| Terracotta Sculpture
and Mural are extensively used in Bengal because it lacks stone and
is covered with alluvium. Although some archaeological specimens have
been found in pandu
rajar dhibi and Harinarayanpur [pre-Mauryan sites] in West
Bengal, the real history of terracotta sculpture starts from the Mauryan
age (324-187 BC). It is supposed that in pre-Mauryan times it was the
Matrika (Mother-Goddess) statues that prevailed. From the presentation
and aesthetic standard of the Mauryan sculpture it can be easily inferred
that the art had a long and continuous heritage. Facial expression, hairstyle,
head-ornaments, dress and jewellery of the sculpture belonging to the
third century BC and found at Tamluk and chandraketugarh
(both in West Bengal) are indicative of refined taste and a sense of beauty.
In terms of style it has marked kinship with contemporary stone
sculpture. It is to be noted that faces of sculptures of this
time were first made in moulds and then fixed on hand-made bodies.
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Sunga style of terracotta
plaque, Mahasthan |
A kind of terracotta art style was in vogue throughout
the Ganga-Jamuna Valley and Central India during the Shunga and Kusana
periods, spreading from the second century BC to the third Century AD.
Plaque sculptures belonging to this tradition and fully made in moulds
have been found at mahasthan
in Bangladesh, and Tamluk, Chandraketugarh, Pokharna and other places
in West Bengal. Most of these are figures of youthful men and women. Ornaments
of fantastic shapes and designs are found all over the figures which also
wear various styles of hairdressing.
Plaque sculptures for hanging on walls have been found
which belong to the Shunga period (2nd century BC). These may be said
to have been the first attempt of architectural ornamentation with the
aim of putting an end to the monotonous linearity of walls.
These sculptures became much more elegant, refined,
well-shaped and worldly in the Kusana period (2nd and 1st centuries BC).
These were high reliefs smooth in finishing and quite developed in terms
of craftsmanship. Figures have been made tri-dimensonal by using two moulds
- one for the front and another for the back. Specimens of this category
found at Bangarh are worth mentioning. A number of plaque sculptures belonging
to the Shunga age have been discovered at Mahasthangarh after excavation.
The union of thought with aesthetic quality and that of inner beauty with
outward form which took place in North Indian sculpture during the gupta
rule (c 300-550 AD) can be traced in the terracotta sculptures
in Bengal.
The terracotta sculptures of this period found in Bengal
are of better quality than stone sculpture of the same period and region.
Excess of dress and ornaments that had marked the sculpture of previous
ages did now disappear. An excellent example is the Bodhisattva figure
with half-shut eyes and gentle meditative face found at Mahasthangarh.
The classical form of Gupta sculpture can be noticed in the plaques found
at the same place which feature crowned heads with smooth faces and figures
of couples both executed by skilled artists. Terracotta figures of deities,
representations of Puranic legends, and ornamented plaques which had first
been used to decorate the brick-built temples at Bhitargaon in North India
in the fifth century AD have been extensively applied in Mahasthan, bhasu
vihara, paharpur
and mainamati.
Use of brick in architecture became popular in Bengal due to
non-availability of stone and inconveniences in transport, and
with that grew the tradition of decorating the outer surface with
terracotta plaques. There are still about two thousand terracotta
plaques on the sides of the very wide circumbulation path of the
great somapura
mahavihara at Paharpur built in the eighth and ninth
centuries.
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Terracotta head, Mahasthan |
And more than eight hundred such plaques, scattered as
they were around, have been collected. Daily and occasional lives as well
as life's various experiences have been portrayed on the terracotta plaques
that decorate the temple walls.
Among these, worth mentioning are nature, man, animals,
tribal people, Kinnar-Kinnari [semi-divine beings expert in music
and dance], gandharva [another species of similar semi-divine beings],
skinny ascetic on the street and so on. Plinth of the cross-shaped principal
temple of the shalvan
vihara at Mainamati was once decorated with a row of terracotta
plaque sculptures, like the temple of Paharpur. These are exceptional
specimens of the people's art of Bengal in that age.
34 plaques belonging to a later age and found at Bhasu Vihara
are much more sophisticated in aesthetic qualities and in terms
of skill employed compared to those of Paharpur and Mainamati.
These plaques constitute an evidence of advancement in style.
Half-man, half-fish or flower, pearl string on duck's beak, elephant,
and archer are among notable representations on the plaques.
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Terracotta panel
Kantanagar Temple, Dinajpur |
Between 1300 and 1500 Muslim architectural style and
craftsmanship got reconciled with this region's weather, heritage and
historical experience and led to the development of Bengal's own architectural
tradition. At the hands of local artists Islamic calligraphy and geometric
designs got compromised with such elements of Hindu culture as lotus,
bell with chain, intertwined flowers, creepers and leaves, and thus a
unique tradition of architectural ornamentation developed. Examples of
this tradition can be seen in Zafar Khan Ghazi's Mosque, chhota
pandua minar, adina
mosque, eklakhi
mausoleum, tantipada
mosque, bagha
mosque, atiya
mosque and so on.
A regeneration of Hindu culture took place in Bengal
in the sixteenth century AD due to popularisation of Vaisnava religion
through the influence of Sri
chaitanya (1486-1533 AD). Collapse of Hindu caste system, practice
of devotion to and love for Krsna opened new horizon in spiritual exercise.
Most terracotta temples of Bengal were built during the period from late
sixteenth through the nineteenth century. Such wide and varied use of
terracotta plaques in architectural murals has never been found in the
history of art in Bengal. The Vishnupur (17th century) temple of (West
Bengal) and Kantaji's temple (18th century) of Dinajpur (Bangladesh) are
best examples of this new spirit. Apart from these, specimens of remarkable
terracotta murals are to be found on the walls of many temples at Haorah,
Hughli, Midnapore, Bardhaman, Birbhum, Nadia and Baranagar in Murshidabad,
West Bengal, along with those at Pabna, Jessore, Faridpur, Rajshahi, Barisal
and other places in Bangladesh.
Temples of Bengal offered the artists wide walls, huge arches, fat columns, bases of altars as well as cornices, on the surfaces of which could be engraved endless number of mythological tales. Myths of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, activities of Krsna, as well as contemporary social life, men and women, animals and birds, various creatures and beasts, hunting scenes, designs of creepers and leaves have been depicted with exclusive Bengali characteristics. Apart from these, the lifestyles of Europeans in Bengal along with scenes of sensual enjoyment by the zamindar class are to be found on the murals. If the temple plaques of the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are compared with the plaques of Mahasthan, Bhasu Vihara, Paharpur and Mainamati, it is found that the latter are larger in size, of deeper reliefs, and are done in modelling method. In later times, blocks were first made with earth, then partially sun-dried up to need, and thereafter figures were cut out with thin chisels of bamboo or iron. Of course, plaques made for the purpose of design were made in moulds. Due to limited plaque size for reason of medium, its aesthetic use has made the temple geometrical and ornamental at the same time. These temples were built at different places of rural Bengal through the patronage of zamindars and wealthy classes. After the advent of the British, European architectural techniques (use of cement and sand)
and Calcutta-centred culture put an end to this tradition. After discontinuation of Indian traditional art practices, cultivation of modern art started with its centre at the Art College in
Calcutta city. Although Dhaka Art College had been established back in 1948, sculpture began its journey as a separate department only after the birth of Bangladesh. In quest of heritage, terracotta art's new journey and modern experiments began in independent Bangladesh.
In post-independence period a trend is noticed for creating
murals with traditional Bengal and the war
of liberation as subjectmatter. A few other subjects have also
been added to these. Major places where terracotta murals have been placed
are Bangladesh Television Bhavan, Bangladesh Army Headquarters Building,
Ittefaq Building, Arab-Bangladesh Bank, BCIC Building, Sonargaon Hotel,
Grameen Bank, Safura Tower, Bangladesh Military Academy, Bangla Academy,
Yang-Wang Corporation (EPZ Dhaka and Chittagong), Muktijoddha Memorial
(Rangpur), US Embassy and British Embassy. But it must be mentioned that
terracotta ornamentation have not been used in the entire building. Murals
have been created in ceramics and mosaic also. [Alak Roy] |
