The sculptures of the temples of Orissa is sure to charm all while generating an aweinspiring magic. It is difficult to count down the numbers of the temples. Konark temple’s sculptures are living beauties in silence. Konark is indeed the palpating testimony of the artistic sensibility of a race that once believed in love and its expression. The main theme of the sculpture is love. There are beautifully shaped figures in close embrace, dancing or making music. the amorous aspect therefore in the sculpture are depicted but certainly not being over done. http://www.indianetzone.com/3/the_konark_temple.htm visit and know more
The study of Buddhist statue and art from the relics and monuments in Orissa points to the gradual transformation of the Mahayana form of Buddhism into the Vajrayana form of Buddhism by the heart of the ninth century A.D. The huge number of Vajrayana or Tantric Buddhist images and figurines found in Orissa suggest that this form of Buddhism found a fertile growing ground in Orissa. King Indrabhuti and his sister Lakshminkara of Uddiyana were great exponents of this form of Buddhism. Uddiyan of ancient India has been identified with Orissa. The introduction of Tantric form of worship in the Mahayana Buddhism ushered in a new stage in the growth of the history of Buddhism in Orissa, which attained its pinnacle of glory during the Bhauma-Kara regime. Apart from the Buddha figures, the other important feature of Buddhist plastic art in Orissa is the representation of Boddhisattva Avalokiteswara in his different forms such as Padmapani, Lokeswara, Vajrapani etc. We also find sculptures of Tara, Manjusri, Amoghasiddhi etc. in this period. A Lokeswara image found at Bhubaneswar, Amoghasiddhi from G.Udaygiri near Phulbani, Buddha in Bhumi-sparsa mudra from Khadipada, and Avalokiteswara Padmapani in standing pose from Khadipada are displayed at the Orissa State Museum in Bhubaneswar. Most of these Buddhist sculptures are very big in dimension. The museum at Lalitgiri conserve colossal Boddhisattva figures in it. Many more such figures are located at nearby Udayagiri and Ratnagiri.
Posted On : 3/26/2009 6:00:21 AM
Jamal Aslam Reward Points : 34700 Member Since : Tuesday, July 08, 2008
i agree with anjana when she says that onark is indeed the palpating testimony of the artistic sensibility of a race that once believed in love and its expression. Scholars have debated the meaning of these images for years. In general, erotic motifs in Indian art are assumed to relate to the metaphorical union of the human with the divine. In Orissa, it has frequently been suggested that the imagery has specific reference to Tantric cults. However, whether or not the erotic images were directly or indirectly related to these practices, it is clear that they quickly developed the status of an aesthetic convention, and became a regular part of the decorative canon. he senses and feelings which are common to human experience are used in Indian art to communicate some sense of the divine experience. it is indeed not an overstatement that all Orissan sculpture with an ineffable delicacy and with that tinge of spirituality exceeds the mere subject matter.
there are very few Sun temples in India and Konark holds a special place in all respects. As Sun God is mythologically believed to be traversing the sky on a 12-wheeled chariot drawn by seven horses, the very structure of this temple depicts this basic belief and the interiors are beautifully designed with the paintings of natural scenes, dancing women and there are even some amorous depictions not unlike the famous Khajuraho. This aspect is surprising because Sun has never been associated with any erotic expression of life. It may, therefore, be inferred that the amorous motifs were the result of Tantrik3 influence. The tantriks who abounded in Orissa used to worship Shakti - the mystic deity believed to be a superpower symbolized in woman form.
Posted On : 4/2/2009 10:06:02 PM
Anju Malhotra Reward Points : 61200 Member Since : Tuesday, March 31, 2009
It is an Indian aesthetic concept that only things covered with ornaments are beautiful. Nowhere else in India is this concept portrayed so brilliantly, and so literally, as in the temple sculpture of Orissa. Divinities and devotees, kings and craftsmen, pilgrims and priests, celestial maidens and earthly beauties, amorous couples, elephants, swans, and hundreds of animals, birds, and mythical beings, swarm over every surface of every temple. Surrounding them are flowers, jewels, long strings of pearls and architectural motifs, framing and embellishing hundreds of thousands of enchanting scenes of myth, legend, and divine and sublime life. If a temple is in active worship, flags will be flying from the pinnacle of the spire, and a sacred image of the temple deity will be found in the inner sanctum. This image will usually be one of the manifestations of the Hindu gods Shiva or Vishnu, or of the Goddess. One common form in which Shiva is worshipped is the lingam, a smooth, stone post in the shape of a stylized phallus, representing the creative forces of the deity. Other divine images may be found elsewhere in the temple. Sometimes they represent other aspects of the central divinity, sometimes they are female consorts of male gods, not infrequently they are different and often competing gods who were incorporated into the temple scheme as part of a synthesizing process. Many of the sculptural scenes are taken from religious mythology and legends many such as those on the Sun Temple at Konark represent military and courtly life many represent activities which would have been associated with the temple such as pilgrimage, teaching, or performance . The jewel-like quality of Orissan stone sculpture has often been remarked, and the temples, from a distance, do indeed convey an impression of resplendent beadwork. The refinement of the sculptor s technique is combined with a vigorous quality which probably owes its genesis to strong folk traditions. The result is a genre of sculpture which is as delightful and accessible to the first-time viewer as it is to the scholar and connoisseur.
Orissan Sculpture
