Rama Paintings at Rama Mandiras in Mysore and Melkote
January 23, 2024
By R.G. Singh
Worship of Rama, the seventh incarnation (avatar) of Vishnu, is widespread in Hinduism. He is the only deity in the Hindu pantheon who is considered as a king. Temples dedicated to Rama are found across India varying in size and grandeur. The temple at Ayodhya consecrated yesterday will perhaps outshine all existing Rama temples by its sheer size and magnificence.
During the Bhakti movement of the 15th and 16th century, there developed a parallel mode of worship and personal devotion to the chosen deity. In north and central India, wealthy businessmen and landlords (zamindars, talukdars and jagirdars) patronised a distinct but unique form of worship of Rama and Krishna shorn of grandeur and the imposing temple structures. Large mansions and grand residences housed a shrine dedicated to the Lord, these are referred to as ‘Thakurji ki Haveli’ (house where the Lord resides). The havelis had a private section where the householders resided and a public section (called as ‘baithak’) where the common man was allowed to offer prayers and perform family functions.
The Thakurji ki Haveli among many distinct practices, patronised the Haveli Sangeet – musical renderings extolling the virtues of the Lord sung by vocalists to the accompaniment of musical instruments. A similar tradition of Bhajana Mandira and Rama Mandira was prevalent in parts of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. The mostly inconspicuous structures are akin to the north Indian Haveli tradition, the only difference being that the south Indian mandiras have independent entrance.
Music is a major part of worship in Havelis, Rama Mandiras also patronise music as a part of service to the Lord. Hence, we see the tradition of music festivals conducted during the Rama Navami festivities.
Most of the Rama Mandiras have on display, paintings depicting other Hindu divinities, the popular ones are Rajarajeshwari, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Shiva Parivara, Krishna with consorts, Bala leelas of Krishna, episodes from Mahabharata, Bhagavata, puranas and Ramayana.
This article examines a few interesting and unique paintings on display and worship at important Rama Mandiras in and around Mysore. The array of subjects and the artists involved in creating these stunning specimens and the devout patrons who were instrumental in leaving behind this rich legacy, are to be remembered on this important day in the civilizational journey of India.
All the paintings are in the Mysore school, housed at the mentioned Rama Mandiras (or otherwise), and the copyright is reserved by the respective Trusts/Mandiras.
Mysuru’s favorite and largest circulated English evening daily has kept the citizens of Mysuru informed and entertained since 1978. Over the past 45 years, Star of Mysore has been the newspaper that Mysureans reach for every evening to know about the happenings in Mysuru city. The newspaper has feature rich articles and dedicated pages targeted at readers across the demographic spectrum of Mysuru city. With a readership of over 2,50,000 Star of Mysore has been the best connection between it’s readers and their leaders; between advertisers and customers; between Mysuru and Mysureans.
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