-
Kantha...
Kantha
Poetry Embroidered on Cloth by: Krishna LalKantha the embroidered poetry on cloth speaks volumes about the imagination of a woman and the aspirations that her craftwork reflects. This folk art emerged from a combination of materialistic circumstances and daily needs, climate, geography and economic factors. The motifs embroidered were influenced by religious beliefs and superstitions, and of course what the women saw around them.
₹1,350.00
ISBN: 9788124608289
Year Of Publication: 2014
Edition: 1st Edition
Pages : 166
Language : English
Binding : Hardcover
Publisher: Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts
Size: 29
Weight: 1300
Kantha the embroidered poetry on cloth speaks volumes about the imagination of Bengali women and the aspirations that her craftwork reflects. It is a well-conceived art work, which has always attracted people from all walks of life. She creates the most amazing Kanthas with great love and affection for her dear ones. Her creativity stands unmatched when she breathes life into a discarded saree, worn out from constant use and laundering. She transforms this simple five metres of old cloth into a most admirable, attractive and unparalleled utilitarian artefact. Initially, light coverlets or quilts to withstand the mild winters and cool monsoon nights of Bengal – were made using the Kantha embroideries, which was limited to simple stitches and a few colours. Some Kanthas were used as swaddling clothes for babies; expectant mothers spent their last stages of pregnancy in making a Kantha for the new born, with the belief that this piece of cloth would bring good fortune for the family and protect the baby from diseases. Every home in a Bengali village housed a number of Kanthas that were more for personal use than commercial gain. This folk art emerged from a combination of materialistic circumstances and daily needs, climate, geography and economic factors. The motifs embroidered were influenced by religious beliefs and superstitions, and of course what the women saw around them. These motifs embroidered in the simplest of running stitches, speak of folk beliefs and practices, religious ideas, themes and characters from mythology and epics, flora, fauna, man and nature; they also reflect the social and personal life of people in their own way.
Kantha signifies a poor man’s wrap consisting of old used up cloth patched up and sewn into a single garment. It seems probable that patch works Kantha constituted the original form of Kanthas and that Kanthas of a decorative appliqué type were evolved from this.
-
Sale!Absence of the Buddha Image in Early Buddhist Art ₹1,350.00
It is next to impossible today to even think of Buddhism without the presence of the Buddha image! The image of the Buddha, in truth, has not only come to symbolise the essence of Buddhism but is also a brilliant expression of the cultural/artistic achievements of the Buddhists since ancient times. Surprisingly, the Buddha image developed at a later stage of the evolutionary process; after the parinirvana of the Buddha, the Buddhists for a considerable time beheld the Buddha and experienced him in their own minds without taking recourse to the Buddha image itself. In Absence of the Buddha Image in Early Buddhist Art, Dr. Tanaka, a well-versed scholar, has for the first time ever explored the absence of the Buddha image in Buddhist art particularly in the period from third century bc to late first century ad in order to rediscover the significance of this phenomenon. Dr. Tanaka observes Bharhut and Sanchi sculptures to point out the most essential motifs and elements of stupa-art design the visible facts pertaining to the absence of the Buddha image. The author studies the religious, philosophical, artistic and political significance of the visible facts, highlighting the concept of the empty throne as the motif representative of that absence. She applies the empty throne concept to the sanctuaries of monotheistic religions, and thus undertakes a comparative study of Buddhism and other religions, particularly, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Sikhism to suggest that present-day discussions on the linkage between religions can centre on this theme. The dexterous handling of the topic combined with the authors use of first-hand research material makes this an erudite study. The directness in the authors approach and the unwavering eye on the theme sustains the interest throughout. An abundance of visual material, i.e., drawings and photographs, and tables immensely aid in analysis of the visible facts. This intense work on a rich theme offers well-researched and interesting material that will be useful to scholars of religious studies, fine arts and even philosophy.
-
Sale!Explorations in Indian Philosophy ₹495.00
Any discourse on Indian philosophy has to be taken out of the box in which it was confined for ages using obsolete methods for evaluating thinking patterns. In the traditional way of analysing Indian philosophy there was an inimical approach to each other between the philosophers and the philologists, and between the Sanskrit tradition-oriented philosophers and modern English/vernacular-based philosophers. This friction is evident in the hesitation of the traditionalists in giving philosophers like Daya Krishna and K.C. Bhattacharyya their due share.
The twelve essays in this volume address many a question about the characteristics of Indian philosophical traditions and Indian-ness. Indian philosophy is essentially not Sanskrit based alone, there is a significant contribution to it from the South Asian languages and English, and the cultures of the subcontinent. It attempts to provide provocative insights in sharing the author’s penetrative acumen both in his traditional and modern approaches to South Asian intellectual systems. It therefore addresses the prejudice between the East and the West, and traditional and modern, and the concerns of South Asian diaspora in the Western countries.
As far as this anthology is concerned, the icing on the cake is the Foreword by Dr Mrinal Kaul, who critically analyses the major developments taken place in the realm of Indian philosophy in the last few decades, critically appreciating the contents. -
Sale!Bachpan-Childhood ₹162.00
In the life of a human being the most sweet and memorable part is its childhood, say from its second year till its seventh or eighth. During this time the child is very innocent, full of life, playful, has no responsibility or worry, and when in fear or pain it calls its mother and she is there ever ready to protect it. It understands no restriction and has freedom to go and talk to anybody in the house. It does not know how to hate anyone — in fact, it is like the manifestation of the ever-gracious divinity in the world. A child is loved, respected and even adored.
This book is a small attempt to express the love, affection and feelings towards children. In Hindu pantheon the only divine family having children is that of Shiva and Parvati or Uma. Through pleasing illustrations, another made-for-each-other couple — the Kogatas — have touched upon the various facets in the life of the divine chidren — Ganesha and Karttikeya — together with their doting parents. The delightful verses add sweetness and charm to the book.
-
Sale!Akbar, The Aesthete ₹4,320.00
Mughal miniatures are a vivid account of the cultural, sociopolitical scenario of the Mughal era. Jalal-ud-Din Muhammad Akbar, the most powerful Mughal emperor, was a great aesthete and promoter of arts. Eminent Persian and Indian artists thronged his Royal Studio and were encouraged to paint numerous emotive miniatures of style and substance, communicating highly complex narratives. These miniatures are a beautiful manifestation of human expressions, vividly encapsulating moments of history for posterity.
This book combines the sources and methodology of history and art history of the Mughal era, and is an analysis of a select group of paintings of Akbar’s reign. The miniature paintings incorporate a wide variety of rich, vibrant and varied themes, ranging from durbar scenes, depicting Akbar in different moods and forms, the princes and nobles in their finery, hunting and battle scenes, elaborate scenes of royal births, construction scenes, ascetics, common man, and countryside scenes, to the flora and fauna. Individual analyses of these miniatures, shows the manner of their composition and the inherent value of their sociocultural content in a lively manner. These paintings became a passion and a diversion for Akbar, who had an innate aesthetic sense.
However, there are hardly any true-to-life paintings of women of the royal seraglio. This book thus attempts to cover some images of femininity, whether it is of Queen Alanquwa, Akbar’s mother, or of Madonna as sacred mothers, and women, per se, in different roles. These miniatures make one wonder how much these women contributed to the life of Mughal India.
This unique volume, having given transliteration and translation of the original Persian text of the miniatures, provides an insight into Akbar as an aesthete, and will help academics and laymen alike in appreciating the beauty and history of Akbar’s period. -
Sale!The Yoga of Netra Tantra ₹1,530.00
The Netra Tantra “Tantra of the (Third) Eye (of Siva)”, also called Mrtyujit (Conqueror of Death), is one of the fundamental scriptures of non-dualist Kashmir Saivism or Trika. It is the only Tantra having the Third Eye of Siva as title and theme, and it contains three important chapters on Yoga, relating to three ways of overcoming death.
This book, besides giving an introduction to the Tantra, contains an interpretation of the three chapters; Chapter 1 deals with the Eye of Siva, Chapter 7 with subtle Yoga, and Chapter 8 with supreme Yoga. The same texts are presented in Devanagari, transliteration and translation, including the eleventh-century commentary of Ksemaraja, illustrious disciple of Abhinavagupta. The Appendix contains illustrations of the theme of trinetra from different sources, mainly connected with Kashmir, as well as a comparative study on “The spiritual eye in the Christian mystical traditions”.
This book is an important contribution to the studies on non-dualist Saivism or Trika, and especially to its Yoga.
