1 1 Narrative Art on Dhobi Math Mandir Wall at Nabratnagarh, Sesai, Distt-Gumla, Jharkhand. *Rajendra Dehuri Introduction The present Jharkhand state has preserved a wide range of art heritage in her vast sketch of land. In respect of narrative art, is concrete shape with distinct tradition, which can observe and find the manifestation of early artistic activity of man in cave, rock shatters and extend up to temples wall. These are basically exercise in the art form such as sculpture, painting, engraving etc. and the Indian art is essentially religious in nature. Further it is noticed that most of the temples outer and inner wall representing narrative art. This art form have witness social and cultural life in many form such as costumes, ornaments, war weapons, flora and fauna etc. through which one can reconstruction the cultural history of certain cultural phase. Unlike other state, the temple art and architecture of Jharkhand is very rich and patronized by different dynasties in different period of time. A number of temple studies in recent years have brought to light the art and architectural heritage of Jharkhand. Site and temple-The present study of Dhobi math mandir is materialized with terracotta, which is oldest form of building execution in India. However, the present temple is quite similar to Bengals terracotta architecture noticed in Bishnupur and other nearby site. The Dhobi math is located in the Nabratnagarh temple complex, which has rich in epigraphically and architectural tradition1. Most of the architecture of the group is representing through amalgamation of Hindu and Mughal art. Hence there is number of temple has their own tradition and in this context the Dhobi math mandir is important one and built in terracotta form of temple within the sacred complex of Nabratnagarh. It is standing on high podium and ek-bangla in style. Architecturally, the temple is imbibes the character of hut type house of *Asst. Superintending Archaeologist Archaeological Museum, Khajuraho(M.P.) 2 Rajendra Dehuri Bengal’s village in characteristic of brick architecture with the pointed vault on the rectangular plan with curved base and spine, producing the interior of a bangle roof form. These arts were represented through moulded terracotta and built in between to sixteenth and nineteenth centuries2. The outer wall and especially the frontal part decorated with brick plaque of religious and secular theme. The religious theme includes Mahabharata, Ramayana’s and Krishna lila as important scene whereas the secular theme represent geometric design and vegetal scroll pattern to decorate the border part and around stories as frame. The Dhobi math mandir is in dilapidated condition and its sealing is partially collapsed. It is divided in two parts such as main shrine and the mukhamandapa or portico. The main shrine as well as mukhamandapa is rectangular in shape. The main shrine inner wall is plane in nature where as the mukhamandapa inner wall exclusively ornamented with the scroll plaque and different geometry and non- geometric design. The outer or the front of the mukhamandapa divided in to three parts by two beautiful ornamented pillar narrated in different design plaque. It is distinct regional style of late 18th century and of richly decorated terracotta plaque on façade with a triple arched entrance porch. The three opening are designed as multiple curve arches in excellent form to enhance the beauty of temple. The Narrative Art - The significant narration plaque is located above the arches part of the temple. The narrations mostly centre on Vaishnav sect and Puranic stories. Besides narration stories few plaque also contain a single representation of floral and faunal remains. In some terracotta block represent composition figure and individual deity. It is important to note that except the mukhamandapa inner and outer portion there is no art representation on other wall. It is also noticed that the frontal part of mukhamandapa or facades and extremely above the arch has narrated three phase stories, i.e. the Rasa- lila in the left plaques, Ramayana in central plaques and the Mahabharata in the extreme left plaque in great detail. Generally the images of the facades has vertical and horizontal segment with floral pattern and the plaque are uniformly distributed over the facade surface. The stories are synthesizing effect through the series of episodes and its living attitude. The Rasalila plaques are small in size and set as chess board pattern with floral plaque. These plaques are basically narrated the tribhanga posture of lord Krishna with Radha. In some such narration has Krishna hold flute. Besides these depiction the Rasa-mandala plaque is important one in which the Radha Krishna in represent in centre and two raw of Gopika depicting encircle the deities. In left to Rasalila plaque, the Ramayana scene is depicted on the façade in which the Rama-Ravana war scene narrate on plaques and the Vanar sena depicted as holding stone pieces and in position to resist the Ravana sena. A beautiful part of the plaque has damaged due to the crack in it, so the great Purusottam Rama figure is missing where as its bow and arrow in shooting position towards king Ravana is Narrative Art on Dhobi Math Mandir......... 3 clearly marked on the plaque. The Ravana is depicted as ten head, shooting arrow to lord Rama. A few soldier of Ravana sena are also shooting arrow toward the Vanar sena. In Mahabharat episodes the war scene is depicted on the extreme left side of façade wall in which it show the pandawas fighting with Kauravas with their warrior, the narration depicted basically an arrow shooting toward each other in a beautiful manner. A number of warriors fought with different war weapons signify a great warfare in comparison to other such war scene. A part from these a Yakha figure with half man and animal is depicted in the extreme left top corner of the wall. The ten incarnation of Vishnu is also noticed above to the three great narrations and ornate in a separate plaque each and fortunately ten are preserved in good state. These incarnations are placed under a broad scroll design, the cutting of the terracotta is sharp but the execution of the few images is showing composite figure type rather than symbolical or separate depiction of the avatars in various sculptural representations. The kurma, matsya, varaha, Nrisimha avatar are showing half human and half animal type in which the kurma and matsya avatar represent lower part of animal and upper part of human body where as the varaha and Nrisimha avatar has animal form in specifically the head part, the lower body is in human form. Other incarnation are representing in normal type. These scenes are bifurcated through well decorated floral plaques, geometric design plaques and juncture point shown with lotus design plaque. Discussion- The Bengali temples nevertheless constitute a coherent series in both their architecture and sculpture, characteristically expressed in brick and terracotta.3 It is noteworthy to mention here that the temple has quite close resembles with the Bengal style and express the art form in terracotta media would suggest that strong cultural interchange in between the Jharkhand Naga dynasty with the Bengal’s Malla dynasty. The facade’s excellent reliefs are also stylistically resemble with the terracotta art of Bengal and made through separate mould as required for specific space on the temple wall. The temple has religious theme contain the Mahabharata, Ramayana and Radha-Krishna along with geometric and floral design, the floral pattern represent in between the major terracotta plaque as scene breaker. It is also interesting to note that the Rasa mandala, Vishnu avatara and social theme present on the temple wall quite similar with the other Vaishnava terracotta temple in Jharkhand and Bengal. Hence, the art plaque have the basis essence of Bengal art, which traveled a lot from its original place, most of the plaque are made out of mould which would witness through the fine carving. In historical records evident that Sri Chaitanya dev moving from Puri to Varanasi through the Chhatanagpur area or the present Jharkhand, possible this is presume that the remarkable event and suppose to support the view for the extension of such terracotta temple in the tribal land and high light the Vaishnava cult through the terracotta plaque decoration. The movement was step forwarded by Sri Chaitanya dev in 15th century AD and through Jaydeva’s Gitagovinda and provided the spiritual and artistic basis for the 4 Rajendra Dehuri surge in mediaeval Hindu architecture in Bengal and its neighbor areas.4 The description of the sculptures in these different parts indicates the development of decorative elements from simple vegetal ornamentation to figuration schemes till later period5. The Krishnalila scenes are very powerful thought of Vaishnaism.6 It is also observed that Krishnalila scenes also appear on Saiva temple in Orissa during the medieval times.7 It is also interesting to note that the Krishna lila in orissan art represent mainly the episode of killing demon and showing overpowering the demon respectively, but here in the Dhobi math mandir the terracotta plaque of the Rasa Lila is dominating scene. Similarly the terracotta temple of Bengal a large repository of such scene on their temple façade and side wall with long story line but the present temple has adopt to choose a few important story of Ramayana, Mahabharata and Krishnalila which reflect as a wholesome of Vaishnavism on the temple façade with vegetation scrolls design. Conclusion:- The representation of Krishna-lila, Mahabharata, and Ramayana scene rendering that the temple dedicated to Vaishnavism which reflect as Gaudiya Vaishnavism, a reformist religious movement of Bengal.8This is centered on personal devotion of to Krishna.