9. Sept 2014

ART
Details of the fresco painting inside
the famed 55 Window Durbar
Complex, Bhaktapur. Different
episodes from the great Hindu epic
Mahabharata can be seen in the
different panels of the painting.
PHOTO: BIJAYA MAHARJAN
Many of Buddhist Vihars and Bahis
were built during the time span
between 12th century and 17th century
AD. Mural art by then had had been
well established as an important part of
entire painting tradition…. Naturally, as
the number of Buddhist Vihars begun to
grow in the Valley during this period, the
earliest wall painting or the archetypal
‘Murals’ also began to appear in Nepal.
Hence in all the possibilities therefore,
those early monks cum painters and
their religious art in the walls then
could be described as the origins or the
genesis of mural art in Nepal. (Hook)
In the present day Kathmandu, one would
hardly fail to notice a liberal presence of
wall paintings – visible all over the city
walls in the important thoroughfares
of the city. A casual visitor may even
wonder whether the ‘graffiti’ revolution
has finally arrived in Kathmandu. The
shapes and forms may vary with a wide
spectrum of diverse visual imageries
– from unintelligible psychedelic forms
to amateurish pop art to community
messages or forms as desired by funding
agencies –foreign or local.
But the unconventional art practice as
is found today is a recent phenomenon:
and its appearances could be directly
attributed to the overwhelming public
desire to do away with and discourage
the reviled culture to deface the city
walls with ugly political slogans. Thus the
motive has been essentially to save the
city walls from the ugly political slogans.
It means the present wall paintings or
the art of murals - unlike the art of graffiti
elsewhere, have no or very little bearings
whatsoever with the mainstream
contemporary Nepali Art today.
THE ANCIENT ROOTS
But unlike the recent wall paintings as
stated above however, ‘Murals’- as a
work of serious art too had had appeared
long ago and had found deep roots in the
history of Nepali Painting: and had long
remained an integral part of the central
stream of painting since then. And unlike
today, the driving spirit and the motives
to paint in wall – the murals or frescoes
was to illustrate the religious beliefs – or
to serve as constant reminders of the
faiths. Surprising it may seem today,
the importance of ‘Murals’ as an art
then, remained so vital not only in the
making of the history of art but also has
remained equally instrumental in a social
evolution - creation of a caste artists
‘Chitrakars’ in the medieval Nepal.
Going by the history, an earliest
appearance of any painted form or a
‘Painting’ in Nepali history is dated 11th
century – revealing the prevalence of
Buddhist faith dominant then. History
also revealed that the bulk of the early
painters then usually doubled as monks
cum painters. Many of the monks cum
painters had had made their arrival as
refugees from the neighboring Pala
empire – fleeing the onslaught of
growing Muslim invasions. And in the
Buddhist tradition they brought in, wall
paintings or the ‘Murals’ in the exteriors
as well as inside the antechambers
constituted an integral part of the
religious practice. Naturally, as the
number of Buddhist Vihars begun to
grow in the Valley during this period, the
earliest wall painting or the archetypal
‘Murals’ also began to appear in Nepal.
Hence in all the possibilities therefore,
those early monks cum painters and
their religious art in the walls then
could be described as the origins or the
genesis of mural art in Nepal.
Later in the following centuries too,
albeit the dominance of religious faiths
began to shift, it seemed the importance
of ‘Mural Painting’ did not wane. New
Buddhist Vihars continued to be added
in the Valley and so did the growth
of popularity of mural art. A student
of history would note that many of
Buddhist Vihars and Bahis were built
during the time span between 12th
century and 17th century AD. Mural art
by then, had had been well established
as an important part of entire painting
tradition. The early monk cum painters
too had had cast off their yellow robes
and began to lead a normal married life
with family. And as for livelihood, they
had had turned into professional painters
– catering painting services to both
Buddhist and Shaiva or Hindu followers.
The unfailing presence of medieval
Buddhist imageries found in the
facades of ‘Bahis’- a smaller monasteryadjacent
to the larger courtyards known
as Buddhist Vihars, remain the vivid
testimony of the popularity and growth
of mural art in bygone Nepal. And as
time passed by, the practice to paint
façade walls had had become too
conventionalized with set of imageries
of Buddhist deities considered
mandatory. Usually the imageries of
five Dhyani Buddhas or three jewels of
Buddhism – personalized as Buddha,
Dharma and Sangha remain the central
elements – flanked in either side are
the wrathful guardians –Bajrapani and
Khadgapani. In addition, subsidiary
SEPTEMBER 2014 / 59