Unit 10 Art and Architecture of Assam UNIT 10 : ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF ASSAM UNIT STRUCTURE 10.1 Learning Objectives 10.2 Introduction 10.3 Sculptures 10.4 Architecture 10.5 Painting 10.6 Let us Sum Up 10.7 Answer to Check Your Progress 10.8 Further Reading 10.9 Model Questions 10.1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES After going through this unit, you will be able to- discuss and analyse the growth of art and architecture in Assam, explain the sculptures and paintings of Assam, analyse the contribution of the various rulers and builders towards the development of a composite culture in Assam. 10.2 INTRUCTION You must surely have visited the Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati or the Rangghar, Talatal ghar in Sibsagar. They are a mark of our cultural heritage and pride of Assam. You must be wondering about the importance of the study of the temples, tanks, masjids and other structures etc. Well, for a better understanding of our indigenous culture and civilization, we have to look into the past remnants left to us as a cultural legacy by our ancestors. The sculptures, paintings, architectures are memories relived from the past which reveal the character of a particular community or society. In the previous Unit (Unit-4), we deliberated on the Satriya Culture 150 Cultural History of Assam Art and Architecture of Assam Unit 10 which is unique and integral to the place and people of Assam. The institutions that evolved under this culture have paved the way for bringing the people closer to each other. The Satriya Culture has also been instrumental in the development of creative art forms that is popular worldwide and attracts a lot of attention. In this unit, we will look in detail into the art and architecture developed in Assam that has left an imprint into the inherent culture of this state. We will take a deeper insight into the style and pattern of paintings, building activities that were undertaken under various rulers of known or unknown lineage so as to understand our cultural past. 10.3 SCULPTURE Stone sculptures in Pre-Ahom Assam were found in fairly large numbers. We find the influence of the Gupta classical idiom iin the early Assamese sculpture. The door frame of a temple at Da Parvatiya in Tezpur is a reminder of the Gupta style of art similar to those found in Bhumara, Deogarh and Nachna Kuthara. This work reveal the use of plastic activity in stone. However, the Gupta classical idiom started losing ground since the 7th century and there are no sculptures assigned to this period. But the classical idiom did continue in Eastern India which is evident from the three images- a metal image of Buddha, a stone image of Chakrapurusha found at Aphsad (Bihar) and a metal image of Sarbani from Chauddagram (Bangladesh). By the second half of the eight century, tendencies for the development of regional religious schools of art, regional language, and literature began to emerge. One such School of art that developed was the Eastern School of Art or the Autochthonous : Pala School of Art due to its emergence during the Pala rule. In Assam, indigenous or there developed two trends in the field of sculptures- one that developed as native a mixture between the Gupta classical idiom and the autochthonous while the other was totally dependent on the autochthonous. By the first half of the Cultural History of Assam 151 Unit 10 Art and Architecture of Assam ninth century the Eastern School had gained a definite identity. The Dudhnai image of Vishnu may be assigned to this period. This sophisticated idiom of the 9th century can be found in the rock-cut images of Vishnu and Siva at Suryapahar, two rock-cut images of Tirthankaras in a cave at Suryapahar. However, the plastic art of Assam revealed a certain amount of uniqueness owing to the different ethnic affiliations. Assamese plastic art continued till its exhaustion by the end of the 12th century. PALA SCHOOL The earliest sculptures available in Assam are marked by the fusion of the indigenous and the Gupta idiom which gave rise to a new idiom, named after Kamarupa. The sculptures found between 9th to the 12th centuries, followed the Pala School of art. Several of the sculptures may have been imported from Bengal and Bihar (the main seat of power of the Palas and the Senas). However, the locally available stones support the view that the sculptures may have been produced in Kamarupa by the local artists trained in Pala styles. Before the beginning of the 13th century, Kamarupa was familiar with the Pala-Sena style and the sculptures were a mixture of the Pala-Sena style with local influences. By the 17th century, Brahmanical culture flourished in Assam which provided a favourable environment for the production of sculptures with the Brahmanical themes. The sculptures belonging to the medieval period were made in stone, metal, terracotta and wood. Several varieties of stones used for sculpting is found in the region. The sculptures at Ambari are made of granite and gneiss. The discoveries at Ambari point to the fact that sculptured Gneiss : A type of objects were produced even beyond the so claimed "7th to 12th century" metamorphic rock period. formed at high The Vishnu icon at Ambari gives a hint at the deviating form of art that temparature and flourished in Assam in the post 12th century. The icon stands erect in the pressure deep in samaspadasthanaka pose holding lotus stalk with his two lower hands while the ground his one upper hand is seen holding a disc (chakra) and a long mace (gada) on the other. The posture of the deity lacks rhythm. The two smaller female 152 Cultural History of Assam Art and Architecture of Assam Unit 10 figures flanking the male deity are shown as standing in a tribhanga pose. The entire figures stand on a plain pedestal and in the middle of the front portion of the pedestal is carved the figure of Garuda. A stela is seen rising from behind the pedestal. All the figures including that of Garuda are treated in an angular and rigid manner. The sculpture belonged to the Pala-Sena School but was ruined and deviated from the original Pala style as indicated by the lack of precision in the ornaments and no decoration of the stela. This type of deviated Pala idiom continued from the ancient period to the medieval times. The two female figures from Mariani and Singari and the structured panels from Tezpur and Silbari are a few example of this deviated form of art. The unearthing of the icons of Indra and Karttika at Malinithan (Siang District, Arunachal Pradesh) dating back to 13th - 14th century A.D. suggests that the deviated idiom did spread beyond the realms of the region. KAMARUPA SCHOOL The Kamarupa style witnessed the coming together of the Gupta and the "deviated Pala" idiom. The ancient Kamarupa School derived its influence from the Gupta idiom, while the "deviated style" originated in the Pala idiom. The nymph on architectural sections located at Numaligarh incorporates the features of both the styles (Gupta and Pala). For example, the figures have oval face with open eyes and thick lips, the lower portion turned out resulting in a weird smile. The oval face marked the ancient Kamarupa style while the manner of holding the lotus stalk reveals the influence of the "deviated" idiom. The amalgamation of these two Schools of art (Gupta and Pala) marked the emergence of a new phase which was termed as the early Medieval Kamarupa style. A few Inscriptions, sculptures and sculptured panels found in Numaligarh (near Kamargaon) have a distinct feature that is marked by its rigid appearance. The sculptures in the Kamakhya shrine and those found at Pingalesvara, Khamtighat and Sukresvara too have the same features. The bodies of these figures have broad shoulders and legs that look like Cultural History of Assam 153 Unit 10 Art and Architecture of Assam stumps. But strangely, more agility is seen in the female figures in the sculptures found at the shrine of Kamakhya. The Ahoms were great patrons of building and sculptural activities and hence the style of the sculptures underwent changes. Among the first stone sculptures belonging to this period are the rock cut figures found near the river Dihing. The human figures have broad shoulders and squarish face with eyes sometimes open and at other times half open. It has a flat nose and thick lips and most of the figures are adorned with the regional costumes. However, in the sculptures in Phulabari one can notice the influence of the Mughals in the attire of the figures. The facial details of the figures indicate a visual impact of the local population and sometimes of the outsiders. There are variations in the sculptures belonging to different areas and themes (secular or religious) and sometimes, sculptures belonging to the same age and place too, have a vast difference. If we compare two panels of sculpture, one displaying Parvati seated on Shiva's bull (Nandi) and the other of a seated Vishnu, we will be able to discern the differences. Angularity is missing in the icons of Parvati, who is seen seated under a foiled arch on the back of a walking Nandi as seen in the profile. The figure captures the classical quality of Indian art and is bounded by almost gliding lines. On the other hand, more emphasis is on angularity of the figure of Vishnu seated in padmasana pose. The representation of Mahisamardini in Sivasagar and Kali from Gaurisagar are treated in an angular fashion.