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Brick Monuments of West Bengal
Style
Terracotta
sculpture found on the facades of the Bengal temples include figurative
subjects as well as, a host of decorative themes, specially vegetal ornament.
Carvings appear in panels above the arched entrances and on the surrounding
walls, raised bands and pilasters, bases and cornices, columns and arches.
Though the total effect is often rightly detailed, the sculpture on the
facade is usually carefully organised according to a programme. These
facade schemes may be divided into a number of stylistic phases that do
not, generally, coincide with the forms of the buildings themselves.
There is, in fact considerable and more uniformity in the decoration of
the facades, particularly in their sculptured details, than in the diverse
temple types. These evidently were invented by architects with a
particular flair for improvisation and experimentation. These suggest
a gap between the architects of the buildings and the craftsmen who worked
on the sculptures. The difference between flexibility in choice of building
form in the temple superstructure and organisation of facade ornamentation
bring out this point. Eleven fundamental stylistic are distinguished for
the temples, spanning over the period from late 16th century to the 20th
century. This period covers many regions of both the Bengals. As
can be expected, all temples do not easily fit into these stylistic groupings
and variations have been noted, such as: Early temples-sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries, seventeenth century Bishnupur, other seventeenth century
temples, eighteenth century of Hooghly and Howrah, eighteenth century
of Burdwan, eighteenth century of Murshidabad, nineteenth century of Birbhum
and Burdwan and nineteenth century of Bankura, nineteenth century of Midnapur
and Hooghly, Neoclassical styles, eighteenth to twentieth centuries.
Iconography
Despite
the large range of subjects depicted in Bengal terracotta art, iconography
of temple sculpture remains in fairly constant from century to century
and from region to region. These exhibit's in fact, a distinct pattern
of carvings on Bengal temples in which certain subjects are reserved for
particular parts of the facade, the emphasis usually is focused on the
panels above the arches. Stories of Ramayana and Krishna constitute the
major narrative compositions on these panels. They also provide the sources
for a host of accessory themes on wall and corner panels, base and
cornice frezies. Sculpture based on these stories is limited. Ramayana
depictions mostly concentrate on the abduction of Sita, the battle with
Ravan, and the final enthronement of Rama and Sita, Krishna scenes illustrate
incidents from the childhood and youth of the God, upto the deposition
of Kansa.The iconography is well defined, even in the earliest temples.
Narrative Krishna episodes, in particular, often employ distinct iconographic
formulas. Ramayana battle scenes emphasise the element of drama of the
event in dynamic compositions, very often crowded with violent fighting
figures. In-general, identification of narrative art is by posture, gesture
and groupings of figures, rather than by emblems and costumes. However.
Rama is usually depicted with his bow and arrow, Ravan with numbers heads
and arms, and Krishna as a child appears as a diminutive figure. Iconographic
conventions as also employed by which chariots become rows of wheels and
Krisha's lifted Mount Govardhan is reduced to a single line.
Other
deities also appear on the temples, especially Vishnu and his incarnations
and Durga.The iconography of these divinities is standard. Sometimes the
deities are combined into complex iconographic schemes-Durga is introduced
into the Rama-Ravan conflict, and Shiva-Parvati and Rama-Sita enthronement
scenes appear side by side (as on the Vishalakshi Temple at Parul). Though
temples built later are mostly Shaivite in dedication, the strongly Vaishnava
iconographic schemes of earlier temples are retained.
Accessory
Figures
Warriors
and guardians, dancers and musicians, ascetics, attendant women and many
others form a significant part of temple decoration and are often complementary
to major narrative compositions. These figures crowd the wall and corner
panels and the bases of these temples. Sometimes they cover large areas
of the facade. Also of significance are the Friezes of courtly processions,
hunting and boating scenes carved on the bases, occasionally on the cornices
as well, at times in combination with Ramayan and Krishna episodes.
These secular friezes seem to be without a narrative context and
on 17th and 18th century temples these are fairly standardised.
Animals
& Birds
These
are often found in terracotta art, in isolation from any narrative context,
as friezes or decorative 'fillers'. In later stages, birds are used as
popular creatures, particularly parrots and peacocks. A large variety
of decorative motifs based on plant forms-lotus, stalks and flowers in
particular are found through out temple decoration. In some cases, specially
from 18th century in Burdwan district, the major decorative scheme is
vegetal.This foliate ornamentation evolves through some three centuries
of temple art. Geometric patterns also appear, mostly on combination with
lotus flowers.
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