Khajuraho - A Pristine Poetry in stone - I

        Visited Khajuraho, the UNESCO Heritage site, in January 2018, which was a long cherished dream. I was accompanied with two colleagues  whose age is equal to the length of my service in Government.  It was an official visit to Rewa and Khajuraho was a stopover for proceeding to Rewa. We reached Khajuraho in the afternoon and in the evening we went to see the light and sound show. It is good to project the history through light and sound shows at such places as it gives a brief description of the place and also provides life to these places after sunset. (Why do we have only one voice for all these Light and Sound shows????) One of my colleagues who was visiting with me remarked that had he was aware of light and sound show, he would not have come to see the show. People have different tastes and priorities. 

        When we landed at the Airport, the Airport appeared to be a mismatch.  To meet the so called INTERNATIONAL LEVELS, the Airport is designed with steel and glass which is a practice these days.  On the behest of maintaining these INTERNATIONAL LEVELS, we are leaving our own Levels at the back stage which are being used only for clapping and for future reference to show off . 

 

The authorities have tried to add some Indian designs on the walls of the airport, which gives one an idea of the place of visit.  This beautification is also appears to be out of place

The Khajuraho Temples which were built during the period 950 to 1000 BC by the Chandelas, has a group of temples which is further divided into :

• Western Group of Temples 
• Eastern Group of Temples
• Southern Group of Temples

The Western Group of Temples is a cluster of :

1. Lakshaman Temple
2. Vishvanath Temple
3. Chitragupta Temple
4. Devi Jagadambi Temple
5. Kandriya Mahadeva Temple 

        I simply clicked the pictures of the temples, its arches, its pillars, its domes and its sculptures.  I could have had noted down the descriptions.  Secondly I avoided the guide as I was more interested in clicking the pictures. Anyways, there is always a second chance.

This restoration appears very poor and a complete mismatch😒😒

These temples which were built between 950 to 1000 BC during the reign of Chandels, were 85 in number whereas presently only 20 temples can be found.  There are various factors which are responsible for the destruction of these temples.  Among these the major factor I see, largely is the apathy by the followers besides the destruction by the foreigners. Ironically, the reference of these temples is found in the the books written by two Arabic Muslim Travellers who accompanied their rulers during 1000 AD to 1400 AD. These temples were discovered by The British Indian Army Captain T. S. Burt in 1838 and re-introduced to the world. Till that time these were covered under the forest and were dying a slow death.

Basically the Khajuraho Group of Temples belong to three schools of faith:

• The Vaishnavism School of Hinduism
• The Saivism School of Hinduism
• The Jainism

Now the Archeological Survey of India is restoring all these buildings.

The panel in the picture below is fixed in the platform of one of the temples.

All these temples are adorned with magnificently carved figures of men and women in different postures. Before my visit to this place, I was, like all others,  in the impression that these temples are full of erotic sculptures.  

I was surprised to see that only a 10% of total figures are in erotic positions. 

Then who popularized these temples as a depiction  of Kamsutra,

 where as such postures can be seen in other temples also. 

In the carvings one case see the processions, performing religious rituals, celebrations etc. besides Apsaras  which are carved magnificently with utmost precision 

In the picture above, probably a war scene is created.

Here in the picture above, all types of pieces are put together to recreate the platform whereas the domes and walls of the temples have a plain plaster. 

Conservation by Archeological Survey of India

A lady removing a thorn from her feet, is a posture which is favourite among guides at Khajuraho

        This type of figures on the columns in ancient architecture are very common.  I have seen such figures in Ajanta Caves, where guides' depiction is very interesting.  I remember, in one of the caves in Ajanta, the guide was relating these figures to Celibacy.  He explained that only a Celibate can bear a pressure of a building.  Such is the force of Celibacy. Here I don't know how do they explain it. 

The following sculpture was described by the guide as

 "A dancer is seducing a sanyasi"

The Khajuraho Group of Temples is basically known for its irotic sculptures only, which i believe is unfair.  All these temples are dedicated to one deity or the other, therefore, there are sculptures of these deity along with others which have been beautifully carved.

In the above picture, one can see the work done 2000 years back and in the following picture, restoration done in 21st century. 

 Anyways, ASI is doing a good job within their limited resources.

The above picture reflects a poor reconstruction of temple. 

Instead of putting the correct stone at a right place, they have used all the carved stones to built a platform (in the following picture) whreas the dome of the temple is kept plain .

 In all these ancient buildings the angle for the support of the column above are always in the form of a beautiful sculpture, which is missing in the picture below. We can see holes only in the bellies of the sculpture.

Crecsent of Moon adorning the temple

Mutililated sculputres but remarkably beautiful in the picture below

Visited one of the houses where i found few arte facts, which might have given the antique look or probably few of these might have been antiques.  On seeing my interests in all these things, the owner of the house cum shop enthusiastically showing all things.  

The item shown in the above picture is probably a hair pin 

as told to me.

When I chose few items, he very cleverly increased the rates, which actually came into the notice of my colleagues who pointed out to me that the shopkeeper has increased the rate by Rs.300/-. The owner then brought down the cost of the item.  Though these are not rich people, therefore, I didn't bargain though my colleague was not happy with my attitude.  He suggested me to negotiate the cost, but I denied. 

Purchased two inkpots from the items shown 

in the following picture

Then I saw a handwoven mat.  I wanted to buy it and when I asked for the price, the owner in his imagination believed that he is dealing with foolish lady, so he quoted a very high price, which I refused to pay and didn't buy it. 
People have no consideration for the those who are nice to them. 
 For these, other's nice behaviour  is interpreted as "a good bargain and the person can be taken for  advantage".  

A piece of wall is lying on road side.

 It appears to be freshly carved one, as some name is carved on the base of the sculpture.

A piece of a tree trunk. In comparison to carving on the walls of temples, the Nature has created its own sculpture.  a perfect elephant's face and a human face can be seen in the picture below.

A shop in the area, selling these freshly carved structures. When I entered the shop, i was amazed to see that the erotic sculptures were in demand.  Where these are being placed, no idea!!

The sculptures put up for sales were the wonderful copies of what was created on the walls of the temples.  These can easily be sold as antiques and who knows......



        When we were returning from Khajuraho, My other colleague, while leaving Khajuraho, commented  "In whole of Khajuraho, there is only one good building and that building is the Airport." Again, people have different mind sets.

        People normally say that during those days when the technology was not so advance, such things were created. They are absolutely wrong because technology is always advanced in every era.  These creations are the advancement of technology only. Technology never means Computers, Laptops and e-Gadgets only. 

In Khajuraho, when i conversed with local people I came to know that many hotels are now at the brink of shutting down as the influx of tourists is decreasing with every year. They told me the reasons which are related to Government Policies and also related to the socio-economic behaviour of the residents.

I was told by the locals that overseas tourists are cheated every time they want to buy the pieces of art.  Many fake items were sold in the name of antiques.  This habit of locals has diminished the image of our country as a whole.

Khajuraho, a UNESCO site, deserve to be a very flourishing place.  Flourishing in all aspects, but alas.........

Anyway, Khajuraho, I love you and will be visiting again. 

Mangalore - a hidden gem of Tourism- St. Aloysius Chapel a replica of SiStine Chapel

I visited Mangalore in 2011 to attend an official meeting.  During my stay at Mangalore, one of my friends' suggested me to visit St. Aloysius Church.  The St. Aloysius Church is a part of huge complex of St. Aloysius College. The magnificent building itself speaks about its glorious past as well as present. 

My friend described the church as beautiful and she also told me that there are big paintings on the walls.  Since she didn't explain much about the church therefore, I had no clue about it.  In my imagination, I saw paintings hanging on the walls as we have seen at other places. 

As I never travel without a Camera and if I am refused to click a picture, I normally don't visit that place.  Same thing happened during my visit to church also.  

I was told by the guide Mr. Pereira that no camera is allowed inside the church so I refused to enter the Church.  But on second thought, I decided to have a glimpse of the Church from inside. The moment I entered the Church, I was just awestruck by the beauty of this magnificent building. I begged the guide to let me click atleast one picture, but he didnt allow me. The guide at Church told me that one can click pictures with the analogue camera and that too with a prior permission.  

During my visit to this Church in 2011, I decided to visit this church with my analogue camera and yes will also obtain  a permission.  I got another chance to pay a visit to this magnificent building in 2018.  But could not get permission as well as my analogue camera. 

The first picture is of St. Aloysius College.  This college was built in 1882 and it provides a big number of undergraduate courses in Arts and post graduate courses in all the streams. Even there are few courses in Research work also.






 St Aloysius college, standing tall with its pristine charm.  
It has various famous luminaries to its credit.



The southern wing of the building formed the chapel 
as a place of prayer for the students. 

 

Anyhow I clicked the pictures of the buildings from outside and purchased a book and bunch of picture post cards.  I scanned those picture post cards and now I am sharing those images here. The material of this post is also from the 'Guide to the Chapel' I purchased at the Church.  This Guide to the Chapel was prepared by Fr. Denis Albuquerque in 1931.

 The main part of this Church is a large hall, which is called the nave.  On either side of the nave are the two aisles.  The raised platform is called the sanctuary.  Touching the wall of the sanctuary is the main alter. 
The paintings on the ceiling are canvases and on the walls are frescoes. 
The following picture is of The Sanctuary- the Main Alter of St. Aloysius College Chaple

This Church is special not in the terms of religion alone, but the 3 D effects of the paintings in the Church. In the above picture there seems to be two marble statues on each sides of the alter, whereas these are just paintings. These are monochrome paintings using Chiaroscuro technique. Similarly, the pillars in the church are also painted which appears to be made of granite. 

The central row of paintings on the ceiling depicts the life of Aloysius Gonzaga to whom this College and Chapel is dedicated.  Aloysius was the eldest son and heir of the Marquis of Castiglione in Italy.  He wanted to lead a religious life in order to serve his fellow men.  Therefore, he gave his right to the marquisate to his younger brother.  This event is depicted in the third painting from the top in the following picture. Aloysius, dressed in black, hands over his sword to his younger brother.  His mother presides over the ceremony and the lawyer and his clerk write down he deed and curious servants are witnessing the event. 

Aloysius as a little bit 'Preaching' to his town folks 
in the following picture.  

This picture was released as Postal Stamp in 2002. 

  In this Panting, Aloysius renouncing his title as 'Marquis'.  

He is handling over his birth right to his younger brother.

On the panels of either side of the sloping portion of the ceiling  portrayed the Apostles. This is St. Peter the head of the Apostles, painted on sloping portion of the ceiling. .

In the picture below is painted St. Andrew seated on the Cross.

Juan de Britto (Portuguese), Apostle of Inculturation, the first missionary to wear the dress of a sanyasi as a sign of inculturation.  He was a scholar who studied Sanskrit, Tamil and Indian customs.  

The Blessed Trinity

Nativity : The visit of the Shepherds.  Here in the picture below, the light and shadow is painted marvelously. Moreover, the whole painting is shown as a curtain where the intricacies of  lace and border are painted so precisely.

The adoration of Magi where Mary is sitting holding the Child for the devout adoration of the Magi who came from the East, following the star.

Presentation of Jesus in the Temple.  The Child is presented to the Lord in the Temple by Mary and Joseph on the fortieth day (a cage with a pair of turtle doves-the offering of a poor Mother on the day of her purification). St. Simon receives the Child in his arms. On the left of the picture is holy Widow Anna, also prophesying about the child.

                                                                                                           Baptisma of the Jesus in the River Jordan is shown in the picture below. Jesus, 30 years old, is baptized by St. John the Baptist, in the River Jordan near which people used to hear the preaching of John and receives the Baptism of Penance.

Cleansing the temple of money lenders.  Seeing the Temple turned into a place of commerce, Jesus with an improvised whip of cords, drove away the trader.  Depicted the painting below.

In the painting below, the Wedding feast of Cana, the first Miracle, where Mary seeing that wine had run short, gently informed her Son.  He changed the water in the Six Pitchers into wine. The painter has included many minor details of a wedding: musicians, people carrying food, children playing, little dogs under the table.

The following painting depicts the first multiplication of loaves, where Jesus feeds 5,000 people with five leaves of bread. In Hindu Mythology also we can find such stories. 

The Crucification of Jesus between two thieves on Cavalry. The sun was darkened at the hour of 3 pm Mary, the Mother of Jesus and Magdalen are at the foot of the Cross.  A soldier, Longinus, pierces with a lance and "opens the side of Jesus", and immediately out came blood and water, though He was already dead.  Here also the painting is shown as a stretched curtain with borders hanging from the ceiling. 

Mural depicting Mark the Evanglist

Mural depicting St. Angela Merici born 1474, founded the Ursulines, who living in their homes, sacrifice themselves for the poor, the ignorant and the affected and work for the education of children.

           In the following mural Aloysius is shown reconciling 

his uncle and brother

A cherub holding the garlands at the foot of the Apostles is depicted in the following mural.

There are two types of painting in the Chapel: Fresco on plaster and oil on canvas.  A fresco is painted on freshly applied wet lime plaster walls.  The artist used colours made by grinding dry powder pigments in pure water.  The colours get embedded in the lime plaster (carrier) as it dries up.  Frescos painting is ideal for making murals because it lends itself to monumental style and is durable.  But it demands a speedy execution and must be completed when the plaster is still wet.  Frescos cover about 600 square meters of the walls of the Chapel.  For an oil painting, the artist used colours made by mixing dry powder pigments with select varieties of linseed oil.  The canvas is made of pure linen of strong close weave.  All the paintings on the ceilings in the Chapel (about 400 square Meters) are in oil on canvas.

Since, the paintings are more than 100 years old, therefore, these are tend to get damaged with the passage of time and climate and other factors. These are being restored.  During my current visit a team of ITACH-ICI Lucknow was restoring the works.  I talked to one of the guys who was graduated from JJ College of Arts, Mumbai. I didn't have much time to discuss with him in details that how do they handle such work, but the restoration work is described in the guide. 

As explained in the guide, the canvases of the ceiling were loaded with dust, the weight of which had caused the paintings to distend so that the stitches of the canvases had given way.  They were taken down with the help of a special cradle.  The dust was removed, the canvas ws taken off the frame, the pieces were restitched, the joints were reinforced with tapes. After restructuring the canvas on the frame, the paintings were put back in place. 

There was also a layer of calcium carbonate crystals giving the paintings a chalky appearance.  They had to be cleaned using special chemicals. Earlier, the work of restoration was done by the specialists of ITACH-ICI Lucknow from 1991 to 1994. 

The following picture gives an example of restoration work. 

The painter Antonio Moscheni S. J. was born in a village called Stezzano near Bergamo in Italy on January 17, 1854.  He had been trained in the famous Academia Carraaa in Meganeo.  He studied under his able masters and soon acquired considerable proficiency in the art of painting.  He then went to Rome to study the masterpieces of the Vatican.  Fresco painting now became his passion.  In 1899 Antonio renounced the prospects of a brilliant career and because a religious in the Society of Jesus. But his religious superior did not wish his talents to be buried. They ordered him to paint several churches in his native place as also in Albania and the then Yugoslavia.  He was then sent to Mangalore to paint the Chapel of St. Aloysius College.  It took him a two and a half years to cover the total area of 829 sq. meters, single handed with frescos and oil paintings. 

Later he painted the Holy Name Cathedral in Mumbai the erstwhile Bombay.  On November 15, 1905 he died while painting the cathedral of Cochin.

I have seen, that every religion has a number of stories showing miracles.  Though the names of the characters may be different but the text of the story / miracle is almost the same. Not only the stories but some of the rituals are also the same. Here in our country, the mother and the new born child is given a rest of 40 days after the delivery of the child. In few families, the mothers are being purified after 40 days of her delivery.  Here in one of the paintings we have seen Mother Mary also following the same tradition. Then why we are different as religions????

This world, though, has different creeds, castes, culture, religions but is a big joint family. Like members in a joint family contribute  their share of earnings, bliss and happiness for the cause of family.  Similarly, every country of these seven continents have contributed some thing or the other in all the major countries around the world. This contribution has become  an integral part of a country.  Though these Churches, Mosques and other buildings were built by the foreigners for a purpose but these have enriched the cultural heritage of this country called INDIA.