Page 113 - Art and Crafts of Bangladesh

110 ART AND CRAFTS

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b. Mediaeval Period
Zulekha Haque

Artwork carved on clay bricks or plaques, then dried and burnt, is an art tradition
found in the early stages of almost all civilizations. This terracotta art form is a proud
tradition of the deltaic eastern region of the Indian sub-continent. The humid and wet
atmosphere of Bengal, criss-crossed with innumerable rivers, led automatically to its
inhabitants to depend heavily on the soft clay around them to satisfy their artistic
instincts from very early times. It has been very adequately expressed by Professor
S.K. Saraswati, when he wrote, ‘Earth or clay has been regarded as the primeval
plastic material not only because of its ready availability, but also on account of its
easy tractability. It satisfies the creative impulse of the ordinary man as much for
aesthetic expression as for domestic ritualistic needs.’ 33
fig. 2.26 Terracotta Like other ancient sites all over the world, the ruins of ancient civilizations of the
figure Chandraketugarh, Indian sub-continent are rich with clay toys, animals and human figurines in the round
West Bengal, India, (1st as well as terracotta plaques and figurines, some of which may have been votive
century AD)
Courtesy Enamul Haque objects or objects of worship. In Bengal such pieces can be found from the 3rd-2nd
century BC which displays the wonderful ability and artistic expression of the people
of the period (fig. 2.26). But the Mediaeval period shows at the same time, profuse use
of terracotta plaques or bricks with carved designs, as part of architectural decoration
as is evidenced from the innumerable examples found at different ancient sites of
Bangladesh and the Indian province of West Bengal. This tradition must have
continued in the following centuries of the early mediaeval period as well. But due to
the damp and humid atmosphere of the area most of these have perished. Of the extant
monuments of Bangladesh, the Buddhist viharas or monasteries of Mainamati in
Comilla (7th-8th centuries), and Paharpur (9th century) in Jaipurhat dist., have the
unique examples of terracotta art of this mediaeval period. The plaques large in size,
almost 2 ft square, and arranged in two rows, along the circumambulatory path of the
central temple, present unique example of visual art through which the people and
society of the period can be studied in detail (fig.2.27).
In the succeeding periods, i.e. mediaeval and late mediaeval periods, people of
different races and faiths started to arrive in Bengal. The development of this art form
under their influence is going to be discussed here. The extant examples of this period
starting from the 14th century are mainly present in the form of ornamentation of walls
on monuments of both Muslim and Hindu communities. Muslims arriving in this
region from the 13th century were mostly of Turko-Afgan origin who came as
conquerors and settled down in the region as rulers. The native people of Bengal
gradually had to get acclimatised to the totally alien faith, culture, habits etc.
introduced by them. In all forms of artistic expressions, ornamentation etc. changes
started to appear, which reflected the ideas brought in by the newcomers.