Description
The second issue of Heritage India turns the spotlight on the rich art of Thanjavur painting, and the living arts of the Bahuroopi performers in Maharashtra and folk theatre in Goa. Read about the lives and struggles of the Bundela Rajputs and the inspirational faith of Guru Nanak Singh. We take you sailing down the tranquil backwaters of Kerala, and understand the gift that is the Banyan tree. Walk back in time with the Pandharpur wari, where thousands of devotees still follow an 800 year old tradition.
Bundelas gave their name to a dialect of Hindi and an entire geo-cultural region, leaving behind a legacy of art, architecture and folklore. Yet their own lives were fraught with turbulence as they struggled to hold on to their ‘Rajput’ identity, as Randhir Khare reveals.
Due to its age-old geographical isolation, little is known about this exquisitely picturesque land with its rich cultural and folkloric traditions of community knowledge. Now at the crossroads of change, the people of Nagaland hold on to the power of memory and the balancing force of its traditional values.
The warkari tradition celebrates the equality of all beings and through the sacred walk to Pandharpur draws divinity in to the hearts of its followers. Sandesh Bhandare walks the path of faith of a tradition unbroken for the last 800 years.
In an age that was fraught with religious orthodoxy and the forces of intolerance and violence, one man rose to confront the tide. Parveen Brar narrates how Guru Nanak became a powerful instrument of change in his own lifetime, founding a powerful spiritual empire based on love, inclusiveness and purity of living.
Often starting out life as a killer, and ending by giving life to many other creatures, with its roots in the air, the banyan is a tree full of paradoxes. One of our most revered trees, and an integral part of our myths and legends, Meera Iyer delves into its curious existence.
Transcending a singular medium, this art brilliantly combines sketching, painting, bas-relief and embellishments with gold foil, semi-precious stones and mirrors produce and unforgettable composition of aesthetic elegance. Padma Raghavan and Savita Narayan highlight the finesse and skill behind the Thanjavur style of art.
Shubhangan Atre sheds light on the esoteric stupa and its evolution. From the early pre-Buddhist stone or earth mounds which commemorated the departed, the stupa has evolved to represent the Buddha as a universal symbol of the ultimate truth and compassion.
The traditional theatre forms in Goa – the Perni Jagar – keep the spirit of social and religious discourse alive and in the public eye. Vinay Khedekar explains the rich history behind the Goan folk theatre.
With a little smudge of colour, the mortal take on the image of the divine. Sandesh Bhandare captures the magic of the Bahuroopi performers, famous for performing the epic ‘Ramleela’.
Winding canals lined fringed with coconut trees and idyllic villages, floating down the backwaters of Kerala is a bit like a boat-ride through paradise. V R Prakasan explains their ecological significance and how they have shaped the lives of the people living along them.