Colours of Devotion: The Legendary Paintings and Textiles of the Vallabha Sampradaya, 1500-1900

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Indian art is deeply inspired by philosophical and religious thought. In this original and extensively researched work, the author explores the history of the Pushti Marg community. She explains the spiritual beliefs as laid down by the saint and founder Shri Vallabhacharya, which inspired the art that was created for use in the religious practices of the Vallabha Sampradaya.

of This book first delves into the core Pushti Marg Vallabhacharya's philosophy and theology of Shrinathji (a form of Krishna); secondly, it explores how his system of beliefs was expressed in an organized religion and rituals that resulted in the production of sacred objects, mainly paintings, pichvais and shrine textiles. Finally it discusses the influence of Pushti Marg on the social and cultural aspects that carried these traditions forward. While doing so, the book showcases many rare paintings and textiles created for the personal and public shrines of the faith. The book reveals the provenance of the most important pre-Mughal manuscript, Palam Dispersed Bhagwad Puran, and that of Golden and Kalamkari pichrais. The fact that many of the beautiful artefacts, depicting aspects of the worship of Shrinathji, were created by Muslim artisans is a remarkable example of the syncretic culture of India.

The author has analysed the influence of the Vallabha Sampradaya on Indian paintings in minute detail. As a member of a family that has devotedly followed the tenets of Pushti Marg across many generations, she is uniquely placed to offer an insider's view of its philosophy, an in-depth understanding of its practices, and a muscologist's perspective on the exquisite artefacts inspired by this faith, which are now displayed in collections worldwide.

Anita Bharat Shah obtained her PhD from Osmania University, in 1994. She has been active in the Muscology Committee (ICOFOM) of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) since 1987, and served many ycars on its Executive Board.

Dr Shah has taught at several universities abroad as a visiting faculty of Museology. She has previously authored Visitors to South Indian Museums: Museological Context and Visitor Study as well as published extensively in the museological journal ICOFOM Study Series.

She has conducted extensive research on kalamkari, Deccani and Rajasthani paintings and pichvais from 2013 to 2022. An avid collector of Indian textiles and art objects, she has organized many exhibitions, including a special display of Ancient Indian Textiles for Queen Elizabeth during her visit to Hyderabad in 1983. She and her husband Bharat Shah, creators of the AABHA collection, organized an exhibition titled 'Threads of Devotion' showcasing embroidered pichvais from Kutch and Rajasthan of the early 19th to mid-20th centuries at the Nirmala Birla Modern Art Museum, Hyderabad, in 2021. She lives with her family in Hyderabad.

Art and religion have been integral aspects of mankind from prehistoric times. In the Indian tradition the quest for the 'self' is intrinsically linked with the process of realizing transcendence through varied channels of arts. The Indian artist's quest was to give form and shape to the unmanifest based on the philosophy of the Shastras (sacred scriptures). The form represents multiple layers of meanings and profound concepts expressed through iconographic details. The purpose of this book is to understand the deep underlying connection of Indian philosophical concepts of Pushti Marg as laid down by Shri Vallabhacharya as symbolically depicted in the paintings that were created for the devotees of this sect from the early 16th century to the beginning of the 20th century.

Pushti Marg is a sect of Sanatan Dharma (the 'eternal' truth and teachings of Hinduism) and is based on its basic Shastras. At the core of any sect is the philosophy of its founder, and this is expressed in a system of beliefs. This system of beliefs being intangible and abstract eventually gave birth to organized tangible expressions in rituals and customs. Therefore, to understand the influence of Pushti Marg on Indian paintings this book delves into its core that is Vallabhacharya's philosophy and theology of Krishna; secondly, it explores how his system of beliefs was expressed in an organized religion and rituals that resulted in the production of sacred objects, mainly paintings, pichuais and shrine textiles.

Lastly it discusses the influence of Pushti Marg on the social and cultural aspects that carried these traditions forward.

Vallabhacharya formally established Pushti Marg by enshrining the image of Shrinathji on Mount Govardhan, near Gokul, Vraj, in 1493 CE, initiating followers into his fold. His philosophy of Shuddhadvaita, Subhodini his commentary on Shrimad Bhagavad Puran, combined with his theology of Krishna, and secondly, the doctrine of having a personal shrine of Krishna snarup at home, made a deep impact on various Indian schools of painting from the early 16th century. His strong inclination towards Rasa Panchadhayi as expressed in Subhodinı, and his endearingly sweet description of Krishna in Madhurashtakam inspired his two sons, Gopinathji and Vithalnathji, to design an aesthetically and sensually intense mode of worship, later carried forward by Vithalnathji's descendants. Thereby, devotees indulged in liturgy that delighted the soul with Krishna lilas in Vrindavan re-enacted at home as an integral part of worship, particularly the fleeting moments of tender and esoteric love of the gopis, that eventually became a metaphor of the human quest for the Ultimate Reality:

In short, I have attempted to explore the influence on Indian paintings of the Vallabha Sampradaya that has been affected through three channels:

philosophical and theological; religious and ritual; and lastly, historical, social, and cultural aspects. I have had the good fortune to be from a family that has been earnestly following the tenets of Pushti Marg across many generations over centuries, which has not only provided an insider's view of its philosophy, but also participative opportunities and experience involving its rituals, social and cultural practices. It is this viewpoint that I have shared.

Paintings in Ancient India

The urge to endow creativity with an aesthetic vision can be traced back to antiquity. Paintings are a dynamic medium of expressing and communicating emotions across space and time. Endowing an aesthetic vision to creativity is an elemental human trait that has been an integral aspect of Indian life. According to the Rig Veda, Indian artists used their visionary talents to connect with hidden realms, making art spiritual and intuitive.

We see evidence of highly developed artistic expression from prehistoric times in India. Archeologists have recently discovered cave paintings in Mangar Bani hill forest, Haryana in May 2021. These cave paintings are estimated to be 20,000 to 40,000 years old and are from the Paleolithic period. It is for the first time that a multitude of Palaeolithic cave paintings and rock art have been found in Haryana, India. Bhimbetka rock shelters is another site in Madhya Pradesh, central India, which has cave paintings from the Paleolithic period. Here are paintings made by people who were nomadic hunters and gatherers that have survived with little change through the ages. People chose to express their strong feelings in pictorial forms. They left behind wall paintings and carvings as testimony to their emerging intellectual prowess and as manifestation of their creative urge.

Indian Hindu and Buddhist literature has many references to the art of painting (chitra) and artists (chitaras). In the Vishnudharmottara Purana, formulated in the fifth century, the chapter titled 'Chitrasutra' is dedicated to explaining tenets of painting. Various references in ancient Indian literature reveal that the tradition of painting murals and frescos in temples and palaces was prevalent since antiquity. The 41st chapter of Vishnudharmottara Purana, describes how Rasas, bhavas and postures of dancing can be expressed in painting The 56th chapter of Brihat Samhita of Varahamihira, 500 CE mentions Chitrakarma painting.

Approximately 30 rock cut Buddhist Ajanta caves dating from the second century BCE to the fifth century CE in Aurangabad district, India, are tangible evidence of the highly refined prowess of Indian aesthetic sensibilities. These are some of the finest examples of surviving ancient Indian art. These paintings demonstrate how the artists developed a visual vocabulary to symbolically express emotions through gesture, pose, attire and form as early as the second century BCE. The rock-cut Badami cave temples are a complex of Hindu and Jain cave temples located in Northern Karnataka, carved by the early Chalukya dynasty, sixth century, that feature fresco paintings. The Brihadishvara Temple, Thanjavur, built by Chola emperor Rajaraja I in 1003-1010 CE, dedicated to Lord Shiva, also has fresco paintings that have survived the ravages of time.