Indian Sculpture and Iconography: Forms and Measurements

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India is a rare example of a civilisation which took birth thousands of years ago and has continued to flourish uninterrupted. There have been many changes through the centuries, many ups and downs, but it has always been the same India with its special bent of mind and its unique culture.

The aesthetic intuition, the imagination and the creative intelligence of this culture found expression through its literature, its art, and crafts. Even though a large part of this art has been lost or destroyed over the ages, there are still many surviving examples, especially of Indian architecture and sculpture, a testimony to its greatness and its deep underlying vision.

This book on Indian sculpture and iconography presents the significant measurements of idols and images. It is a treatise on classical Indian sculpture, as it has developed through the centuries and has been practised by the shilpis, the sculptors, and craftsmen of India. It brings together ancient Sanskrit and Tamil texts on Indian sculpture, the great family tradition, practical experience, knowledge, and artistic skill of a sthapati whose entire life has been devoted to this work from his childhood, and the technical background and deeper search of a modern architect.

There are four characteristics of Indian culture which have contributed to its greatness and a careful study of this book would reveal how they were all interwoven in classical Indian sculpture.

A constant reference to our original spiritual source, a search for the eternal and infinite in all things.

A philosophical basis and an orderly categorisation, which puts everything in its right place.

A prolific and abundant creativity, manifesting itself through a rich variery.

An attempt to go to the extreme of every thought, emotion, or action, to work out the minutest of details with an amazing thoroughness.

To understand and appreciate any work of art demands from the viewer a certain inwards gathering and concentration, a certain receptivity and openness to the creative impulse. This is even more true of Indian art, where the stress is less on the physical form and beauty and more on a truth and beauty which are expressive of an inner seeking and finding.

How then should we approach this art so different and remote from our modern mentality and yet, in some ways, so close to us. We may perhaps find an answer in the following words of Sri Aurobindo, whom the Nobel Laureate Romain Rolland has called "the greatest synthesis of the East and the West".

"The gods of Indian sculpture are cosmic beings, embodiments of some great spiritual power, spiritual idea and action, inmost psychic significance, the human form a vehicle of this soul meaning, its outward means of self-expression; everything in the figure, every opportunity it gives, the face, the hands, the posture of the limbs, the poise and turn of the body, every accessory, has to be made instinct with the inner meaning, help it to emerge, carry out the rhythm of the total suggestion, and on the other hand everything is suppressed which would defeat this end, especially all that would mean an insistance on the merely vital or physical, outward or obvious suggestions of the human figure. Not the ideal physical or emotional beauty, but the utmost spiritual beauty or significance of which the human form is capable, is the aim of this kind of creation. The divine self in us is its theme, the body made a form of the soul is its idea and its secret. And therefore in front of this art it is not enough to look at it and respond with the aesthetic eye and the imagination, but we must look also into the form for what it carries and even through and behind it to pursue the profound suggestion it gives into its own infinite. The religious or hieratic side of Indian sculpture is intimately connected with the spiritual experiences of Indian meditation and adoration, soul realisation is its method of creation and soul realisation must be the way of our response and understanding."

Though this book is based on an old tradition, it is meant for those shilpis of modern India who want to draw light and inspiration from the past and move towards a new creative future, reflective of the soul and the true genius of India. It is offered to them and to the lovers of Indian art so that in the renaissance which is coming over India, this great art too may revive with a new impulse, and the power of the ancient spiritual motive find its rightful place in the artistic expression of the future.

This book is a treatise on Indian sculpture and iconography, based on the Shilpa shastra, an ancient text blessed by the divinities and fostered by the hoary traditions of this land.

The sculptural tradition in India, the shilpa parampara, is closely linked to the architectural field and the two together came to be known as the vaastu parampara. A large number of texts were originally written pertaining to both fields. The designers and artists of the classical traditions of sculpture and architecture were known as the Viswakarma, whose name has been mentioned in the Vedas and the Puranas. Even today they are known by this name though there are regional variations. Viswakarma craftsmen and artists have been the designers of towns, temples, residences, villages, palaces, makers of sculptural works in metal, wood, earth-mortar and stone, jewellers, vessel makers, blacksmiths, and makers of implements of war. To this day this community lives in various pockets of India, though sadly depleted in number and marginalised in its contribution to society. Traditionally, all skilled work connected with buildings and sculpture came under their direct purview. But with the advent of modern educational patterns and technology, their services were terminated in all works except temple designs and fashioning of art objects. It is only in the last two decades that a revival has taken place in the preparation and re-absorption of the traditional Viswakarma into the mainstream of social building activity.

During the course of our research in the shilpa parampara, we became aware of the similarities and resemblances of the grammar or order of sculpture in all parts of India whether Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa, or Bengal. We realised that a national tradition existed in our midst, which had been mistakenly put into contradictory slots due to variations in styles. The underlying principles and rhythms have evolved from a common and powerful base. In fact the work methodology, measuring techniques, habits, ethics, and material handling of the Viswakarma community show a remarkable similarity through the length and breadth of the whole of India. The Viswakarma have been one large united family and it is their genius and creativity that has contributed greatly to the identity of our culture today.

Sculpture is a very important part of the Indian heritage, as amply evidenced by temples and their incomparable art work. Worship of images has traditionally been held in high esteem in this country. Tangible objects symbolising the abstract qualities of the universe have been sources of profound veneration and fulfillment for philosopher. saints, who have sung paeans of joy whilst lost in devotion before divine images. Dharma (righteous action), satya (truth), karuna (compassion), and lavanya (beauty) have been represented in sculptured forms, and to these the people have offered their adoration. The Vaishnava saints have summed this up in the following manner: "The Divine Being Himself has come to us in the tangible form of the idol".

The artistic basis for the creation of the Divine form is a unique heritage of this sub-continent. To house such lyrical forms, countless temples have been raised and on their walls, ceilings, floors, vimana, and mandapa, the great works of art of the shilpi (sculptor) have been created. These creations can be seen in stone, stucco, earth mortar, metal, and in paintings.

The transference of knowledge in the sculptural tradition has been hereditary and the father's workshop became the learning ground for the son. During the day, the actual work technique was taught and in the evenings theoretical knowledge was imparted through the shilpa texts. Sculpture has a very powerful grammar or lakshanam (distinctive characteristics) which has been preserved in its pristine glory for thousands of years (in the cave temples of the Jain and Buddhist periods dating to 3rd century B.C., the elementary principles of this grammar of sculpture can already be recognised).

The art of drawing and painting can be explained as the juxtaposition of blank white spaces and coloured spaces. Similarly, sculpture can be described as forms created and set out by projections and setbacks. The quality of the sculpture depends on the usage of appropriate tools and a clear knowledge of the nature of materials. To transfer imagined or envisioned symbols into concrete forms and to make these intuitively apparent to viewers, very deep scholarship is essential.

To be able to transform mere skill into artistry, there is another area of expertise imperative for the artist. This is his Swanubhavam or experience-base which can be cultivated and strengthened only through exposure to the lyrical aspects of literature and other fine arts, as well as, a deep experiencing of life itself.

It is with this multiple ability in mind that the texts speak of an artist in the following manner: "The artist is one who has immense skills, has a good grounding in mathematics, is a painter, has deeply understood the many traditions of fine arts, has followed the course of myths and legends and intuitively understands the secrets of natural phenomena."