Khajuraho

Title: Khajuraho

Author: Devangana Desai

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2001 (First published 2000)

ISBN: 9780195656435

Pages: 107

‘Monumental Legacy’ is a series of books on the rich architectural heritage of India, published by the Oxford University Press. This volume is on Khajuraho which is world famous for its magnificent temples, richness of construction and the uncharacteristic boldness in erotic depictions portrayed on its walls. Thousands of tourists visit the town every year, and there is nothing which delights a serious enthusiast of Indian temple architecture more than an authoritative text from a master of the art. Guides – both human and books – often provide fantastic and farfetched explanations for mundane things which challenge one’s commonsense. Dependable books such as this would go a long way in satisfying the craving for knowledge. Devangana Desai is a reputed art historian and former vice president of the Asiatic Society of Mumbai. She has served in the boards of well-known museums in India. She was consultant to the project on the Museum Images of Khajuraho and has also authored many books on ancient art and its rich representation in Khajuraho.

What we see in Khajuraho is a full blown representation of the religious pantheon prevailing in the tenth to twelfth centuries CE of the Chandela dynasty. Shiva, Vishnu and Surya are the male gods worshipped there, along with Jain tirthankaras. However, Desai reminds us that the adoration of mother goddesses seen in many temples was derived from the worship of Maniya Devi, a tutelary deity of the Chandelas. She was a tribal goddess of the Gonds who inhabited the tract, but was later incorporated as an aspect of Goddess Parvati in the refined theology of Hinduism. The architecture of the temples follows the Central Indian Nagara style. All the religious places more or less follow the same pattern of a sanctum (garbhagriha), a connecting chamber (antarala), a large pavilion (mahamandapa), a smaller pavilion (mandapa), a porch (mukhamandapa) and a platform (jagati). The temple’s spire rises exactly above the centre of the sanctum. This invisible axis joining the centre of the sanctum on the ground level and the finial of the superstructure above is conceived as the cosmic axis connecting the earth and heaven.

Any mention of Khajuraho evokes references to wild erotic postures sculpted on the temple walls. This is especially significant considering the Victorian morality of the Indian state and its present society. Authors are hard-pressed to explain away the presence of shocking sexual unions portrayed there which would make porn industry barons nod in agreement and smile in silent amusement. However, Desai specifically informs that such erotic sculptures don’t constitute even a tenth of the total number of such icons. Belief in ‘free love’ that once abounded in the region is clearly unfounded. Women, as usual anywhere in the medieval world, were not allowed much freedom by the male-dominated patriarchal society, whatever may be the Chandela representations on temple walls. The author suggests that the shilpashastras and other authoritative texts on temple art have recognized the auspicious and protective aspects of erotic figures. She reminds the readers that such figures appear in temples built between 900 and 1300 CE. Perhaps the tastes of the country’s elite had undergone a change in that era! Anyway, erotic figures appear on the walls only at Khajuraho, whereas it is shown on the platforms in others temples. As all apologists do, Desai puts forward a hypothesis that these figures can be metaphoric and might conceal a deeper symbolism. The influence of Kamasutra on the postures is definitely ruled out as fellatio is condemned in that ancient text, but is freely seen at Khajuraho.

Hinduism and Jainism thrived side by side in India, even though there are some indications of strife in the South. Traders generally practiced Jainism. In many places we see magnificent Jain temples accompanying equally grand Hindu temples. The kings patronized Hinduism by the medieval period. The dignified magnificence of Jain temples at Khajuraho attests to the material wellbeing of the trading community. All Jain shrines are of the Digambara sect. In addition to images of Tirthankaras, figures of Yakshas and Yakshis are freely found. The jina images are only objects of meditation and no earthly rewards are expected from their veneration. Yakshas and Yakshis fulfil the worldly needs of devotees. The main Yakshis depicted are Chakreshwari, Ambika and Padmavati who are respectively associated to Adinatha, Neminatha and Parshwanatha.

The glossary of common terms used in the book is extensive and nearly covers all attributes of Indian archeology. The great effort exerted in compiling such a long list is commendable. Equally noteworthy is the chapter on interesting places situated in and around Khajuraho that can be visited without much effort. The book’s contention that the town of Khajuraho is not connected by rail is, however, plain wrong. The rail link to the town was commissioned in 2008 and since the book was published in 2000, the omission is understandable. What is unpardonable is the tardiness of the publisher in issuing a revised edition. This book can be read in full very quickly and is an asset to the traveler who plans to visit Khajuraho.

The book is highly recommended.

Rating: 3 Star

A Complete Guide to Hoysala Temples

Title: A Complete Guide to Hoysala Temples

Author: Gerard Foekema

Publisher: Abhinav Publications, 1996 (First)

ISBN: 9788170173458

Pages: 152

This book is not about history, but all for tourists having a genuine bend to appreciation of temple architecture. Karnataka is undisputedly the best specimen to sample magnificent temples of the early and medieval periods. We have cave temples at Badami when construction of religious places just took hold in the South. The superbly ornate Chalukya constructions at Pattadakal and Aihole blending Dravida and Nagara styles present the next spurt, Hoysala temples around Hassan and Mysore showcase the next phase, culminating in Vijayanagara architecture at Hampi. The Gangas and Kadambas are, of course, not to be left out of this list. This is ample justification for Karnataka to be the envy of every state in India. The geography is fascinatingly variable and delightful. It was on a train journey from Bengaluru to Harihar eight years ago that I fell in love with Karnataka. This book is a must-have for one who intends to visit Hoysala temples in and around Hassan, among which Belur and Halebid are the most famous.

Gerard Foekema is a Dutch writer of art-history who first visited India in 1976, purely as a tourist and fell in love with old Indian architecture, both Hindu and Muslim. His first trip for study purposes was made in 1979, and since then he has returned to India every two to three years. He has produced two more works on the same subject, titled Architecture Decorated with Architecture: Later Medieval Temples of Karnataka, 1000 – 1300 AD and Chalukya Architecture: Medieval Temples of Northern Karnataka Built During the Rule of the Chalukya of Kalyana and Thereafter, AD 1000 – 1300. I just had a mild heart attack while searching the price of the latter, at a whopping Rs. 21,000 in online stores.

This book begins with a brief history of the Hoysalas. But it is a little too brief, at just 4 pages! The entire kingdom hardly lasted two centuries from 1100 to 1300 AD, so a full list of the kings could have been given, in order to familiarize the reader with their names at least. An introduction to the dedication of the temples to particular deities is given and a primer on how to identify the god-figures in sculpture. People who are not familiar with Hindu mythology would find this extremely useful. Foekema presents the general plan of Hoysala temples, describing the parts of it, which is surprisingly simple with the help of nice illustrations. However, the chapter on sculpture, in which the author describes the sculptural details of the temples, would have been more helpful if a few diagrams were available along with the text.

What is really appealing to the tourist is the latter half of the book, narrating the styles of temples at the most famous sites beginning with Amritapura and ending with Somanathapur, including those at Belur, Halebid, Nuggehalli and Belavadi. Even though 15 sites are described, some of the equally glorious sites are omitted, like Kondajji and Anekere. This is not at all a serious issue, but being a complete guide, a few more sites would have been in order. The structural plan of each temple is presented along with the description. An impressive collection of 48 monochrome plates are attached at the end of the book, in sequential order in which they are described. The glossary is small, but comprehensive for this small title. Bibliography is included more as a mandatory component for a book of this sort, rather than for being useful to readers. The sites are also clearly illustrated in an accompanying map. A good index is helpful for locating the sites speedily as this book is likely to be taken by hand while visiting the places of architectural grandeur.

The hard back version is not so rugged for outdoor duty but gentle use is just about okay. More than anything else, it presents glimpses from an era when the religious fights between Saivites and Vaishnava worshipers ebbed and a cultural syncretism was visible in the intermingling of shrines of both persuasions. Not only is there an almost one to one correspondence in the number of temples dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu, but many of them are housed in the same complex, attesting to the high level of tolerance that light up Hoysala rule over the dark intervening centuries that separate us from them.

The book is highly recommended.

Rating: 4 Star

Shimla on Foot

Title: Shimla on Foot

Author: Raaja Bhasin

Publisher: Rupa Publications, 2007 (First)

ISBN: 9788129112156

Pages: 145

This book is quite unusual in the genre followed in this blog. This is actually a travel guide which serves the tourist well on the spot. It narrates in detail ten walks a traveler can do in Shimla. Raaja Bhasin is a lecturer, journalist and a historian of Shimla.

When the British established footholds on the coasts of India, its heat and dust proved to be quite a challenge which claimed the lives of many early officials. It was only after annexing the interior kingdoms could they gain entry to hill stations which offered a salubrious climate somewhat similar to what they were accustomed to back home. If India was the jewel in the crown, Shimla was the adhesive with which the jewel was affixed on the diadem. There were several such asylums against heat in the Indian heartland, such as Ooty and Kodaikanal in the south and Nainital and Dehra Dun in the north. But Shimla was undoubtedly the queen among them all, which was also the seat of the government during the summer months. The administration transferred its seat, along with paperwork and employees in the month of April every year to Shimla and returned to the plains in October. The viceroys contemplated the decisions which affected a fifth of humanity in the cool and elaborately built mansions in Shimla while the plains sweltered in the scorching heat and drenched in immense sheets of monsoon rain.

Many parts of Shimla is recognized as heritage zones and closed to vehicular traffic. A leisurely walk through these areas provides a memoable experience to visitors. Almost all of the walks described in the book originate at Scandal Point near the Mall, which is the most famous landmark of Shimla. The walks are a few kilometers long through undulating terrain alongside great vistas through wooded forests of oak, cedar and spruce trees. The walks are designed in such a way that travelers can interrupt one and continue with another one, according to choice and circumstances. A route map is provided along with each suggested itinerary. Major attractions, mostly architectural, along the route are described and photographs included. Anecdotes related to the locations on the way are also described in a pleasant manner. Bhasin’s narration is authoritative and full of confidence arising out of a long experience gained through living in this hill station, which is also the capital city of the state of Himachal Pradesh. What is noticeable in the post-independence period of the city is that whatever was in the hands of the colonial administration changed hands to the union government at Delhi and that of the British armed forces to that of Indian. An exception to the rule is the Viceregal Lodge, which was the abode of viceroys. Naturally, it fell to the office of the President of India. In 1964, Dr. S Radhakrishnan, the philosopher-statesman handed over this building to house the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, an institution set up to research in areas which have deep human significance through an inter-disciplinary approach.

The included route map with each walk is rather simplistic and not to scale. Only a few landmarks are indicated along the way and there seem to be a little difficulty for a novice in finding his way, especially if one compares the route map with that of Google Maps which is complicated. I would like to stress here that this opinion is from a person who has never been to Shimla. The route map does not follow the conventional directions either, with the East shown on top in some maps and towards the bottom in many others. This is a great source of confusion, as the walkers may find placing landmarks on the correct side of the road. Many of the photographs are not given captions, making it again difficult to identify them. A good index and collection of tips for visitors add value to the book. Printing and layout of the book is superb, especially the good quality colour plates.

The book is highly recommended for the traveler to Shimla.

Rating: 3 Star

Hampi

Title: Hampi – Discover the Splendours of Vijayanagar

Author: Subhadra Sen Gupta

Publisher: Niyogi Books, 2010 (First)

ISBN: 978-81-89738-64-8

Pages: 262

No one forgets the first sight of Hampi in Karnataka. You suddenly seem to be transported from the modern world at the wave of a magic wand to a medieval town in which kings and courtiers roam the streets. If the pedestrians decide to don the clothes worn a few centuries ago, they would blend seamlessly to the background, in which the traveler see history frozen in stone – broken stone, to be precise, as the city never recovered from the barbaric destruction let loose on it after its defeat in the Battle of Talikota in 1565. A lot of travel related information is freely available on the Web, but there is nothing to compare with the experience of huddling with a nice comfortable volume, like this one, which is hard bound and having fine pages of enough thickness that can handle rough times of travel and superb pictures by Clare Arni, who is a Bengaluru-based photographer specializing in architecture. The author, Subhadra Sen Gupta writes on various aspects of Indian history and culture through fiction and travel writing. She also writes historical fiction for children and scripts comic books. At the end of it, we are not quite sure whether this book comes in which category.

The book is divided into eight chapters, with history pouring out lavishly in the description. But none of it should be taken very seriously unless the contention is borne out by quotations in other more reliable texts. True to the author’s predilection to historical fiction, the events are portrayed in flowery detail that pictures the Vijayanagara kings in a eulogizing light, as the representatives of good battling the evil forces of other kings and sultans. When you read history with an objective mind, the first thing you would notice is the absence of crystal clear truths and falsities among the avowed professions of the rivals. History is more of a matter of logical interpretation that suits the current society, than a fit case for impartial judgment. The author’s assertions on historical events interest the casual traveler, and may even help him more to be at ease with the surroundings of Hampi’s ruins. The skewed narrative that depicts a Hindu kingdom being mercilessly harangued by evil Muslim sultanates in the neighbourhood casts a shadow of historical immaturity on the book. But of course, no one takes travel books seriously. Even though it might be so, a warning may be relevant here that informs the visitors that whatever incidents narrated in the book is the personal opinion of the author which may or may not have solid foundation on actual facts.

The chapters containing Introduction and ‘A City Time Forgot’ is very nicely written and warmly invites the attention of readers who had visited or actually plan to visit the city. Sengupta does not stop by merely describing the sights, she extols the visitor to be a part of the ambience by gently instructing him to “take off your shoes and feel the cool stone under your feet. Touch a pillar and follow the lines of carvings of a dancing Shiva and you’ll be able to imagine what that forgotten stone carver felt as he tapped the unyielding stone with his chisel. Listen to the silence as you watch the sun dip past the gigantic head of the Narasimha statue that still watches over Hampi with such ferocious pride”. Such lovely advice would definitely win the hearts of the traveler.

The book depicts each part of Hampi through separate chapters each doing justice to the matter under discussion. Thus we see sections titled Pilgrims by a sacred river, Living in Vijayanagar, and an Imperial citadel. Vitthala temple is the most exquisite of Hampi monuments and the author sets aside a full chapter on this magnificent piece of medieval Indian architecture. The book is divided into two halves, the first one priming the reader on the historical background of Hampi and the latter painting the sculptures in vivid colours. Arni has done a wonderful job in filling the volume with lots of crisp and stunning photographs that do full justice to the glorious relics that adorn the little hamlet tucked away in the middle of giant boulders which lie tumbled among the monuments. As a travel guide, the book should have contained more on-the-road instructions and cut down a little on history, which is not so accurate anyway. Being a hard cover and printed on excellent quality thick paper, the book is a bit heavy with 1.25 kilograms that might prove to be a hardship for the traveler to lug it around. A clear, contemporary map of the place is painfully lacking though what is provided is a very old one that doesn’t show modern pathways. A comprehensive index and suggestions for further reading adds value to the content.

The book is highly recommended for the traveler.

Rating: 3 Star