Mani Velupillai
This article is intended to trace the heritage of Tamil fine arts from
antiquity to modernity. Fine arts or visual arts appeal to the aesthetic mind
and senses. They constitute an integral part of literature, music and drama.
Literature is a perfect example of the genre of arts which appeal to the
aesthetic mind. Fiction and poetry come under that category. Painting and
sculpture stand for visually aesthetic art forms. “They are created to be
beautiful rather than useful” according to a definition (Oxford). The phrase
“Beautiful rather than useful” reminds us of a fable by Aesop:
One bright day in late autumn a family of Ants were bustling about in
the warm sunshine, drying out the grain they had stored up during the summer,
when a starving Grasshopper, his fiddle under his arm, came up and humbly
begged for a bite to eat.
“What!” cried the Ants in surprise, “haven’t you stored anything away
for the winter? What in the world were you doing all last summer?”
“I didn’t have time to store up any food,” whined the Grasshopper; “I
was so busy making music that before I knew it the summer was gone.” The Ants
shrugged their shoulders in disgust.
“Making music, were you?” they cried. “Very well; now dance!” And they
turned their backs on the Grasshopper and went on with their work.
The moral of the fable seems to be that there’s a time for work and a
time for play! Aesop lived more than 3,000 years ago in
Greece. Singing and dancing kept pace with each other way before his times.
These aesthetic forms of art flourished nearly 5,000 years
ago in the basins of the Indus River. Rev. Thani Nayagam (1913-1980)
takes pride in identifying Goddess Uma Devi with the dancing girl from
the Indus Valley!
He quotes Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) as
saying: “As a matter of fact, the old Dravidian culture was by no means to be
despised, and the result of its combination with the Aryan, which formed the
Hindu civilization, acquired both richness and depth under the influence of its
Dravidian component. Dravidians might not be introspective or metaphysical, but
they were artists, and they could sing, design and construct. The
transcendental thought of the Aryan, by its marriage with the emotional and
creative art of the Dravidian, gave birth to an offspring, which was neither fully
Aryan nor Dravidiyan, but Hindu” (Complete Works of Thani Nayaga Adigalaar,
Vol. II, p. 129-30).
Ananda Coomaraswamy (1877-1947) illustrates in
his books how the arts of music, dance, sculpture and painting prospered as
integral components of Hindu and Buddhist culture in South and South East Asia:
Medieval Sinhalese Art (1908), The Arts and Crafts of
India and Ceylon (1913), The Dance of Shiva (1918)...
Classical
Tamil literature consists in verse meant to be sung and experienced. Tamil
classics abound with references to cows, bulls, snakes, elephants and others
losing themselves to music. Another outstanding example would be the hymns
recited by Ravana to win over God Siva who had trapped him beneath Mount
Kailash as he tried to uproot it.
U.
V. Swaminatha Iyer (1855-1942) relies on the epic of
Manimekalai to list forms of art known through Tamil language: melodrama,
recitation, music, instrumental music, drumming, bowling, cooking,
aromatherapy, bathing, sleeping, understanding, articulating, drawing,
garlanding, ornamental drawing on the ground, decorating, palmistry, stage
play, painting etc.
Swamy Vipulanandar (1892-1947) authored Yalnool
(Book of Stringed Musical Instruments) based on the epic of
Chilappathikaram which refers to a
variety of flutes: periyal, maharayal,
sakodayal, chenkoottiyal, athiyal etc. Dr. U. V. S. Iyer lists numerous musical
instruments: perikai, padakam, idakkai, udukkai, mattalam, challikai,
karadikai, timilai, kudamula, takkai, kanapparai, thannumai, thadari, antari, mulavu,
chandravalaiyam, montai, murasu, kanviduthoompu, nichalam, tudumai, chiruparai,
adakkam, takunicham, viraleru, pakam, upankam, nalikaiparai, akuli, pandil,
kodu, neduvankiyam, kurunthoompu, tattaipparai, patalai etc. Bards were adept
in reciting melodious songs to the accompaniment of musical instruments.
Tamil chronicles record both oral and instrumental music. Kottaattu
Paattu combines music, instruments and drama. The art of kootu (melodrama) was
performed by a group of thespians, minstrels and courtesans with disarming
gesticulations. Coupled with a story it would be a stage-play. The epic of
Manimekalai depicts a concert of music and dance enjoyed by the monkeys with
the cuckoo singing and the peacock dancing to the accompaniment of the pipe played
by the dragonfly and flute by the beetle! There is a memorable scene in the
epic of Cheevaka Chintamani where Churamanjari, who has vowed not to look at a
male, is won over by Cheevakan, disguised as an old man, through a captivating
recital. Both Kovalan and Madhavi, in the epic of Chilappathikaram, are
artistes. Isn’t it the art of aesthetics that attracted and united them in
spite of his marriage to Kannaki?
Dramatic or melodramatic performances presented before monarchs were
known asvettiyal and those before the public as potuviyal. As many as 30 kinds of drama including ahakootu (ahanadakam) and
purakootu (puranadakam) were presented
as a source of entertainment to the masses across Tamil Nadu. Forms of drama
differ from place to place in Sri Lanka: vadapanku and thenpanku in the North,
vadamodi, thenmodi and vasanthan kootu in the East and vannipanku and
mannarpanku in Vanni.
The art of bharathanatyam practised now across the Tamil-speaking
world originated in Tamil Nadu many centuries ago. This form of art which
integrates literature, music and drama appeals both to the aesthetic mind and
senses. Despite its Tamil cultural origins bharathanatyam has proved to be a
unique source of artistic entertainment appealing to professionals and laymen,
the elite and the masses and Tamils and non-Tamils.
The art of painting in Tamil Nadu can be traced back to the Chola
Dynasty (which held sway over South India from early Common Era to the 13th century). Tanjore has been the painting capital of Tamil
Nadu ever since then. Locally known as palakai padam (plank art), Tanjore
painting is renowned for its finesse, glitter and colourfulness. Hindu pantheon
has always been its leitmotif. Gems, pearls, glass and crystal enhance the
aesthetics of Tanjore painting.
According to an anecdote quoted by Dr. U. V. S. Iyer: A man entered
the palace where he saw the king seated in his chamber with his ministers in
attendance. They were not talking or moving. He approached the king and
presented his offerings. The king did not receive them. The man had a closer
look and realized to his amazement that it was a mural painting of the king and
his ministers. There were master painters in Tamil Nadu. Their paintings, as
praised by a poet, were so vivid and beautiful that a depicted wall would feel
like an actual wall. There were artificial seas, forests, hills and cascades as
well as their paintings within the royal premises for the benefit of the king’s
womenfolk who rarely stirred from the palace” (Uyirmiitcy, Kalachuvadu, Ngercoil,
2016, p. 166).
Architecture and sculpture have flourished in Tamil Nadu ever since
the rule of the Pallava Dynasty (400-900 CE). Pallava
artisans were highly skilled in rock-cut-sculpture. King Mahendra Pallvan (600-630) inaugurated rock-cut-sculpture in South India. The
rock-cut architecture of Mamallapuram created by him symbolizes the amazing
intersection of Hinduism, the epic of Mahabharata and the sculpture of Tamil
Nadu.
According to an inscription (in Sanskrit) on a front pillar of the
rock-cut-temple (Thirumurti Temple) of Mandagapattu, commissioned by King
Mahendra Pallavan, “This temple, Lakshita-yatna, for Brahma, Ishvara and Vishnu
was created by the king, Mysterious Sculptor, without bricks, sand, metal,
mortar or timber.”
Architecture and sculpture assumed just another dimension during the
period of Chola Dynasty (900-1250). The construction of
the Great Temple (Brihadeeswarar Temple) of Tanjore was commissioned by Emperor
Raja Raja (985-1014). Worshippers stand in awe of this
temple, the biggest of its kind in India, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Incidentally, Tanjore is well-known for its Carnatic Music, Bharatanatyam,
painting, drumming, veena recital, crystal and metal craftsmanship, dolls,
images made of colourful glass and velvet, statues etc.
In the heart of the city of Gangaikonda Cholapuram stands a famous
Sivan Temple (Gangaikonda Choleeswaram). The construction of both the city and
the temple were commissioned by Emperor Raja Rajan’s son and successor Rajendra
Cholan (1014-1044). Gangaikonda Cholapuram was built in
memory of his conquest of the Ganges. The architectural and aesthetic features
of the Sivan Temple could match those of the Great Temple of Tanjore.
Pandya Dynasty that took turns to rise and fall between the 6th and 14th centuries commissioned
construction of buildings with tall towers, surrounding walls and wide
entrances. King Kulasekara Pandiyan (1268-1308) is
credited with the construction of Meenakshy Amman Temple in Madurai, an
excellent example of Pandiyan kings’ outstanding contribution to Tamil
sculpture and architecture.
Notable features of temples built during the period of Vijayanagar
Dynasty (1350-1560) included massive pillars and exquisite
craftsmanship. The rulers of Nayaka Dynasty (1600-1750) focused
on building temples with tall pillars and long corridors.
“The art of sculpture thrived in ancient times. While in school I
socialized with master sculptors in Thiruvavaduturai, Swamy Malai,
Thiruvidaimaruthoor, Thiruvilimilalai and other areas. I was stunned at their
craftsmanship. Some sculptors are still active here and there. During my search
for manuscripts from place to place I came across several books on sculpture in
Tamil and Sanskrit. Most parts of a building are nowadays referred to in
English. These parts were named in Tamil in all the scripts I collected. Master
sculptors would identify towns, villages and houses with a human being and
demarcate locations for their eyes, head etc. One could figure out the cause of
abrupt appearance and disappearance of towns, villages and houses with the help
of these books on sculpture” (U. V. S. Iyer, Uyirmiitcy, p.168).
No doubt our heritage of fine arts has, right throughout, enriched our
social life and cultural values with its antiquity, variety and diversity. But
that’s another story.
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Mani Velupillai, The Heritage of Fine Arts, 2016-09-01
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