Krishna and Kantaji

Krishna and Kantaji

Figure 5.1

You will find this small terracotta panel of a very naughty boy in Gallery 2.

Krishna, the beloved folk hero of the Yadavs of Madubhan is famous for breaking all the rules of society. Here he plays the flute to lure the milkmaids of the village into the forest at night to sing and danceHis worship in Bengal became popular in the 15^th century as Hindu poet-saints traveled from village to village singing his praises in the local language. Some scholars see in his worship through song the influence of the Bal[sic]Sufipoet-saintswho played an important part in the conversion of the people of Bangladesh to Islam.

Figure 5.2

It was wealthy Hindu landlords during the time of the British raj who built the many terracotta temples. This 1871 photograph by John Henry Ravenshaw shows the Kantaji temple as built in 1752 for the worship of Krishna by Maharaja Pran Nath of DinajKantaji. All nine towers were destroyed during an earthquake in 1897.

Figure 5.3

This is the temple as it stands today a World Heritage Site and one of the finest examples of terracotta work anywhere in the world.

Figure 5.4

During festivals to worship Krishna, these sculptures of Krishna as a baby stealing yogurt and as a youth playing the flute are displayed at Kantaji temple for the public to come and sing his praises.

This song by Kabir, a poet-saint who traveled from village to village singing, was claimed by both the Hindus and the Muslims and may well have been sung at this temple.

• There's no creation or creator there,
• no gross or fine, no wind or fire,
• no sun, moon, earth or water,
• no radiant form, no time there,
  
• no word, no flesh, no faith,
  
• no cause and effect, nor any thought of the Veda,
  
• no Hari or Brahma, no Shiva or Shakti,
  
• no pilgrimage and no rituals,
  
• no mother, father or guru there...

— Kabir, Shabda 43, Translated by K Schomer and WH McLeo 

Figure 5.5

Tens of thousands of individually molded and fired terracotta panels, recording both everyday life and the great Hindu epic stories; the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, cover the walls of the temple inside and out.

Figure 5.6

In this set of terracotta panels on the walls of Kantaji temple we can see a raja accompanied by musicians and his queen as he travels in a luxurious barge through the Sundarbans to observe tiger and deer along the shore line. Perhaps the singer is reciting stories from the Ramayana as depicted in the panel above the boat party.

Figure 5.7

Carefully examine the detail on this small terracotta panel here in Gallery 2.A prince on horseback and his dog set out hunting. It has come from a temple now lost to time and the elements of nature.

Figure 5.8

Compare our panel withthis photograph of a similar panel on Kantaji temple. In which panel do horse and rider and dog seem most animated, most excited, as they race forward in pursuit of wild game?

Would you like to produce an action film filled withbattle scenes, romance, mystery, rivalry, treachery and triumph? You need look no further than the record of life during the British Raj as depicted on the terracotta temples of Bangladesh. Here you can see all the details of life to accurately depict the fashions, environment, daily life and royal activitiesrequired to create an epic film.

You can do the same with the stone sculptures from the Pala and Sena dynasties that await you in the next galleries.Their stories will involve great battle scenes of conquest, triumph, and defeat that will require a cast of thousands whether you base your epic on the history or the mythology of the art you are about to see.

Here in the Varendra museum you will see some of the greatest works of art in the history of Bangladesh. We hope you will be inspired to be creative and add another glorious chapter to your country’s history.

Last updated by admin at 10 September, 2020