The Legacy of Indian Art
Art continues to educate us centuries and millennia later – from prehistoric cave drawings to the use of glass beads for jewellery and terracotta clay figurines, and for everyday functions such as storing grain or water.
Note the craftsmanship that has gone into depicting stories of deities or Buddha himself, using ancient techniques to show depth and finesse in the workmanship of the blue stone.
(Blue Stone carvings: Bell, Buddha, Communities,Buddha being Cremated, Mother & Child, Animals)
Uttar Pradesh: At the cultural crossroads
The state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) is in Northeast India, below the Nepalese border. This state in the Indus Valley (birthplace of Jainism) has over 241 million inhabitants, accounting for 16.5% of India’s population and 3% of the total world population.
The state is bordered by:
- Rajasthan to the West, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh (and Delhi) to the Northwest, Uttarakhand and Nepal to the North, Bihar to the East, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand to the South
Prayagraj and the confluence of culture
I visited Prayagraj, a city with an estimated population of 1.53 million, to stay with my Dad’s sister Amita Giri (Binni Fua).
Prayagraj lies close to Triveni Sangam, the ‘three-river confluence’ of the Ganges.
It is an international tourism destination, with Varanasi to the south.
In ancient scriptures (Majjhima Nikaya, c.500 BCE), Buddha states that bathing in Prayaga cannot wash away cruel and evil deeds; rather, the virtuous one could be pure in heart and fair in action.
While visiting, I felt art was paramount throughout the city.
Allahabad Museum: Where time speaks
The Allahabad Museum fired up some emotions as I took in the artefacts and discovered what life would have been like 3,000 – 40,000 years ago in this Indus Valley.
(Map of Indus Valley early farming inhabitants and rock art locations) COULD NOT FIND THIS, probably not relevant here, rather provide a link / QR code for the Allahabad Museum
Here are some timelines of:
- Mother Goddess
- Earth Talks
Creative traditions
Tapestry using soil colours from earth/clay as pigments to add colour to the ink drawings.
(Photo of Tapestry)
Cave drawings
- Six-pointer deer
- Warriors hunting white rhino in the Indus Valley
Tools or equipment these can just be captions, if the images are used
- Adze
Terracotta
- Water containers
- Elephants
- A landowner’s face
Words by Nira Giri
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