By Anandi Chitvandan
Did the voice fell on deaf years – “ Take one and you will come
back for two”. The voice came from quite a distance, the little boy
running towards me. I have become accustomed to it. Being back in my own
Country, India and not able to resist the charm of visiting the famous
destinations, I have been to a number of places across the country. This
time I was standing in front of the huge gates of
Jaisalmer Fort.
Huge as it is the Fort, the painting seemed more significant. Maybe as I
had already seen the Fort, its seemed more attractive – this Miniature
Painting made on a paper thin Cotton Cloth filled with all the colors in
Rainbow.
Rajasthan has always been attractive with its various forts and Havelis –
I sought out this route to end my Journey in the Sea Beaches of Kerala
(Mahabalipuram has always been an attraction).
Golconda Fort and the
Mehrangarh Fort were on my list.
As I was thinking all this, I could feel someone shaking my hand furiously.
The kid was still standing there – with the Miniature Painting in his
hand.
Miniature Paintings begun to flow from the
Kashmiri
Miniature Paintings. Ivory panels, paper, cloths, walls, wooden tables,
leather and marbles were used to paint these paintings. Even today these
mediums are used. The famous ones among the miniature paintings were –
the Kangara paintings of Pahari School and the Gita Govinda Paintings. Still
today there are various schools which imbibe this ideology like the Jain
School of Art, Mewar or Udaipur School of Art and Alwar School of Art.
Miniature Paintings inscribed on palm leaves depict the various Mughal
stories, with kings, queens, servants, chariots, horses, palanquins, trees,
birds, fruits, grass, temples, forts, mountains and rivers painted on them.
The old Miniature Paintings are the true mirror of the old age – with
the palaces, wars and festivals painted in their true colors. Once made on
ivory, today these paintings
are made on Canvas due to the ban on Ivory. Rajasthan, Mewar, Bikaner,
Jaipur are the
main players in this field.
Texts of Gita Govind, Bhiaris Satsai can be verily seen in the various
depiction of the Miniature Paintings found in Uttar Pradesh though the
varsity of these paintings is very less in Uttar Pradesh.
And as watched this Painting, I couldn't resist myself from buying one
