Sphinx (face of human and body of lion or other animal) or Purush Singha was popular way of probably representing figure of royalties or kingship in Egypt and India and even Mesopotamians. This thread capture such instances of Purush Singham from India.
1/17
Keith 1914 translates Purushamriga Chandramase as 'The Human-Beast to the Moon' YV-II.5.5.14 but we will call such figures Purush Singham for sale of simplicity and uniqueness.
2/17
These 4500 years old Harappan seals with depictionof Nari Singham or anthropomorphic figures with face of a human mostly female and body of a beast (mostly tiger) are probably of a queen/King/royalty.
3/17
This Pair of Purusha Singha guard the entrance of the Shri Shiva Nataraja temple in Chidambaram, India. Male and female,
4/17
Purush Singham and Nari Singham on a pillar of Shri Airavateshvara temple in Darasuram
12th cent. CE
5/17
Pair of Purush Singham in Shri Sarangapani temple in Kumbakonam
6/17
Seated sphinx among the sculpture of the Krishna cave in Mamallapuram
Granite
8th century
Approximately 85 cm high
Photo by Raja Deekshithar, 25 July 2005
7/17
Walking Purush Singham
Shri Shiva Nataraja temple
12th century
8/17
Purush Singham from the wall of the Shri Varadaraja Perumal temple in Tribhuvanai near Pondicherry
1000 CE
9/17
Purush Singham ? and Bhima from the
Mahabharata and the judgment by Dharmaraja Yudhistira in the Shri Airavateshvara temple in Darasuram
Granite
12th century
10/17
Purush Singham worshipping a Shiva Linga South Gopuram of the ??? temple in Villianur, Puducherry
15th century
11/17
Purush Singham worshipping a Shiva Linga, South gopuram of the Shri Arunachaleshvara temple in Tiruvannamalai
12/17
Purush Singham in standing upright posture
Shri Subrahmania shrine, Rajarajeshvara temple in Tanjore
13/17
Purush Singham depicted on the base of the Vishnu shrine in the temple of Tirumalai in Kanya Kumari district
14/17
Sad, some of the temple are only 400 years old with these purush Singham sculptures and yet we can only guess about their meaning. There are no expert of the subject matter left it seems. This thread is from my own research and opinions. Pics taken from respective owners
Just to clarify
Purush Singham has manly face and lion body
Narsimha has a lion face and human body.
In ancient times, Gods were depicted with animal faces and human bodies while Kings were depicted with human faces and animal bodies.
So not to be confused
17a/17
Purush Singha from Harappan Period
This Anthromorph figure of composite animal and humanly may be precursor of Early Purush Singha (Depiction of a King) #Archaeology
17b/17
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
Regardless of the patent under the name Ludo by Britisher Alfred in 1896, Pachisi (25) has been played in India for over 5000 years. #Archaeology uncovers cultural appropriation.
Bhanpur (3000 bce), Banawali Haryana (3000bce), Chandraketugarh (200 bce), Modern
in 1938, the American toy and game company Transogram launched a widespread board game edition titled Game of India, which was subsequently advertised as Pa-Chiz-Si: The Game of India
In America, there is evidence for home-made boards and boards without a clear origin from the 1850s. A dubious story credits the invention of Parcheesi to Sam Loyd who supposedly sold the rights to the game for $10 at one point but since Sam Loyd was a notorious self-publicist and deceiver, it is probably best to ignore this account. The earliest definite record is that John Hamilton of the Hudson River Valley claimed copyright to the game in 1867. Rights were sold to one Albert Swift who then sold them on to Selchow and Righter in 1870 and this famous company trademarked the game in 1874. Parcheesi went on to become the bestselling game for Selchow & Richter Co. for decades.
The later 'Frustration" based on Ludo and initially published by Irwin Toy was made popular in many countries using the marketing muscle of MB Games (Hasbro) ' in a plastic incarnation featuring the gimmick of a centrally placed "pop-o-matic" dice roller.
There appears a native woman upper selling goods to seemingly a converted. The contrast between the converted and native is startling. However, both seems to be from poor class.
2/
In another scene, a woman slave is being auctioned by a Portugese. The woman appears to be poor and covers only her waist.
Thread exploring the tradition of 'Nose-Piercing in India. Some believe it's inherently Indian, although it was actually foreign to Indian customs 1000 years back. Let's dive in.
Female Beauty #Archaeohistories
1/14
The first mention of nose-ring (for nose piercing) is in Old Testament when Abhraham's servant gives his daughter-in-law 'Rebekah' a golden nose-ring ("Shanf" in Hebrew). This practice of gifting rings to brides continues even today.
2/14
Nose-Pin or नथ is expressed on sculptures paintings in Moghul period not before
Tavernier (c. 1638 ce) describes of Arabian woman wearing Nose-Pins while other Traveller 'Hanway' speaks irreverently of the 'nutt' is proof of Nose-pin of Arabic origin
Matrimonial connection between ancient Greece and modern India
The similarities between these two civilizations are striking, from fathers arranging marriages for their daughters to wedding rituals spanning several days.
Vases dating back to 500-400 BCE found in Greece and artifacts from 200 BCE-200 CE found in Chandraketugarh, Bengal hint at a connection.
Let's begin
#Thread #bookmark #Retweet
1/17
Preparation for marriage | Finding the groom
A woman's guardian, or kyrios, was responsible for arranging her marriage, as she couldn't legally do it herself. She likely had some social contact with her future husband. Marriages within extended family groups, such as first cousins, uncles and nieces, second cousins, or half-siblings, were common.
2/17
Preparation for marriage | The Dowry
In ancient Greek weddings, the first step was the dowry, provided by the woman's kyrios (guardian). It was usually given at the betrothal but could be delayed until the wedding ceremony if agreed upon.
The dowry often comprised money but could include items like furniture or, rarely, land. Non-monetary items were given a cash value. Land was seldom included, as men preferred to reserve it for their sons' inheritance.
While @ASIGoI established by Britishers preserving Graveyards, the descendent of Ajanta, the Bagh Caves in Madhya Pradesh, a series of fifth-century rock-cut caves adorned with exquisite Buddhist murals, are facing severe neglect despite their historical and cultural importance. Once vibrant with intricate artwork tied to the Ajanta school, the caves now suffer from water seepage and a lack of proper maintenance, putting the remaining wall art at risk of permanent damage.
Although these caves played a significant role in India's art history—the site today receives minimal tourist attention and no substantial preservation effort. Local authorities have voiced intentions to promote tourism around the caves, but immediate and focused conservation efforts are critical to prevent further deterioration of this invaluable heritage site.
@MinOfCultureGoI @narendramodi @DrMohanYadav51 @JansamparkMP @CMMadhyaPradesh @UNESCO A veena player. The original Bagh Cave paintings were made in tempera using mineral colours from ochre, clay, chalk, kaolin line, lamp-black, gypsum green glauconite, and lapis lazuli.
The rock-cut Bagh Cave temples served as monasteries for Buddhist monks who spent the monsoon months in meditation. Whilst the secular paintings depicted the life of their patrons, paintings such as the above portrayed the spiritual side of the monks’ lives.
Small #Thread on YG Srimati, who revitalized Indian classical painting, challenging the British replica tradition. She and her peers ignited a new Indian art movement with their innovative approaches.
As a young, educated supporter of India's independence, Srimati was a talented artist and musician. In 1946, she sang devotional songs at independence rallies in Chennai, supporting Mahatma Gandhi's vision of cultural unity.
Y.G. Srimati with Mahatma Gandhi at an independence rally
1946
Woman with Lotus
Y. G. Srimati Indian
August 27, 1951
Throughout her career Srimati enjoyed producing paintings that celebrate feminine beauty. While inspired by figure-types in the sixth-century cave murals at Ajanta, the studies are distanced from their source by the absence of narrative. Their success depends instead on the quality and purity of line. Woman with Lotus is one of the artist’s most daring works in this genre. Its large scale demanded an absolute sureness of line and the subtle manipulation of large areas of color washes. The resulting work is both sinuous and sensuous.
Carudatta Presenting a Pearl Necklace to Vasantesena
Y. G. Srimati
ca. 1952
Y G Srimati used figure-types from the sixth-century murals at Ajanta’s Buddhist rock-cut cave monasteries as the basis for a series of paintings that explore and, in a sense, celebrate the art of India’s past. In this she was following the teachings of Nandalal Bose and others who advocated looking to Indian history for appropriate subjects. In this work we see the Ajantaesque style deployed in the service of an early Sanskrit secular drama, Mrcchakatika (The Little Clay Cart). The play, likely dating to the third or fourth century A.D., explores the love of a rich courtesan, Vasantesena, and a noble-spirited Brahmin, Carudatta. The complexities of the drama and the celebration of the nobility of selfless giving are skillfully evoked in this small, intense painting.