Lupadakhe: Unknown Master Sculptors of Ancient India.

Authors: Deepak Kannal and Kanika Gupta

Mandala Publication 

Book Review

 

'Unto each sculpture lies the heart, toil and imagination of the sculptor, lest we forget.'

Lupadakhe, the book, celebrates the works of the largely unsung Master Craftsmen of Ancient India.

It begins with a couplet from Lupadakhe, a sculptor, to his paramour Sutanuka, in an inscription, immortalised at the Jogimara Caves. What is revealing in this is the documentation of his origin, viz a viz Varanasi. This is fascinating as names and places of origin of sculptors are hardly ever mentioned through the history of Art.

"Ancient Indian Sculpture has an identity but not a face," It goes without saying that works so daunting and remarkable could have been created without the hands of master craftsmen.

Ironically the creations are written, the era in which they were created, the rulers who patronised the art are documented but there is no mention of the actual sculptors who created the images.

Deepak Kannal and Kanika Gupta have explained with examples from monuments, the probable reason for such omissions. The guild system where by sculptors travelled to different lands and were commissioned to work, the rulers who commissioned the guilds and sculptors, the socially degraded condition of the craftsmen, all these and more contributed to their names being withheld.

The authors have painstakingly unveiled the layers around the sculptures giving us a glimpse of the masters who carved these magnificent sculptures.

Each  chapter of the book talks about the different aspects of the sculptor. Although each one was not a master craftsman, the lineages continued from the original master, who often times remained unknown to the apprentice. As  sculptors travelled to distant lands, they not only carved images of their own lineage but also combined works of other lineages, creating an entirely new Sculpted form.

Be it the Indus Valley art forms, the Bhaja caves, Bharut, Mathura, Paunar, Ellora, the master craftsmen have left their indelible mark. The authors have observed every detail. Finding similarities in the styles at various locations They have not only analysed the theories of various art historians but have come up with their own theory and concept about how a sculpture should be studied.

The authors have expounded the theory of the visual medium as against the theoretically writing of a particular sculpture. The postures, the placement of hands, the torso, the stance, each aspect needs to be understood. As most of the sculptures are religiously ordained, it must have been very important for the sculptor to be knowledgeable with the myths associated with the deities.

The writing is lucid and captivating. The description of sculptures is detailed, every intricate feature is explained in its true form. It feels as though the Master craftsman speaks his mind through the medium of the authors. 

I was mesmerized while reading the chapter titled Vicitracitta: Carving of Emotions. Here the authors have given in detail the emotions in the body language in the Dashavtara cave at Ellora. The Dancing Siva and the Andhakasurmurti, are extremely complex.

 

" Both these sculptures, are charged with pent up energy. The precarious placement of the massive central figures in deep niches adds to the impetus of movement". In the example of the Dancing Siva, "the artist has taken a subtle liberty with the human anatomy, adding a slight curve to the torso, which affects the otherwise  rigid ribcage."

According to the authors, the sculptures in the Dashavtara cave introduce the Baroque in Indian art, showing fully the flamboyance and grandeur. The master sculptor has chosen not only one rasa but combined the bhayanak and sringara rasa in the Andhakasur sculpture.

The book is replete with examples of art created by the master artists. Even though their names are lost in time, their identity is visible through their work.

" The sculptor inherited the audacity to grapple with enormous rocks and melt down the most adamant of the metals through generations and learned to subjugate the resisting medium."

"This small work is a celebration of their achievements, a tribute to their unsung genius." 

Small, is surely an understatement, as both Deepak Kannal and Kanika Gupta have left no stone unturned bringing us a book which may revolutionise art history.

I feel enough has been revealed already and the onus now is on the reader to give these Unknown Craftsmen their due credit.

The book is available with Amazon and Flipkart as well as Kaveri and Mandala.