Sculpture heritage

The ancient sculptures of this land are very much influenced by Hellenistic art rather than any local artistic tradition. Although the themes have been quite local but the costumes and their treatment have been very much influenced by Grecian art. Sometimes it becomes difficult to distinguish between a local deity and Grecian goddess.

It is their respective emblems and attributes which makes their identity easy, otherwise such sculptures wear looks of Grecian order

Although nowadays the stone and bronze sculpture art has almost disappeared, but there were times when we had a rich tradition of this art here. The sculptors had been commissioning exquisite artifacts of various gods and goddesses worshiped by the followers in their respective temples.

In fact a rich collection of such sculptures found at different archaeological sites are showcased in various museums and art galleries. One of the exquisite collection of such wonderful sculptures is housed in the archaeology gallery of the SPS Museum at Lalmandi Srinagar.

The earliest stone sculptures are known to have been found from Bijbehara area of south Kashmir which dates to 6^th  and 7^th century AD. These sculptural traditions, which appeared from Bijbehara, were later found in other schools of sculpture art, which included Pandhrethan, Awantipura, Parihaspura and Verinag like schools.

Very few knew that the ancient school of Kashmir sculpture art with its variants   stands already identified and this Kashmiri sculpture is very much influenced by Hellenistic, Muthura and Gupta School of arts. The earliest artifacts of this art are very much influenced by Grecian art while as sculptures of medieval and late medieval ages carried strong Gupta influence.

Bijbehara, one of the interesting and important places to archaeologists, in its  past excavations had filled a huge gap of missing cultural sequences of Kashmir. Excavations carried at Semthan (Bijbehara) in its different layers yielded tremendous archaeological and numismatic materials which has helped historians to reconstruct the missing sequences to its considerable extent.

In these excavations the archaeologists have found evidences of Mauyrans, Sungas and above all the evidences of indo Greeks, Indo Scythians and Kushans, which covers a time span of about seven hundred years which is accounted from 3^rd century BC to 4^th century AD.

Bijbehara is a very ancient site; however, present-day name looks the corrupt from of Vijasvihara which basically was the name of a Buddhist Vihara believed to have been raised by some Vijaya named king. The town is situated about 40 kms from Sringer in South Kashmir. The place in its earlier excavations revealed few magnificent stone images of Hindu deities.

These images housed in Srinagar museum are considered the earliest stone images discovered so far and are dated to the period earlier to 6^th century AD. Earlier to these stone images, Kashmiri sculptor looks to have used terracotta for making of the images, such terracotta miniature figures and heads have survived from the sites of Ushkar (Baramulla) and Parahaspura.

Various miniature type terracotta figures were also found at Semthan ancient Chakradhara near Bijbehara. Those images are dated to 1^st and 2^nd century AD and there is every possibility that the Bijbehara School which earlier was involved in making of terracotta images, later may have shifted towards stone material.

A close association in various features of terracotta figures and stone images of the area is also observed. Both types of images are dressed in Hellenistic style and compares with a number of images of Gandhara School.  The material clings to the body with a series of dense pleats between the legs indicated by string folds, features that are very common in the earlyart of both Kashmir and Gandhara.

‘It is very interesting to note that the early images of Kashmir as come across in Bijbehara has more Hellenistic influences and less Gupta. In the medieval aged sculpture sites Hellenistic features have been dominated by Gupta styles while the later sculptures of Avantipura and Varinag sites, the local influence has been a dominant force, not only in the body and costume treatment but of particular interest is the retention of personified attributes, which disappeared in usage in the rest of India in post Gupta periods but continued in Kashmir up to the lost stages of sculptures, says Robert E Fisher in his article ‘Later stone sculptures published in Margi.

’ The greater traditions of the kashmiri sculptural art later also impressed Ladakhi stone sculptors, that is why many kashmiri images mostly of bronze were reported to have appeared in the art market of Ladakh.

Thus sculpture traditions which appeared from Semthen Bijbehara and Ushkar (Southern and Northern parts of Kashmir) prior to 6^th century AD, are very much influenced by Hellenistic style. These sculpture traditions  were then cultivated in later schools and are also mentioned in my book titled Ancient Sculptures of Kashmir.  Indeed the later sculptures have got less Hellenistic influence and more Gupta influence and are highly ornamented.

The two stone images believed to have been way back found from Bijbehera area and preserved in Srinagar museum are described as under:

The six armed Kartikeya identified by his vehicle the peacock in its several features compares with Gandhara images. The arrangement of the hair and the wavy locks falling over its shoulders, the folds of the drapery like features quietly resemble similar features of the Gandhara images while fleshy body with powerful shoulders compares it with sculptures found earlier at Pandrethan Srinager.

It wears a pearl necklace from which hangs a diamond pendant. The floral garland loops in front of the body falls near the knees. Boarders of armlets and belt are studded with pearls. A short dagger is attached at his waist. This is unique to Kashmiri versions but is rarely found on the early sculptures.

The sculpture is damaged by its four arms; the other two hands visible do not hold anything. The right hand is placed upon the neck of the peacock, the vehicle of the God, and the left holds the hem of the drapery. The Dhoti reaches to its ankles with folds in between its legs.

Female deity is another goddess from Bijbehara. It is damaged by its head, arms and by its attributes. Since the prongs of a trident are partly visible at the right side of its foot, it is identified as form of durga. The image is purely dressed in Hellenistic style, compares closely with a number of Gandhara images. It is shown wearing a high waist chitin and a long scarf. A cord passes over the lift shoulder and forms a loop in front of her body. The scarf falls in a series of folds at her feet. This treatment may be watched on many early standing female deities known in terracotta.

Adjacent to Semthan is the Tengun Zablipura where from the stray evidences of terracotta tiles and its fragments have also been reported and these tiles have carried wonderful human figures, sometimes standing while sometimes shown riding on horseback. This site looks the extension of Semthan archaeological site.

Most of semthan collections  are lying with Archaeological Survey of India, but there is also very good collection of terracotta miniature figures which have also reached Srinager Museums. The SPS Museum at Srinager and Central Asian Museum at Kashmir University houses a good collection of Semthan archaeological site.

Most of the terracotta images found in the layers of Seithan have remained unidentified. These images need to be identified and their costume and artistic details also needs to be studied so that these evidences can be utilized in the study of ancient art history of this land.

The writer is senior archaeologist and author