Guru Gobind Singh in Portraiture: Alterations and Adaptations in Originality
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International Journal of Recent Technology and Engineering (IJRTE) ISSN: 2277-3878, Volume-7, Issue-6S5, April 2019 Guru Gobind Singh in Portraiture: Alterations and Adaptations in Originality Gurdeep Kour, Rohita Sharma Abstract: Although the portraits of Mughal Emperors and succession at the age of nine after his father’s martyr. Rajput rulers are acknowledged as near original and Black rosary round the neck is the characteristic of the contemporary by scholars, while existence of various versions of portraits of Sikh Gurus of last decade of seventeenth and portraits of Guru Gobind Singh in miniature forms through the early eighteenth century, but in the genuine portraits of Guru hands of Mughal, Punjabi and Pahari painters create qualms on the real likeness due to changing patronage and stylistic Hargobind black rosary is absent. In some later Mandi variations developed in Punjab. The study discusses the portraits, black rosary appears in imaginary portraits of prevailing suspicions of likeness as well as alterations and Gurus. The fashion came from Muslim- Sufi tradition, but adaptations in various versions of portraits of Guru Gobind Singh also rare in hill paintings. In the childhood likeness, facial from seventeenth to nineteenth centuries. The study is based on features resemble Basohli style eye, without earrings, fine data analysis and review of literature. Analytical method is lines and clarity of work, which designates the commission of applied to write the paper. fine artist from hill area. Golden coloured basin and flower pot near the child also proves the relevancy of style with early Index Terms: Alteration, Imaginary, Likenesses, Mughal, Pahari phase. The style of wooden balustrade also favours the Originality, Pahari development of art at Anandpur by hill or Jaipur painters at the darbar of tenth Guru, because wooden balustrade is popularly used in Rajasthani paintings, but rare in Pahari I. INTRODUCTION paintings. The relation of Kachwaha rulers with Sikh Gurus Guru Gobind Singh inheriting a literary and poetic darbar also established during Guru Hargobind, which were from his father succeeding in 1675 at the age of nine, was an continued till tenth Guru, and supports the possibility of expertise of pen and sword. Guru Gobind Singh’s court was a migration of Rajasthani painters at Anandpur, while plan red major attraction for musicians, scribes and poets observing hashiya and black rule within red border is a common feature for new clienteles after the changes in cultural strategy of Indian painting. The practice of toying with a flower goes invested by the Emperor Aurangzeb had meant a decrease in back to seventeenth century. Although, Guru Tegh Bahadur chances for employ at the Mughal court. Although, various wore long length and plated robes of Shah Jahan, likenesses of Guru Gobind Singh are exist from his childhood frontispiece), but in childhood portrait, Guru Gobind Rai to young age, but often these are assumed as imaginary work appears in a robe tied at the centre, distinct from Mughal of eighteenth- nineteenth centuries. The study discusses the robes tying in right or left, was discarded by tenth Guru in negligent of real likeness of tenth Guru emerged among later years The fashion of tying a robe in the centre was rare in stylistic variations of Punjab. Punjab hills. There are accounts available of the dastar ceremony II. PORTRAYALS OF GURU GOBIND SINGH (turban) and Guruship ceremony of the child Gobind Rai, in which he wore zamurdi (green) coloured turban and In the last quarter of seventeenth century, when Pahari ceremonial dress for the special occasion of dastar ceremony style was developing on the various local centres of northern and was also putting on some arms. A Tikka mark of sandal India under Rajput aristocracy, there comes a childhood wood was fixed on his forehead During the Guruship portrait of Guru Gobind Rai at the age of ten (fig. 1), now in ceremony, wearing a chaplet of pearls round his neck and a the collection of Anurag Singh (Singh, On the bases of gorgeous turban on his head, a sword slung round the waist, resemblances of facial features with father Guru Tegh he sat on the Guru-seat, a seat, with bolsters on which Guru Bahadur, see frontispiece for the real portrait of Guru Tegh Tegh Bahadur used to sit, was positioned on a wooden Bahadur commissioned in Dhaka), it is clear that the portrait platform Both accounts do not support the commissioning of is of Gobind Rai. Identifiable and distinct face indicates the portrait on two auspicious occasions. Simplicity and isolation originality of the portrait. Like his father, he also wore red indicates its non- ceremonial occasion or possibility of turban with golden broad- band, red coloured short patka, commissioning the portrait under the patronage of any Sikh and black coloured woollen rosary worn by the faqirs, devotee during 1675 or copy of the original, as he always which indicates that the portrait is commissioned after his wore a kalghi in his turban from his childhood, popular as kalghian wala in Sikh traditional accounts. Revised Manuscript Received on December 22, 2018. Gurdeep Kour, Department of Fine Arts, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India. Rohita Sharma, Department of Fine Arts, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India. Published By: Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering & Sciences Publication Retrieval Number:F13220476S519/19©BEIESP 1797 Guru Gobind Singh in Portraiture: Alterations and Adaptations in Originality In the early hill paintings during last decades of portraying the scene on verbal account can be assumed by seventeenth century, a lock of hair is commonly seen. Design Bilaspur artist, as Guru also visited Bilaspur many times or of carpet, sky strip and flower pot in the likeness of Guru settlement of painters from Bilaspur state to Anandpur is also Gobind Rai also have resemblance with the convention of possible. In 1701, after the battle of Bhangani, the relations of early hill paintings. Another childhood portrait at Gurudwara Guru Gobind Singh with Raja Bhim Chand of Kahlur became of Ahiya Ganz in Lucknow, was noticed by Piara Singh peaceful and friendly and he visited Anandpur for forgiveness Padam Aryan also mentioned a portrait in Patna, which is from Guru and he received a robe of honour from Guru and correspondingly assumed to have been ready during the many people also migrated from Bilaspur to Anandpur for Guru's lifetime (hayati). Kishan Singh’s note as presented by peaceful establishments, after the battle of Bhangani, in the the author: Sri Kalagidhar Sahib Guru Gobind Singh Ji Apani Katha the return to Anandpur is also described by the dasvin patishahi chhavi jo vacate hayat vich tayar hoi hai Guru. Leaving the villages of Kahlur, they went and settled mutabak patna sahib vali banai). somewhere else). The possibility of migration of painters from Bilaspur can be assumed. There is also a dagger of Guru Gobind Singh, embellished with hunting scene, Guru is portrayed hunting the tiger with his sword, and two elephants are facing each other, surrounded by a mounted person and some attendants, which really match the incident, happened at Paonta. Mann marks that these portraits leave slight ambiguity that some of the accomplished artists of the time had relocated to Anandpur and were employed under Sikh patronage .Mann further explains the portraits from Anandpur that these paintings have interesting correspondence with the verbal portraits drawn by the poets singing at his (Guru) court at Anandpur .The line and colours of these portraits are from Pahari style. Migrating Sikh devotees as well as painters working at Anandpur circulated this type of stylized portraits of tenth Guru in other hill areas after disassemble of Anandpur darbar. Figure 1. Childhood portrait of Guru Gobind Rai, (Source: private collection) A new discovery is the portrait of tenth Guru from the first original manuscript of Sri Dasam Granth Sahib titled the 'Anandpuri Sarup' as that was the location where it was compiled in 1696 A.D. Piara Singh Padam was the first researcher to publish the picture,. The tenth Guru on a horseback is hunting a tiger (fig. 2). The incident was happened at Paonta, when a man- eater tiger of white colour was troubling people. There is an interesting account available of the hunting incident at a distance 8- 10 km. far from Paonta. The hunt of a white lion with a sword and a shield was done in the presence of Raja Medini Prakash and Fateh Shah and their companions (Singh, 2010, 157- 158. Figure 2. Guru Gobind Singh on horseback, (Sources: Also see, Gandhi, 2004, see footnote on 150). But the account Padam, 2008, 15- 16. For coloured portrait, also see does not match the portrait, as it appears an ideal hunting Mann, 2008, 244) scene of Guru. Guru also mentioned in his autobiography about the hunting games and training of martial art and mock Goswamy and Smith also mention the possibility of a fighting to trained the Sikhs Mounted on a horse and likeness of Guru, that one comes upon a reference to a portrait releasing an arrow from a bow is an effort to capture a of Guru Gobind Singh, having possibly been made by a momentous scene. Detailing and clarity of facial features with Pahari painter, for it is said that the ruler of the hill state of curly beard of black colour appear authentic and Bilaspur, with whom the Guru had to deal on many occasions contemporary as dated 1696, aged of about thirty. The in the course of his tumultuous career, once dispatched a fashion of green coloured robes during hunts was promoted painter from his court to bring back a likeness of the Guru. by Mughals as well as green halo was also popular element of Whether the painter did indeed make such a portrait is not Shah Jahan period Without any royal prop of hunting as recorded.