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Nala and Damayanti: A Great Series of Paintings of an Old Indian Romance
Overview
Three things come magically together in this remarkable series of paintings: a great text, a delectable old romance, and the work of one of the most talented families of painters known to Indian art. The text is the 12th century Naishadhacharita of Sriharsha, one of the last great kavyas of Sanskrit literature. The story, told with the utmost delicacy, centers around the intense love that grew – mutual sights heard of, but yet unseen – between King Nala and Princess Damayanti; and the painter family that produced this exquisitely painted series came from the small principality of Guler in the ‘Pahari’ hills: today’s Himachal Pradesh. The intent of the painter/s was to cover the story in close to 110 paintings, but for reasons unknown, the work was interrupted: only 47 paintings could be completed – all of them now in the collection of the Amar Mahal Museum and Library at Jammu, and here published – the remaining having survived only in the form of highly finished drawings. But none of this interferes in the slightest with the magic that the paintings weave.
About the Author
B.N. Goswamy , a distinguished art historian, is Professor Emeritus of Art History at the Panjab University, Chandigarh. He has been the recipient of many honours, including the Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship, the Rietberg Award for Outstanding Research in Art History, the Padma Shri (1998) and the Padma Bhushan (2008) from the President of India. Professor Goswamy has taught, as Visiting Professor, at several universities across the world. Among his many publications are: Pahari Masters: Court Painters of Northern India, The Word is Sacred; Sacred is The Word: The Indian Manuscript.
Three things come magically together in this remarkable series of paintings: a great text, a delectable old romance, and the work of one of the most talented families of painters known to Indian art. The text is the 12th century Naishadhacharita of Sriharsha, one of the last great kavyas of Sanskrit literature. The story, told with the utmost delicacy, centers around the intense love that grew – mutual sights heard of, but yet unseen – between King Nala and Princess Damayanti; and the painter family that produced this exquisitely painted series came from the small principality of Guler in the ‘Pahari’ hills: today’s Himachal Pradesh. The intent of the painter/s was to cover the story in close to 110 paintings, but for reasons unknown, the work was interrupted: only 47 paintings could be completed – all of them now in the collection of the Amar Mahal Museum and Library at Jammu, and here published – the remaining having survived only in the form of highly finished drawings. But none of this interferes in the slightest with the magic that the paintings weave.
About the Author
B.N. Goswamy , a distinguished art historian, is Professor Emeritus of Art History at the Panjab University, Chandigarh. He has been the recipient of many honours, including the Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship, the Rietberg Award for Outstanding Research in Art History, the Padma Shri (1998) and the Padma Bhushan (2008) from the President of India. Professor Goswamy has taught, as Visiting Professor, at several universities across the world. Among his many publications are: Pahari Masters: Court Painters of Northern India, The Word is Sacred; Sacred is The Word: The Indian Manuscript.
- GenresArt
264 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 21, 2015
An Interesting Read for the Readers Fascinated with Immortal Love Stories from Ancient India
In book, titled "Nala and Damayanti: A Great Series of Paintings of an Old Indian Romance", author B.N. Goswamy explores the literary significance of the tales around immortal romantic love between Prince Nala and princess Damayanti as well as annotations explaining the symbolism and allusions found in the stories. The book includes plates of 47 Dogra-Pahari paintings of the Nala and Damayanti series, which are from paintings in the collection of Amar Mahal Museum & Library in Jammu and later curated by National Museum in New Delhi. In Foreword, Dr Karan Singh remembers "The paintings reproduced in this beautiful volume were created in the second half of the 18th century in the Dogra-Pahari region of North India, mainly in what is now Himachal Pradesh. Apart from their material qualities and rich folklore, the several schools of Pahari art have been a major contribution of the Dogra-Pahari people to the grand mosaic of Indian culture" (p. 9). The book is structured into three parts, namely, (a) Pahari Paintings of the Nala-Damayanti Theme: An Essay, (b) Colour Plates with Notes, and (c) Sanskrit Text of Chitrarthadipika with Translation. Part two contains vivid tales of immortal romantic love between Nala-Damayanti, including their courtship, biraha and marriage. The volume also includes two appendixes, namely (i) Preliminary Sanguine Drawings of the Nala-Damayanti Series, and (ii) Select Word List with Diacritics. This book is an interesting read for the readers fascinated with fairy tales and immortal love stories from ancient India.
In book, titled "Nala and Damayanti: A Great Series of Paintings of an Old Indian Romance", author B.N. Goswamy explores the literary significance of the tales around immortal romantic love between Prince Nala and princess Damayanti as well as annotations explaining the symbolism and allusions found in the stories. The book includes plates of 47 Dogra-Pahari paintings of the Nala and Damayanti series, which are from paintings in the collection of Amar Mahal Museum & Library in Jammu and later curated by National Museum in New Delhi. In Foreword, Dr Karan Singh remembers "The paintings reproduced in this beautiful volume were created in the second half of the 18th century in the Dogra-Pahari region of North India, mainly in what is now Himachal Pradesh. Apart from their material qualities and rich folklore, the several schools of Pahari art have been a major contribution of the Dogra-Pahari people to the grand mosaic of Indian culture" (p. 9). The book is structured into three parts, namely, (a) Pahari Paintings of the Nala-Damayanti Theme: An Essay, (b) Colour Plates with Notes, and (c) Sanskrit Text of Chitrarthadipika with Translation. Part two contains vivid tales of immortal romantic love between Nala-Damayanti, including their courtship, biraha and marriage. The volume also includes two appendixes, namely (i) Preliminary Sanguine Drawings of the Nala-Damayanti Series, and (ii) Select Word List with Diacritics. This book is an interesting read for the readers fascinated with fairy tales and immortal love stories from ancient India.
July 21, 2015
An Interesting Read for the Readers Fascinated with Immortal Love Stories from Ancient India
In book, titled "Nala and Damayanti: A Great Series of Paintings of an Old Indian Romance", author B.N. Goswamy explores the literary significance of the tales around immortal romantic love between Prince Nala and princess Damayanti as well as annotations explaining the symbolism and allusions found in the stories. The book includes plates of 47 Dogra-Pahari paintings of the Nala and Damayanti series, which are from paintings in the collection of Amar Mahal Museum & Library in Jammu and later curated by National Museum in New Delhi. In Foreword, Dr Karan Singh remembers "The paintings reproduced in this beautiful volume were created in the second half of the 18th century in the Dogra-Pahari region of North India, mainly in what is now Himachal Pradesh. Apart from their material qualities and rich folklore, the several schools of Pahari art have been a major contribution of the Dogra-Pahari people to the grand mosaic of Indian culture" (p. 9). The book is structured into three parts, namely, (a) Pahari Paintings of the Nala-Damayanti Theme: An Essay, (b) Colour Plates with Notes, and (c) Sanskrit Text of Chitrarthadipika with Translation. Part two contains vivid tales of immortal romantic love between Nala-Damayanti, including their courtship, biraha and marriage. The volume also includes two appendixes, namely (i) Preliminary Sanguine Drawings of the Nala-Damayanti Series, and (ii) Select Word List with Diacritics. This book is an interesting read for the readers fascinated with Indian fairy tales and immortal love stories.
In book, titled "Nala and Damayanti: A Great Series of Paintings of an Old Indian Romance", author B.N. Goswamy explores the literary significance of the tales around immortal romantic love between Prince Nala and princess Damayanti as well as annotations explaining the symbolism and allusions found in the stories. The book includes plates of 47 Dogra-Pahari paintings of the Nala and Damayanti series, which are from paintings in the collection of Amar Mahal Museum & Library in Jammu and later curated by National Museum in New Delhi. In Foreword, Dr Karan Singh remembers "The paintings reproduced in this beautiful volume were created in the second half of the 18th century in the Dogra-Pahari region of North India, mainly in what is now Himachal Pradesh. Apart from their material qualities and rich folklore, the several schools of Pahari art have been a major contribution of the Dogra-Pahari people to the grand mosaic of Indian culture" (p. 9). The book is structured into three parts, namely, (a) Pahari Paintings of the Nala-Damayanti Theme: An Essay, (b) Colour Plates with Notes, and (c) Sanskrit Text of Chitrarthadipika with Translation. Part two contains vivid tales of immortal romantic love between Nala-Damayanti, including their courtship, biraha and marriage. The volume also includes two appendixes, namely (i) Preliminary Sanguine Drawings of the Nala-Damayanti Series, and (ii) Select Word List with Diacritics. This book is an interesting read for the readers fascinated with Indian fairy tales and immortal love stories.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews