Page 120 - Art and Crafts of Bangladesh

SCULPTURE 117

built in 1722. Most of the space on the temple walls of this
three-storied huge 52 square feet temple depicts the incidents
of Mahabharata and Krishna-lila in great details and vigor,
including the scenes of the battle of Kurukshetra. The
innumerable figures of soldiers fighting with various
weapons, riding horses, elephants or chariots, getting
wounded or dying bring the whole scenes to life. 46
But the lowest frieze at the bottom of the walls and columns
of these temples, have held the attention and amazement of
the scholars and observers for the boldness, versatility and
wide observation power of the terracotta artists where they
have depicted detailed scenes of secular nature, reflecting the
society around them. Though these mostly contain the
various activities of their patrons, but often one may find
scenes which were related to the day to day life of the
common men, their livelihood etc. Thus we find scenes
showing child birth, (Kantaji temple in Dinajpur, Mahadeva
temple in Naldanga, Jessore),women engaged in household
work like cutting fish, washing clothes, husking rice,
cooking, bathing, combing hair or engaged in toiletry,
stepping over a sleeping dog, or men and women engaged in
different professions, like, spinning cotton on the spindle,
cutting wood with saw , hammering iron by the ironmonger, bringing down the sap of fig. 2.31 Tympanum of
Kantanagar temple
the date tree, taking milk products to the market, sleeping doorkeeper, soldiers of
various categories etc. (figs. 2.32, 2.33, 2.34). But all these apparently non
conventional scenes are depicted in such a manner that they fit into the whole scheme
of design and never seem incongruous. More interesting of course, are the scenes
related to the life of the patrons and donors, whose lavish lifestyle must have awed and
fascinated their subjects. Scenes of hunting, taking pleasure trip or traveling by boats
or by land, with large entourage of soldiers, helpers, flag bearers, dancing girls etc.,
aristocratic ladies, horses, elephants, various kind of palanquins, carts etc. fill the
lowest friezes of these temples scattered around rural Bangladesh and the state of
W.Bengal in India (pls. 2.7, 2.8). Other scenes from the life of these landlords, at the
same time their association with the newly arrived foreigners from Europe have been
properly recorded by these terracotta artists. These talented craftsmen observed with
keen interest these foreigners who started to arrive in the country in large numbers from
the 16th century onwards. Their method of arrival in large ocean going ships hitherto
never seen before, have been recorded in detail. Their life-style was watched from a
distance and whatever seemed interesting to them have been chiseled on the half dried
clay plaques, that have turned these terracotta temple decorations into the true and
authentic archive of the social history of the period.