Iconography of Parvati(An Old and Rare Book)

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The study of Indian iconography is based on textual descriptions of divinities and their visual representations in art. The field on both these counts is very vast. Often we come across fresh material consisting of the images of gods and goddesses which requires study and interpretation to add to our existing stock of knowledge. Similarly relevant literary data may also come to our notice for correlating it with the available images. Thus the study of iconography becomes a continuous process for the understanding of artistic and cultural heritage of India.

In the present book a number of images of Parvati in various temples and sculptural collections, not so well known, have been studied with reference to relevant literary texts. The three aspects of Parvati-the daughter of Himavana, the maiden undergoing severe penance of Panchatapas and the consort of Siva-have been studied to indicate the process of development in the representation of Parvati images, specially those hailing from central India during medieval period. Some of the rare images are published and interpreted here with corresponding literary references which make it all the more useful for the study of artistic and iconographic traditions of this country.

After doing his M.A. in Ancient Indian History and Archaeology from the University of Lucknow, Shri Rakesh Datta Trivedi (born 1935) joined the State Museum at Lucknow and the National Museum at New Delhi. During his incumbency in the National Museum he obtained specialised training in Museology in France under French Government Scholarship (1967-68) and also studied south-east Asian collections of art in the Museums of France. Subsequently he was recruited in the Archaeological Survey of India (1974) and at present heads the Temple Survey Project (Northern Region) at Bhopal in the same organisation as a Superintending Archaeologist. He has published a number of research papers on Indian art and iconography in various journals.

In the context of Indian sculptural art, the study of iconography of various gods and goddesses is of immense importance. Without proper understanding of iconographic traits associated with the deities, it is not possible to appreciate correctly the ideas expressed in visual form through the medium of stone, metal or paint etc. The study of formal visual surfaces of a sculpture may or may not satisfy our visual taste, but it should be kept in view that it is not all of a piece of art. The content of a sculpture or painting is equally important and at many a time it is more important than its outer form if one is to understand the work of art fully and in its true significance. Silpa texts dealing with iconography and literary works are very helpful in this connection.

In certain quarters of art study a trend has developed that a piece of art is to be appreciated alone without caring for its subject matter or without knowing what it represents. But so far Indian art is concerned it is very necessary to know about the ideas meant to be expressed through the various modes of visual representation, as in its essence Indian art is symbolic. From our day to day. experience we can very well understand this phenomenon. When persons come across a piece of art in a museum or in a monument, the first question from them is about what the particular piece shows or represents. It may be a marvellously carved god or goddess or damsel or any other subject, the query 'What does it represent ?' stands at its place. When a visitor looks at a sculpture and notes its visual specialities such as its bodily form, ornamentation, drapery etc., he becomes more curious to know about the content of the sculpture. More appealing the external form, more a visitor becomes interested in knowing the person or episode represented in the sculpture. We may recall here relevant remarks of A.K. Coomaraswamy, "The fundamental judgement is of the degree of the artist's success in giving clear expression to the theme of his work. In order to answer the question, 'Has the thing been well said?' it will evidently be necessary for us to know what it was that was to be said. It is for this reason that in every discussion of works of art we must begin with their subject matter. The what of art is far more important than the how; it should, indeed, be the what that determines the how, as form determines shape". (Why Exhibit Works of Art, Christian and Oriental philosophy of Art, New York, 1956, p. 17 and 10).

It is indeed a pleasure for me to write a fore word to this beautiful book on Iconography of Parvati by Shri Rakesh Datta Trivedi who has made it so pleasant to read and enjoy. Sanskrit rhetoricians have described categories of styles of composition, enjoyed like grapes eaten as they are with ease, like banana after peeling the cover, and the cocoanut which requires the fibre to be removed, the shell broken and the kernel taken out with some difficulty to ultimately taste it. This book belongs to the first category with the enjoyment of its sweet taste assured with the utmost ease.

Shri Trivedi is not only gifted with an excellent knowledge of Sanskrit which is a boon to those desirous of understanding Indian culture at its source, but he has also a rare insight into texts to corroborate and comment on ideas expressed in art. Kalidasa's ideas on Parvati's delicate and charming form, the explanation of each of her epithets themselves justified on proper grounds of derivation, her relisation of penance as the much better means of winning Siva's love than even her unparalleled physical charm, her gradual enhancing of the rigour of penance and the panchagnitapa with body so frail and delicate, her abstaining from even a nominal feed on leaves, her eyes fixed on the blazing sun, with the four flames around her fiercely heating her, as she stood on a single foot, with even her hands raised up, so tellingly chiselled in a variety of sculptures from all over the least explored area of our vast sub-continent have been so well interpreted with appropriate quotations that the reading of the book becomes a rare delight.

**Contents and Sample Pages**