Can the Ajantha artistic tradition, which found new forms of expressions in the rock-cut and monolith sculptures of Mamallapuram, be revived?
Any visit to this ancient coastal town, carved out in time by its stone sculptures dating back to the Pallava period, presents two different experiences. One, of course, is the sculptural masterpieces abounding in aesthetics, eloquence and beauty. The other is the contemporary sculptures, mostly religious, looking more or less similar.
Now, Friends of Heritage Sites (FoHS), an organisation working on heritage conservation and sustainable tourism, has come forward to take the sculptors back in time to recreate the magic on stone that Pallava art is.
With many sculpture studios mushrooming over the years and as the sculptors face intense competition, art has given way to craft, with most studios churning out Ganeshas and Buddhas for which there is a market.
The FoHS in collaboration with the Government College of Architecture and Sculpture, Mammallapuram, has devised a project for the revival of Pallava art. It was launched last week by artist Manohar Devadoss.
“Although Mamallapuram is a place that attracts tourists from everywhere, the market for selling sculptures and mementoes that reflect Pallava art in some way remains untapped,” says Sharmila Ganesan, president of FoHS.
“The garden style of Pallava structures will attract market in India and abroad. Through this project, the artists will look back into the creative production of Pallava style which is no longer practised,” she says.
“Whatever is sculpted now is very repetitive and limited in creativity and is mostly religious. We are looking back to bring back the aesthetic practices of the Pallava tradition which also showed us the lifestyles of that period,” says K.T. Gandhirajan, an art-historian and part of FoHS.
“There is unfamiliarity among the artists to explore the market. So they are inclined to produce sculptures that only suit religious requirements. Therefore, there is rigidity in form,” he says.
Initially, 10 artists have been selected to create 25 sculptures, mostly garden style and non-religious like elephants and cows, inspired by the Pallava masterpieces in the town. The training will begin next week after Pongal celebrations.
Once the sculptures take form, FoHS will display them in cities like Chennai and Bengaluru and market them. Based on the sales, the next round of funding for sculptures will begin with more sculptors on board.
Professor K. Rajendran of the Government College of Architecture and Sculpture says, “The project may take more than a year to stabilise, but this will create new artistic and financial prospects for the young artists”
