Patna Kalam:An Art on Extinction
Patna Kalam paintings are painted straightway with the brush without marking with pencil to delineate the contours of the picture. This procedure is commonly known as 'Kajli Seahi.The features of the figures of such paintings are depicted by the heavy eyebrows, pointed noses, lean and gaunt faces,big mustaches sunken and deep-set staring eyes.The Patna School of Painting has faced a gradual decline and inching towards the extinction with the lapse of time as new artists are not coming forward to carry on this beautiful tradition and the old ones are passing away one by one.
The subject matter of these paintings had always been the Aam Admi (Common Man) and his domestic routines.It's basically a miniature form of painting which has,because of its unique style and form,occupied separate shelves at art galleries in London and museums in Prague.
This is the most unfortunate things about the Patna Kalam,like the world-famous Mithila paintings,it has not received its due share of acknowledgement despite of that many believes that the eponymous painting was far superior to the more popular Mithila paintings.
The “Patna Kalam” faced competition from the "Mithila paintings which is marketed professionally both at home and abroad. Also, Mithila painting is a folk form which could be easily transferred from one generation to another." On the contrary, Patna Kalam was essentially court painting which had to face inevitable death with time.Today, only few existing miniatures of this rare form lie in unkempt and dusty shelves in the Patna museum where it was fondly created and adopted at one time.
Pala School of sculpture arts, Having , Distinct Dimensions
The distinct dimensions of Pal Art and Sculptures were developed from the art of the later Gupta periods, however at the advance stage their style drifted away from its root and developed its own distinct style, known as the Pala School of sculpture arts, and made their separate identity.
The artists of the Pala schools have used atone and bronze to craft their master piece in 11th centuries. Most of the sculptures in the Pala Empire were crafted for the religious purposes.
The brightest feature of the Pala Empire was the par excellence of their art and sculptures . Palas created a idiosyncratic form of Buddhist art known as the "Pala School of Sculptural Art."
The colossal structures of Odantapuri Vihara, Vikramshila Vihara, and Jagaddala Vihara were masterpieces of the Palas School of Sculptural Art . These structures were mistaken by the forces of Bakhtiar Khilji as fortified castles so it was demolished by their army.
The Somapura Mahaviharaa, a beautiful creation of Dharmapala, at Paharpur, Bangladesh, is the largest Buddhist Vihara in the Indian subcontinent, and has been described as a "pleasure to the eyes of the world." UNESCO made it World Heritage Site in 1985.
Sompur Bihara, also built by Dharmapala, is a monastery with 21 acre complex has 177 cells, number of stupas, temples and a numerous of other ancillary buildings. In 1985, the UN included the Sompur Bihara site in the world Cultural Heritage list.
The Pala architectural style was followed throughout south-eastern Asia, Tibet, China, and Japan. Bengal rightfully earned the name "Mistress of the East".
The art of Bihar and Bengal exercised a lasting influence on that of Nepal, Burma, Ceylon and Java and other part of Asia.
Subject was primarily the religious dominated by the Buddhist components, single stone, and multiple stone are quite common, fine work is the distinguishing feature of Pala School.
Dhiman and Vittpala were two most celebrated Pala sculptors. About Sompura Mahavihara, Mr. J.C. French says with grief: "For the research of the Pyramids of Egypt we spend millions of dollars every year
Mauryan Period Laid the Foundation of Indian Architecture
The Mauryan period is an important abacus of the Indian history because not only that for great Ashoka but also in this period foundation of Indian art and architecture were laid down, which has further mature and reach to their zenith during the golden age of Kushana and the Guptas. The mauryan wisdome has grown and flourished during the rule of great Mauryan king Ashoka which is visible in their remains.
Some of the master pieces of Mauryan art are the famous Ashokan pillars that he erected across the India. These pillars were the product of art, architecture and engineering of the Mauryan period. These pillars are generally made out of a single block of sand stone which was cut, shaped and polished by the expert craftsman. Adorning the pillar was a four lion sculpture which rested on a highly polished and chiseled capital depicting animals and flowers in between.
The special sculpture skills were required to make all this possible was indeed substantial, massive blocks of stone had to be hauled in from stone mines that were often hundreds of miles away to the destination.
In many cases they even had to haul the stone to the tops of hills. The fine chiseling works and and the lustrous polish are the marvelous examples of well developed and groomed skills in this department.
The skill of the artists of that period has also reflected in the fine work on the pillar. Fine sculptures which realistically depicted movements were made over there.The Sarnath Pillar is the living example of their skills, which has four lions back to back at the top of the pillar. The remarkable perfection and beauty associated with such sculptures is a finest example of the artist of that period.
Mauryan architecture is also reputed to have been fabulous. The capital of Patlipatura which is known as Patna now a day had been described by many travelers as one of the most amazing cities of the ancient world. Unfortunately since the building material was predominantly made of wood, has not survived but some remains are seen in Kumharar.
Excavations have resurfaced few structures like a hundred pillar hall in Patna. The Mauryans were expert at cutting caves out of hillsides which is visible in Barabas near Gaya, and were able to polish the inside walls so efficiently that they shone as if they were glass. Ashoka also constructed several stupas across the India, with the most famous being the sanchi stupa
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