Devi Kothi is home to some of the greatest Pahari frescoes in existence. How could this be allowed to happen?
There is arguably no finer collection of wall paintings in all Himachal
The fresco cycles on the Goddess are beyond compare
On my first visit to Devi Kothi in 2012 I wrote this piece about the temple in the FT:
"This remote village is home to one of the finest sets of 18th-century frescoes in north India, and certainly the greatest cycle of Pahari painting still in situ."
"Here in the middle of these remote hills, on the walls of a small wooden shrine, are paintings that would do honour to the most sophisticated urban centre..."
"Straddled on her tiger, the Goddess swoops down on an army of horned devils, cutting heads with a sweep of her divine blade. In one hand she holds a shield, in others tridents, bells & an assortment of spears &javelins. They are astonishingly strong& confident compositions."
I am just appalled by the recent destruction at Devi Kothi- probably the greatest surviving masterpiece of Pahadi art still in situ and the Sistine Chapel of Himachal Pradesh. Does anyone know how much of the temple was demolished before it was stopped?
Devi Kothi was also remarkable for its gorgeous wood work
Devi Kothi is one of the supreme artistic expression of Hindu spirituality, and one of the greatest Pahari frescoes cycles still surviving. Why was nothing done to safeguard it?
Update from Sarang Sharma in Chamba: "In my understanding, the RCC work which had started around the temple premise has made the foundation weak & vulnerable to damage. The region is prone to earthquakes and falls under the High Damage Risk Zone in terms of Seismic activity." 1/2
"There is noticeable damage on the walls & pillars of the temple and deep cracks have developed on the surface. Even a minute jolt would wreak the structure and it might not be able to stay intact. There is a dire need to conserve and restore the temple before it is too late" 2/2
Deeply depressing article on the destruction of Devi Kothi and its spectacular 18thC murals
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The wanton part-destruction of the great Chamunda temple in Devi Kothi is so depressing. It is the Sistine Chapel of Pahari art, and the greatest surviving ensemble of Pahari paintings still in situ. India has such spectacular artistic heritage- and does so little to protect it.
The spectacular murals of Devi Kothi- left unprotected and now lost forever
I'm become very interested in yakshas, yakshis and nagas- classes of sacred beings which seem to be relatively peripheral to modern Indian religion and spirituality, but which dominated much of the art of early India, whether Hindu, Buddhist or Jain.
Monumental stone sculptures of Yakshas —freestanding and carved in the round- begin to appear from the third century BCE, as witnessed spectacular yaksha from Parkham near Mathura made “in the guild of Manibhadra by Gomitaka, a pupil of Kunika."
The Parkham Yakshi (left) is said by the ASI to be the oldest free-standing statue in Indian art, c275 BCE, but the Mathura Museum contains several others that are only slightly younger, 200-100 BCE
Exquisitely poised and supple, Chola bronze deities are some of the greatest works of art ever created in India. They stand silent on their plinths yet with their hands they speak gently to their devotees through the noiseless lingua franca of the mudras of south Indian dance.
For their devotees, their hands are raised in blessing and reassurance, promising boons and protection, and above all, marriage, fertility and fecundity, in return for the veneration that is so clearly their divine right.
It is the Nataraja, Shiva as Lord of the Dance, that is arguably the greatest artistic creation of the Chola dynasty. It is the perfect symbol of the way their sculptors managed to imbue their creations with both a raw sensual power and a profound theological complexity.
"The murals of Ajanta are now recognised as some of the greatest art produced by humankind in any century, as well as the finest picture gallery to survive from any ancient civilisation. Even today, the colours glow with a brilliant intensity: topaz-dark,lizard green, lotus-blue"