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Thursday, Feb 21, 2008
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Glorious images of Indian heritage

Madhur Tankha

An exhibition of illustrated books of India in the 18th and 19th century

Of those times: An illustration of Bengal by marine painter Francois Balthazard Solvyns (1760-1824), taken from the IGNCA archives.

NEW DELHI: A treasure trove of valuable books, the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts is now displaying illustrated books of the 18th and 19th Century at its Rajendra Prasad Road premises here.

The exhibition “Glimpses of Pristine India” is aimed at making people aware of the rich variety of illustrated books in the country.

Depicting phases

The intellectual content and the matching illustrations in books portray a picture of society when the country was passing through the transition phase due to cross-cultural currents, experiencing new influences from the West and at the same time retaining the age old values, traditions and customs.

Decorated with sketches, drawings, lithographs and etchings that add an extra dimension for study, the books throw light on the art, architecture and culture of the bygone era.

Some of the precious and uncommon books are more than 200 years old and have been procured from the IGNCA archives to give a glimpse of the old landscape of important cities, exquisite architecture of temples, mosques, tombs and living quarters. Social life in the period and details of musical instruments, costumes, transportation and other objects of interest have also been highlighted in these rare illustrated books.

Account of foreigners

The first hand accounts of foreigners visiting the country are undoubtedly valuable for inquisitive scholars who are immersed in the field of art and culture. Interestingly, the contributors for the 18th and 19th Century European publications were members of the British army and navy, surveyors, engineers, medical staff and travellers.

The European travellers were fascinated by the picturesque beauty of Kashmir and books illustrating the enchanting view of the Valley, observations about the people, their history, arts, crafts and architecture are on display.

Noteworthy accounts can be found in “Recollection of India” by Charles Hardinge, “A Holiday in the Happy Valley” by T.R. Swinburne and others. “Views of Simla” by George Powell Thomas illustrates the beauty of the Himalayan ranges.

Ajanta Caves

Detailed accounts of the “Painting in Buddhist Caves of Ajanta” by John Griffiths is a monumental piece of work. Another book with remarkable paintings is “Report on the Buddhist Cave Temples” by J.A.S. Burgess. The exhibition is on view till this Saturday.

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