I have long been fascinated with mural paintings. The technique and process of making them has been discussed in the Vishnudharamotaram, a Sanskrit text of the 5th/6th century CE. India has a long tradition of mural paintings which have been extensively documented. Unfortunately, a similar interest and initiative has been strikingly absent with regard to mural paintings of South India. It is on this background I have been travelling and documenting these artistic treasures from various temples and palaces in South India.
The Imperial Chola dynasty began in the 9th century CE after overthrowing the Pallavas and reached its zenith in the 10th and 11th centuries. Temple architecture reached its peak under the Cholas, incorporating variations from the Pallava style. This period also ushered in mural tradition in temples, the most beautiful example of which is at the Brahadeeswarar temple at Thanjavur. After the fall of the three major dynasties in South India, Chola, Chera and Pallavas, Vijayanagara, the last great empire to rule over most of peninsular India, started embellishing places of worship with murals. The Kalyana Mandapa in Virupaksha temple at Hampi and the temple at Lepakshi has some exquisitely painted murals. Once the Vijayanagara empire fell, after the disastrous battle of Talikota, smaller kingdoms were controlled by Nayakas, Telugu-speaking warriors from the Andhra region who had served as governors in the empire and they continued the tradition. All of their paintings bear stylistic influence of the Vijayanagara period. Sadly, South Indian murals have largely remained beyond the purview of documentation, and protection. They have aged over time, wearing away from devotional use and from the sun, rain, humidity, insects, bats, monkeys, and graffiti that deface them.
Constraints of space limit me from providing various images of murals from South India which I have meticulously collected over time. In this short note, I will draw attention to an unique motif in Indian art, the Nava Nari Kunjara.
The Nava Naari Kunjara is an interesting portrayal in Indian art, where an elephant is depicted as being made up of nine women. The motif is remarkable in its meaning as well as in the complex visual depiction. The composition of the Nava Nari Kunjara follows a set convention of nine beautiful women dressed in all their finery placed creatively inside an elephant figure. Four of the female figures form the elephant’s legs. The long plaited hair of one of the women is usually depicted as the elephant’s tail. The figure of a single woman serves as the face of the elephant with her graceful feet extended as the trunk. The hands of another female figure are extended as the tusks. Sometimes, the hands are shown carrying whisks or fans to form the ears. The remaining two female figures form the back and the belly of the elephant. The women represent the nine Rasas as described in the theory of Hindu Aesthetics. The nine Rasas are as follows; Shringara or erotic love, Hasya or the comic element, Karuna or pathos, Veera or heroic, Bhayanaka or terrible, Bibhatsa or Odious, Adbhoota or strange and Shanta or calm. The elephant that is composed of these female figures is symbolic of strength as well as of control over sense organs.
The attached image is from Ramalinga Vilas Palace in Ramanathapuram, South India, which we visited some time ago. Though modest in structure, it is replete with captivating murals. Painted with natural dyes and organic extracts, in vivid, vibrant colours, they cover nearly every inch of the walls and ceilings in the palace's durbar hall and private chambers. These murals portray scenes from various mythologies, historical narratives and scenes from the royal lives. Nava Nari Kunjara figures prominently in the upper level of the palace. It depicts two women riding elephants, each of which is a composite image of nine, bejewelled women. The figure on the left is that of a darker-skinned male, aiming an arrow with intense focus at a regal woman, engaged in the battle with poise. Arrows are flying all around the battle scene. There is an unmistakable dynamic energy in the picturization of the battle. The rich, red background intensifies the dramatic scene. The attention to detail in terms of the costumes and jewellery is quite extraordinary. Often Nava Nari Kunjara is depicted alone and this is an unusual portrayal of two of them, and that too, in battle. It is an astonishing display of an unknown artist’s skill.
The Nava Nari Kunjara is a powerful visual motif whose artistic creation falls under the broader principles of ‘Chitra-drishti’ which refers to the principles of aesthetic perception in Indian art theory (Rasanubhuti). The underlying principle of Hindu art theory is that art should invoke a specific Rasa (feeling/emotion) in the viewer (Rasika). The Nava Nari Kunjara is is a perfect example of this tradition.
“Nine women rise
arms arched as tusks
hips curving into pillars,
hair flowing like rivers.
Nine Rasas shimmer
love, anger, wonder, peace
woven into one gait
an elephant of becoming.
From many, one form.
From one, many voices.
The elephant walks
yet each step is a woman’s dance.”
( Do post your reflections here!)