|
Add to Interest Profile
Edit Interest Profile
Email This Message
Search
| Related Articles: Sikh Portraits By European Artists http://www.sikhnet.com/Sikhnet/discussion.nsf/3d8d6eacce83bad8872564280070c2b3/2543b9dc9fd656ab8725682b0072123b!OpenDocument&Highlight=0 An Outline of Sikh Architecture http://www.sikhnet.com/Sikhnet/discussion.nsf/3d8d6eacce83bad8872564280070c2b3/b4e51079ce10c141872567fa005ac275!OpenDocument&Highlight=0 Ram Singh - Inventor of Sikh Architecture http://www.sikhnet.com/Sikhnet/discussion.nsf/3d8d6eacce83bad8872564280070c2b3/84c8216cdeea77c187256840000ffcf5!OpenDocument&Highlight=0 Sikh Artifacts In Central Asian Republics http://www.sikhnet.com/Sikhnet/discussion.nsf/3d8d6eacce83bad8872564280070c2b3/006762e8c2c8c04487256848005d2225!OpenDocument&Highlight=0 Replica of The Maharaja's Throne http://www.sikhnet.com/Sikhnet/discussion.nsf/3d8d6eacce83bad8872564280070c2b3/dfe0792086693d19872569100047c2c9!OpenDocument&Highlight=0 Arts of Sikh Kingdom In Toronto http://www.sikhnet.com/Sikhnet/discussion.nsf/3d8d6eacce83bad8872564280070c2b3/31ee535712b58679872568cc0048155a!OpenDocument&Highlight=0 Portrayal of Piety and Splendor http://www.sikhnet.com/Sikhnet/discussion.nsf/3d8d6eacce83bad8872564280070c2b3/c2d884e59d744026872568a70063454b!OpenDocument&Highlight=0 ******************************************************************************** Sikh splendor Anjali Sircar The Hindu Online Edition 4/25/99 The first international exhibition of Sikh art, opened at the Victoria and Albert museum, London, on March 25 and will continue till July 25. It is being held to coincide with the 300th anniversary of a pivotal event in Sikh history when Guru Gobind Singh, the last of the ten Gurus, initiated five of his followers to create the Khalsa. In its centenary year, the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, which has a collection of Indian art unrivaled outside the Indian sub-continent, is holding a landmark exhibition of the artistic heritage of the Sikhs entitled ``The Arts of the Sikh Kingdoms''. In April 1801, Ranjit Singh was proclaimed the first Sikh Maharaja of the Punjab - the land of the five rivers - at Lahore. This first international exhibition of Sikh art, which describes the exciting and eventful cultural history of the maharaja and his successors, features paintings, vibrantly-colored silks and shawls, gold-decorated weapons and some of the most spectacular jewels of the Sikh treasury. They were made by and for Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims and even Europeans, reflecting the cosmopolitan and egalitarian atmosphere of the time. "The Arts of the Sikh Kingdoms'', which opened at the V & A on March 25, 1999, and will continue till July 25, is being held to coincide with the 300th anniversary of a pivotal event in Sikh history when Guru Gobind Singh, the last of the ten Gurus, initiated five of his followers to create the Khalsa, or ``Order of the Pure'', completing the work begun by Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhsm, two centuries earlier. Before his death in 1708, Guru Gobind also ended the line of personal Gurus by passing the succession not to another person but to the Guru Granth, the holy book of the Sikhs. He declared that the Word as embodied in the Granth would be the Guru after him. The message and mission begun by Guru Nanak culminated in the Guru Granth. Within half a century of Guru Gobind's death, Sikhs became a major political force and established a state of their own. In 1799, Ranjit Singh, the 19-year old leader of a Khalsa band, seized power peacefully in the city of Lahore and was proclaimed Maharaja two years later. The artistic life of the court of Ranjit Singh had its own dynamism. Centers such as Lahore, Amritsar, Srinagar and others in the Sikh Kingdoms produced artefacts for the maharaja and leading members of the court, indigenous as well as European. Well-established traditional industries flourished and grew because of his patronage. Lahore was an important center for luxury carpet weaving and was also a major metalworking center. Lahori armorers supplied the court with weapons made of finely watered steel which were chiseled with intricate design and often decorated with gold and silver plates. Sialkot produced paper of high quality and a range of embroidered clothes: Gujarat sold weapons and Multan was known for its silk. The wealth of the Lahore court was clearly apparent on festive occasions when Musamman Burj, the octagonal marble pavilion, would be decorated for an evening gathering. Golden candles lit the scene and gold chairs and stools were set out for Ranjit Singh's British visitors on brocades and embroidered floor coverings. The screens were supported on gold-or-silver covered poles and rose water and wine were laid ready with gold utensils. None of these has survived barring the Golden Throne of Ranjit Singh which was made for the maharaja by Hafez Mohammad Multani. After the annexation of the Punjab by the British, the throne was shipped to London in 1853 for the East India Company's Museum and was eventually transferred to the South Kensington Museum, later renamed the Victoria & Albert Museum, where it has remained ever since. Ranjit Singh also acquired the legendary Koh-i-noor diamond from the Mughal prince Shah Shuja but after his death in 1839, and the massive upheavals that subsequently took place, the most s pectacular gems of his treasury were sent to London for the 1851 Great Exhibition. Through the course of history, the Koh-i- noor found its place in the crown made for her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother in 1937, and is worn on state occasions. Far too much has been written about Ranjit Singh's alleged personal in-difference to painting or holding the arts in poor esteem. When he repeatedly put off the request of British visitor G. T. Vigne that he be allowed to draw the Maharaja's portrait, it has been seen as proof of Ranjit Singh's ``strong aversion to being painted'' apparently because of his awareness of his own unprepossessing pock-marked appearance. But he comes through in extremely favorable light when we know that he took personal interest in the marble ordered from Jaipur for use in the parikrama of the Golden Temple, commissioned silver doors with repousse-work to be made for the shrine of the Goddess at Kangra, chose the pashmina shawls to be sent for the pandits of Benares and Gaya or retired in the night to listen quietly to Attar Khan playing upon the flute. The court of Ranjit Singh at Lahore left an impression of unrivaled splendor on all those who visited it, and it was particularly the lavish use of magnificent, brightly-colored silks, shawls and gold brocade textiles that fascinated those who have left written records. Emily Eden, sister of Governor- General, Lord Auckland, wrote of the court: ``It reduces European magnificence to a very low pitch.'' In contrast to the splendor of his surroundings, Ranjit Singh himself habitually dressed relatively simply, usually in a plain robe with only some choice pearls and diamonds for decoration. Great crashes drown out most other sounds. The fall of the powerful kingdom of Lahore, six years after Ranjit Singh's death, was sudden and complete. The swift efficiency with which British power was established after the annexation in 1849 tended to overshadow what was happening around this time elsewhere in the Punjab, especially in respect of arts. The emergence of the Phulkian States - all members of the Sikh Kingdom - such as Patiala, Nabha, Jind, Kapurthala and Faridkot - was slow but by early 19th Century, they had entered into a relationship with the British, and once peace ensued, they garnered resources, built, absorbed, created systems of governance and eventually developed their own style. It is worthwhile following the development of the arts in these areas. After the dissolution of the great center of power and artistic patronage at Lahore, Patiala became the most important Sikh Kingdom of the Punjab. A true, intense burst of artistic activity came during the rule of Maharaja Narinder Singh (1845-1862) - the most enlightened ruler that Patiala ever possessed. Soon after he acceded the throne at the age of 23, great new building enterprises were undertaken, gurdwaras were built besides forts and palaces, as also significant Hindu temples, among them Badrinath, Kedarnath, Tung Nath and Raj Rajeshwari. There was much literary activity, and poets from many centres in northern India settled in Patiala. Distinguished classical singers were invited to the court, the Patiala gharana of Hindustani music acquiring great fame. Murals were commissioned on a very considerable scale for palaces, religious establishments and forts. Miniature paintings flourished and an impressive number of illustrated manuscripts of classical texts - including the Janam Sakhi of Guru Nanak, th e Sur Sagar, the Sudama Charit, the Rukmini Mangal, the Mahabharata and Rasikapriya - were produced. Patiala also emerged as a major center of crafts for some of which the city is still famous. Whole bazaars sprang up with row after row of specialist craftsmen plying the same trade, catering partly to princely needs; jewelers, embroiderers, dyers, makers of gold-worked footwear, tailors and drawstring makers. Suddenly one was breathing the air of a court aimed at casting itself in the classical Indian mold: not merely a center of power but a hub of cultural activity, of patronage extended to distant quarters. Many of the developments in the arts that took place during the reigns of Maharaja Narinder Singh served as a model for his successors at Patiala and also influenced the rulers of other Sikh Kingdoms - Kapurthala, Nabha, Jing and Faridkot. What is striking in many of these later Sikh Kingdoms is the fact that nearly all cultural activity was marked by a catholocity of approach, a decidely liberality of outlook. During most of the period of growth, there was a breadth of vision, there were no fissures along religious lines, whether in matters of state or those of the arts. The sense one has is that all this is rooted in conviction, not policy. The parallels of Ranjit Singh's kingdom come sharply to mind. For this major show on Sikh Art, the V & A, has drawn from its own extensive collections and collaborated with museums and private collectors in India, Pakistan, the U.S., Switzerland and France as well as the U.K. ``The Arts of the Sikh Kingdoms'' is intended to travel subsequently to North America. Susan Stronge, Curator in the Indian and South-East Asian Department of the V & A, has edited the magnificently illusrated book accompanying the exhibition. Written by leading experts in Sikh history, religion and the arts of the period, the publication is a lavish tribute to the rich cultural splendours of the Sikhs. Among the many objects that feature in the first international exhibition of Sikh Art, is a rare and important collection of albumen prints by the 19th century photographer, Felice Beato. Felice Beato was born in Venice and later became a naturalised British citizen. On his travels through India between 1857 and 1860 Beato took a series of stunning photographs of the Golden Temple. Beato focused on the architectural beauty of the Golden Temple with close-up images that to this day remain unparalleled. The subject, a striking construction of gold and marble dating from the 19th century, is one of the most sacred monuments of Sikh faith. The serene beauty of Beato's photographs translate to the viewer the sacredness and importance of the Temple and its environment. A celebrated artist of his time, many of Beat's studies of the Golden Temple have never been shown before. Some were last shown at the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1867. |
 | Art - Sikh Splendor... (Preet Mohan S Ahluwalia - 28.Sep.00) |
