage, thus bringing in the memory of 'Kumarsambhamam' - 'Birth of Kumar (Kartikeya'), written by the famous poet of Gupta era, Kalidasa,  during 4th century AD. The 'energy of creation' - represented by union of Siva and Parvati -  manifests in  their embrace on the west wall and again on the southern wall , in their marriage scene  and Kartikeya on the eastern wall, in 'Koti Lingam' of the court-yard and the shape of the 'deul'.

 

Very elegant wall-relief of Kartikeya.

On the top band, marriage scene  of Siva and Parvati.

Surya and Brahma on right-side of Siva, 

while Himalaya and Menoka flank Parvati.

Parvati snugs close to Siva - ithyphallic.

 Their respective  mounts,bull and lion, are depicted in the wall-relief too.

 The 'Andhakasura' episode of Siva's mythology was prominent on the mind of  the Savite artists of this temple. We find Nataraja and Bhringee on the south and western walls, 'SaptaMatrika' on the Northern wall. There are other 'Parsa Devata' - gods depicted on the outer walls of the temple. But, significant are  : the marriage procession of Siva-Parvati on the west -face of Jagomohan and Siva - Annapurna on on the southern wall of 'deul'.I have not come across any Siva-Annapurna  during my visit to the temples of SriMukhalingam,Aihole and Pattadakal in February'2011 - I consider this wall-relief quite special.

Siva  holds out an empty pot to Annapurna.

NOTES on Sources : 
++1. A Bengali book on ''Mithuna' Iconography by Late Narayan Sanyal

* 2. Quoted from WIKIPEDIA.
**3. 'KOTI LINGAM' -  Literal meaning  - 10 million 'Lingam'. I have been told by the priest of this temple that there are 1001 'lingam' inscribed. According to a source, stones with Buddhist inscriptions have been converted to 'Koti Lingam'. This is, however, is an unverified staement and not meant to offend any religious sentiment.
I have seen another 'KOTI LINGAM' shaft @ Mahakuta (    near Badami) , Karnataka.