Eternal India Encyclopedia

ART

Eternal India

encyclopedia

Generally they are classified as cotton daris and satrangis and

woollen rugs and carpets. They were made chiefly in Bengal and

Northern Ifldia. The manufacture of pile carpets was introduced into

India by the Saracens. These pile carpets are called in India

specifically Kalin and Kalicha. Pile carpets were chiefly made in

Kashmir, Punjab, Baluchistan, Sindh, Agra, Mirzapur, Jubbulpore,

Hyderabad and Warangal, on the Malabar and Coromandel coasts.

Floor Painting

In India, there is the custom of painting on various objects most

particularly the floors, walls and objects of daily use. It is, called by

different names in various parts of the country - alpana in Bengal

and Assam, aripana in Bihar, mandana in Rajasthan, rangoli in

Gujarat and Maharashtra, chowkpurana in Uttar Pradesh and

Kolafn in the South.

In certain regions floor decoration is a daily ritual being consid-

ered a good omen. It is believed that the guest should be welcomed

appropriately by decorating the entrance to the house. Beautiful

surroundings are considered conducive to godliness. Certain de-

signs are very complex taking months with many women working on

them. Rice paste, wheat flour, earth and for the colours vegetable

dyes are used. The hands are used as the brush.

Pitta is the seat of Shiva and is made up of concentric squares or

circles. In the centre there is a cross towards which four paths lead

from the four corners. The altar is the largest square. The steps are

represented by the lines around.

The

chowki

(seat) of Goddess Lakshmi done during Diwali has

two interweaving triangles representing also the goddess of learn-

ing, Saraswati. Surrounding this is the 24-petal lotus flower border.

Lakshmi's footprints embellish the outer circles.

The chowki of Goddess Saraswati is a dot representing the

absolute, with a number of concentric circles surrounding it. She is

symbolised by two interweaving triangles, round which is a circle

from which issue 16 lotus petals.

The Goddess Durga has a central design, with Swastikas, the

outlining being done putting nine dots horizontally and nine verti-

cally to invoke the deities nine names.

The alpanas of Bengal and Assam are very decorative, with

complex patterns, geometrical and floral.

The kolam of the south is essentially sketches done in chalk

powder on a wet ground. The lines are drawn with the ring finger of

the right hand. The outline is done with dots and the lines are drawn

across them.

Patachitra

This is a folk painting of Orissa. The best specimens are found

in and around Puri, especially in the village of Raghurajpur.

The painting is done on cloth which has been processed by coat-

ing it with a mixture of chalk and gum made from tamarind seeds.

The artists paint with earth and stone colours.

Most of the themes are from the life of Lord Krishna. Krishna

dancing with the gopis especially Radha is a common theme. The

surroundings are picturesquely depicted. There is a riot of colours in

the background with the blue figure of Krishna standing out.

with the help of wax and dyes. It is not a design superimposed on a

fabric, like a painted motif, nor is it printed on the surface of a fab-

ric. Batik is a pattern or painting dyed into cloth to become an

integral part of the cloth, almost like a motif woven into it. The mo-

tif is etched on both sides of the fabric.

Batik is a resist process. Any part covered with the resist paste

or wax does not take in the dye and so retains the original colour of

the fabric while the rest of the fabric absorbs the dye used.

The beginnings of batik have been lost in antiquity but India

with its tradition of expertise in textiles and printing could have

been the country of origin. The word batik is Indonesian but the

origin of the process of batik is probably South-East India, the area

formerly known as the Coromandel Coast.

Probably travellers introduced the wax-resist dye technique

from India into Indonesia. It is remarkable how Java has preserved

the Hindu tradition and Indian influence in its famous batiks even

after giving a distinctive Javanese touch to it.

Indonesian batik is done with a Tjanting (a small instrument

used to apply hot liquid wax to the fabric). In India blocks like the

Tjap were used for printing as early as the 14th century in Madras.

The Javanese claim that they invented the Tjap for the sake of the

poor who could not afford a Tjanting batik. It is said that the

Javanese imported the Tjap in the middle of the 19th century from

India. Ananda Coomaraswamy, the well-known art writer, draws a

parallel in philology between the Indian word

Chap

which means

print and the Javanese Tjap which further discloses the origin of the

batik process.

A complicated medium, batik calls for immense patience, physi-

cal stamina and steady application. Once the technique is mastered

the batik painter has to use his knowledge of design and colour and

evolve artistic compositions. Batik is an exquisite art medium as it

is fluid and extremely pliable. A good artist can use batik success-

fully to reflect a variety of moods, seasons and landscapes.

Normally batik is done on soft, closely woven cloth to bring out

its intricate effects. Pure silk and chiffon offer a good surface for

batik designs. Khadi drill, corduroy and velveteen can also be used

to get a variety of textural effects. Batik can also be done on paper,

leather, tiles, metal, wood and egg shells.

(S.B.)

Batik

Batik can be defined as a pattern of painting done on a fabric