Devi Sita Tanjore Painting in Idiom of Thai Temple Murals | Traditional Colors with 24K Gold

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Framed within a lacquered wood frame, this Tanjore painting of Devi Sita in the Thai idiom symbolizes India’s quality of embracing innovations and incorporating them within the traditions. Visualized as a fair, youthful woman, Devi Sita in this Tanjore painting is shown in a most dynamic posture, appearing to be hovering in the skies, with her hand gestures and swaying fineries reminding us of the movements of the Thai Ramayana ballet.

She wears an imposing golden crown, exquisite necklace, armbands, bracelets, breast ornaments, and ankle bands. Goddess Sita’s dhoti (lower body garment) is embellished with pure 24 karat gold leaf in its entirety, which sits tastefully over her form to reveal the fine patterns drawn underneath. Golden vegetal embellishments appear to be emerging from the body of the goddess in this Thai Sita Tanjore painting, bringing a graceful magnificence to her image.

Devi Sita’s eyes are large and their finesse complements the beauty of the rest of her face. The Bindi (mark on forehead) and nose ornament worn by this Thai form of Devi Sita are quintessentially South Indian elements, the signature of the Tanjore artists. Devi’s right hand is bent unnaturally, to convey the mastered lyricism in the hand movements of Thai dancers, while in her left hand she holds a ring, an object which one can see only by closer interaction with the painting. However small, this golden ring or Mudrika is the key to understanding the euphoric posture of the subject of this Devi Sita Tanjore painting.

A well-known episode from the Ramayana narrates to us the meeting of goddess Sita with her beloved Sri Rama’s messenger, Sri Hanuman, who brought with him as a mark of identification the jewel-studded ring of Sri Rama. Upon receiving the ring of his husband from Hanuman, the heart of Maa Sita, then surrounded by the guards of Ravana, in a foreign land, was elated to know that Rama was near.

Through skillful use of the theme of Thai dance drama, an art form that is vivacious and expressive, and the techniques of Tanjore painting, which is known for a dramatic and glorious depiction of its subjects, the artist has succeeded in conveying to us the boundless bliss of Devi Sita. The auspicious moment is brought to life against a pitch black background and the presence of celestial beings who shower flowers on a delighted Devi Sita.

Gilded Elegance: Unraveling the Artistry of Tanjore Paintings

Tanjore painting is a traditional form of art in the South Indian style and was started by the inhabitants of a small town known as Thanjavur of Tamil Nadu. This gives it another name called “Thanjavur painting”. This painting draws its figures, designs, and inspiration from the time when Vedic culture was prevalent in India. Certain remarkable features of a Tanjore painting distinguish it from other paintings. Some of these are pure gold or gold foil coating on gesso work, the use of rich and vivid colors, and the inlay of cut-glass or semi-precious and precious stones. The subjects of most of the Tanjore paintings are Hindu Gods, Goddesses, and saints. The main devotional figure is portrayed in the central portion of the painting and is usually surrounded by various secondary figures.

The process of making a Tanjore painting

The classic Tanjore paintings are done on wooden planks and hence are also referred to as Palagai Padam in South India (Palagai = Wooden plank, Padam = Picture). Creating a masterpiece is never an easy task but the skilled artists of Thanjavur have been following the tradition of making timeless Tanjore paintings for decades.

The making process begins with preparing the wooden board or canvas. The size of the board depends upon the choice of the patron. The next step is to paste cardboard over the wooden board and then a cotton fabric is stretched and pasted upon it using Arabic gum.

Now that the cloth is attached to the wooden panel, a rough sketch of the motifs and figure is drawn onto the fabric. After this, a paste of chalk powder and water-soluble adhesive is evenly applied over the base and smoothed.

Thereafter, the outlines which were made or traced using a stencil are now ready to be beautified and decked with various add-ons. The usual materials for decoration are cut-glass, pearls, semi-precious and precious gems, gold leaf, and laces. 22 or 18 Karat Gold leaves and gems of varied hues are especially inlaid in areas like pillars, arches, walls, thrones, and dresses. In the final step, the rest of the painting is filled with rich and striking colors such as shades of red, blue, and green. Formerly, the artists used natural colors like vegetable and mineral dyes instead of chemical paints. The entire painting is then cleaned and refined to give a flawless finished look.

Since the making of a single piece of Tanjore painting requires a complex and elaborate process, the artists usually take at least one or two months to complete it. The use of pure gold foil and gems for beautification is a characteristic of an authentic Tanjore painting. Due to this, Tanjore paintings last for generations without getting tarnished and are much more expensive than general paintings. Though the art form has undergone various changes and technique modifications over the years, it continues to attract the hearts of art lovers.