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L IS T OF PLA TES . haukat an r K war C d Jo i i . B kharch n h u a a d Jagmo an . Tti n Carv n and B rass Inla Saharan ur . i g y, p ar Old D r Sah an ur. oo , p ' D D eta l o f Sitfin Baithak and Sada Old o or Saharan ur . i , , , p n r fo r h D l xh Saharanpur Mi stri Carvi g a doo t e e hi Art E ib ition. a n a E n ca n N gi b o y rvi g . S h sham w d screen Farrukha a d . i oo , b ’ Mr H. l All . W ht rkmen aha a Ne son r s wo d. ig , b M2 01 1 8 D E CHA PT R I . THE arts of India are the illustration of the religious life of the Hindus , as that life was already organized in full perfection “ 9 0— 0 M . 0 . 0 3 0 v un der the Code of anu, B E ery detail of “ n a nd l Indian decoration has a religious meani g , the arts of India wil “ n never be rightly understood until these are brought to their study, ot “ li hi m a only the sensibi ty w ch can appreciate the at first sight, but , “ 1 familiar acquaintance with th e character and subjects of the religious a a n d r a poetry, nation l legends, mythological sc iptures that have alw ys i ” been the r inspiration and of which they are the perfected imagery . By this statement Sir George Birdwood commits himself to the s opinion that Indian art mean Hindu art, and that none but Pandits are : far competent to comprehend and expound its canons in short, that as as r t 1 s k a Indian a concerned, Gree , Scythian , Arab, Path n, Persian, and Mughal might never have existed . This unfortunate contention has been subjected to many criticisms , and those who are inclined to side with the critics in maintaining that the traditionary arts of India have been greatly influenced by foreign ’ ideas will find no be tter refutation of Sir George B ir dwo o d s theory the t o - v the than the state of arts, and no ably f wood car ing , in United Provinces . Lying in the path of Muhammadan invasion and close to the centre M e P v a of the ughal dominion , the Unit d ro inces and the Panj b felt the ff x an full e ects of conquest. Partly owing to the force of e ample d v u the di partly to the system of exatious Hind ordinances, tra tional ul principles of Hindu ar t lost their hold on the inhabitants . The res t - v l r hi . is specially noticeable in wood car ing, scu ptu e, and arc tecture To find characteristic Hindu work it is necessary to go further afield to regions where indigenous art was safegu arded by geographi cal condi - a u n i tions to Nep l or So ther Ind a. 2 Mo n og r aph o n Wo od Ca r vi ng . ' There is no possibility of confounding characteristic Hindu and M . uhammadan work The former, like Burmese work, is marked by grotesque and extravagant fantasy : the latter by a cold and geometric M severity . The canons of uhammadan art forbid the portrayal of human forms and of most animals . The Hindu worker, on the other f hand, delights in a profuse entanglement o monstrous and unnatural figures . The fact that much wood-carving is architectural in character sup plies other useful indications . The pointed the minaret, and the rounded pillar are Muhammadan characteristics . Squ ar e * ar ch es a nd pillars, trabeated , brackets are features of Hindu design . In Muhammadan wood-carving the place of fantastic Hindu orna mentation is filled by a free use of geometric diapers and whereas Hindu work is as a rule deeply undercu t, Muhammadan work is marked by flatness of relief. e - v n If th se data be applied to the wood car i g of these Provinces, it becomes apparent that the work is predominantly Muhammadan in . v r character Hindu traditions, howe er, did not yield without a st uggle, but inspired in the conquerors a taste for rich su rface ornament and , v induced a greater latitude with regard to the car ing of animal forms . To gratify a Hindu patron a Muhammadan mi str i will readily a cco mmo a date himself to Hindu prejudices and carve the figure of Ganesh over el e hant the lintel of a door . In this part of India, Ganesh, the wise p f e r v head d god, is the only figure commonly seen on ca ed doors ; so far ‘ v b a r u ha e the Hindu b t s renounced their traditions . “ S i r w - In a a M a George Bird ood writes India, the R may na and ah a a an a u th bh rata, R ma and Sita, Hanum and R vana, Vishn and e K a K u Garuda, rishna and R dha, and the a ravas and Pandavas are every where in sculptured stone about the temples and on the carved wood ” work of houses . n True as this undoubtedly is of Bombay and Southern I dia, it, conveys a false impression with regard to the general features of Mon og r a ph o n Wo od Ca r vi ng . 3 a architectural decoration in the Panj b and the United Provinces . So deep v has Muhammadan influence sunk that e en in Ajodhya, the birthplace - k v of Ram Chandra, the carved wood wor presents no image of the e er C popula r hero with his bow . arved portraits of other divinities ‘ undoubtedly occur here and there in Ajodhya . For instance there is a ’ carved cha u ka t in the Maharaja s palace which contains no less than ta the eight figures . But each god is placed in a separate niche ( g) , and general design of the door is based on the m ehr ab and is pure Mu ha m y m ad am , even to the extent of including the Royal Fish, the symbol b s of the old Na wa . As a rule v ery little wood-carving is found in the interior of Hindu temples . Images and sacred objects of wood could not resist the ea n a nor t s w r and tear which p j involves, would they be a sui able ubject for the paint whi ch is so liberally scattered on festive occasions v The temples of Benares, howe er, contain big wooden images of Siva v a - and also a good deal of ery characteristic Nep lese wood carving, the presence of which is due to the fact that Hindu pilgrims flock i n great numbers to Benares from Nepal and ar e great supporters ’ o f Siva s s hrines . fl CHAPTER II . - ARVIN D ECLINE or WOOD C G. ” ESTERN ideas are the bane of Indian art . Apparently it is impossible for . a native of India to imbibe English education hi s hi c without losing admiration for the indigenous arts of s ountry . Accordingly those arts are either being ruined by neglect or vitiated by he v u t demand for unsuitable imitations . A Go ernment m st necessarily have prestige. It is unfortu nate that the indirect effects should b e so deplorable . u ff - v No craft has s ered more than wood car ing . Formerly the nobility and well -to -do citiz ens took delight in emb ellishing their hou ses " n 4 Mo n og r a ph o n Wo o d Ca r vi g . with carved verandahs and balconies . All the chief entrances were In t o filled with massive carved doors . his class of work the Indian wo d c ar ver is seen at his best. The craftsmen were retained by their i n d e mployer in a sort of feudal relation . They l ved a worked in the v erandah of his house and received a regular salary ; there was no hope o f large profit, but they had a genuine enthusiasm for their art. The philosophic Hindu coul d demand nothing better than to spend his days e a b e free from car in the gr dual perfecting of a masterpiece of carving, to u n o s et p in his ative place, where his handiwork would be a source f W credit during life and a monument after death , orking under such c onditions, the Indian craftsman has no equal , Unfortunately the upper and moneyed classes had no real intelligent enthusiasm for art. They saw that the style of building erected by mis tr as Government bore no resemblance to the designs of their . Failing to realize that the simplicity and uniformity of official buildings - - resulted from considerations of economy and convenience, the well to do 4 classes a r e abandoning the old traditions a nd clamour for 5 Europe ” plainness . The late Mr . Growse once endeavoured to convince a native gentle man o f e the folly of this unreasonable craz , and referred to certain s n building i the best native style, the erection of which he himself had e s uperintended .

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