South Indian Bronzes

Siva, as Nataraja, Lord of Dance, 12th century, Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

On a recent trip to London, I was fortunate to visit the Victoria and Albert Museum in Kensington. The original purpose of my visit to the Museum was to see the textile collection there, which is one of the most comprehensive collections in the world. (See my earlier post on the Calico Museum of Textiles which was started by the Sarabhai family with assistance from John Irwin) However, finding the exhibit on South Indian bronzes was a special treat. Here was the irony…me, a woman of South Indian origin (with Thanjavur antecedents, to be specific) who lives in the United States coming to London to see an exhibition of Bronzes from Thanjavur!

The central piece of the collection at the V & A museum is a 12^th century Shiva as Nataraja, that most quintessential of South Indian Bronze icons. The great Chola king, Raja Raja Chola was a great devotee of Lord Shiva, and commissioned the utsava murthy of Shiva as Nataraja, famous in Chidambaram. Utsava Murthys were commissioned by the kings for the ceremonial temple processions that marked regular Temple activities. To quote Kausalya Santhanam in her article ‘Unbroken Tradition’ ”Siva as Nataraja, the King of Dance assumed such breathtaking perfection that the image danced its way into the hearts of devotees then and even western connoisseurs such as sculptor Rodin 1000 years later. Representing cosmic energy, encapsulating the motion, rest and rhythm of the universe, stamping out the evil demon of ignorance, matted locks flying, foot upraised and arm flung out, the image of Nataraja embodies the consummate skill of the stapathi(artisan-sculptor) and a millennia later is still the most favourite form for the craftsman.”

The Chola kings, who ruled from their majestic capital at Thanjavur were generous patrons of the arts and architecture and contributed greatly to the rich traditions of dance (bharata natyam), temple architecture and religious iconography. It is therefore no coincidence that the traditions of Bharata Natyam are closely woven with temple traditions and Shilpa Shastra (art of sculpture). In fact, Bharata Natyam and Shilpa Shastra speak a common language of mudras and talas.

The Talamana paddathi, in the Shilpa Shastra is the strict system of rules which govern the art of religious icons with scales for both absolute and relative measurements. The units of measurement are an angulam (quite literally, a finger width) and a tala, which is made up of 12 angulams. When an icon was commissioned, the tala was measured by the length of the palm (from the wrist to the tip of the middle finger) of the shilpi (artisan) or the yajamana - the one who commissioned the project. Where tala is rhythm in dance, it is a unit of measurement in the strict Shilpa Shastra. Mudras are hand gestures, common to both Bharata Natyam and Shilpa Shastra. The adornment, clothing, the number of arms and faces, the weapons, and the posture of the image are also prescribed in strict terms. There are also further rules for the proportionate measurements of the main deity if it is supposed to be a male, or a female in relation to other images in a grouping. For instance the dwarapalakas in the Brihadeeswara temple are themselves huge, but have to be so in order to be proportionate to the massive Siva Lingam in the sanctum sanctorum.

The ancient cire perdue or lost wax process of bronze casting has been handed down unchanged through the centuries. With no physical model serving as a reference, the sthapati carves a wax model of the image using the tala measurements marked out on a coconut frond. This model is then coated with a thick layer of river sand and clay. The stapathis claim that the alluvial sand and clay of the Cauvery River are ideally suited for this purpose. The model is then dried thoroughly and heated to melt the wax. Liquid metal is poured though an opening at the base of the model. Traditionally, Panchaloham, an alloy of copper, brass, lead, silver and gold was used to symbolize the five elements. Now it has been replaced with a combination of copper, tin, brass and lead. When the hot metal is poured into the mold, the wax melts and is displaced, giving the process its name. The model is then cooled and the mould is broken to reveal the image of the deity. If needed, the image is further refined and embellished by the stapathi.

The entire process is imbued with spirituality. The stapathi starts the process by meditating on the Dhyana Shloka for each deity, which enumerates the spiritual qualities of the deity. The Lakshanas describe the physical and facial characteristics. The icons are believed to be imbued with Prana, the sacred breath of life. The process culminates when the temple priests perform special ceremonies to finally invest the metal icon with divinity with the ‘opening of the eyes’ – an awakening of the senses, as it were. It is traditionally believed that Divinity increases in the idol as it is worshipped.

The art and science of these bronze sculptures reached the peak of perfection between the 10^th and 14th centuries in the Chola kingdom in Tamil Nadu. That the stapathi) could chisel metal with such elegant symmetry and grace over a thousand years ago is a testament to the high degree of refinement and sophistication that existed in the subcontinent in that period. One can still see this art form, practiced with little variation, in the town of Swamimalai, about 30 kms from Thanjavur, the old Chola capital.

The Cleveland Museum of Art still has an excellent website dedicated to the subject of bronzes, called the 'Sensuous and the Sacred - Chola Bronzes from South India. Click here to view this website for backgroundinformation and a demonstration on the art form.

Parvati - 12th century - Sarasvati Mahal Museum, Thanjavur

Somaskanda - Shiva, Uma and Skanda - 11th century, private collection.

Krishna subduing Kaliya, 16th century, Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Varaha (Vishnu) and Bhudevi (Lakshmi), pre-17th century, Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Sources:

Art and Science of Chola Bronzes by Sharada Srinivasa.

Hindu Onnet.com: Unbroken Tradition by Kausalya Santhanam