Survey of artistic and cultural Heritage of Himachal Pradesh (Temples, Budhist Monasteries and Paintings)
Temples
Ganesh temple bharmour chamba
Lord Ganesha temple is situated near the entrance of Chaurasi temple, Bharmour. The temple was constructed by the rulers of the Varman dynasty as stated in an inscription erected in the temple, by Meru Verman in circa 7th century A.D. The wooden temple of ganesha was probably set on fire during Kira invasion of Bharmour and image was mutilated by cutting off legs. Lord Ganesha temple is near the entrance because in hinduism lord Ganesha is worshipped before any other god and before starting any work.
Hidimba Temple
Hidimba is the most popular temple in Manali; it is in fact the most famous tourist attraction here as well. Dedicated to Hidimba Devi (the wife of Bhima), this temple is built around a cave amidst a thick forest. In this temple, devotees come to worship Hidimba Devi, who once meditated, prayed and did penance here. The temple catches the eye of the tourists due to its excellent architecture.
Jwala Devi Temple, Kangra
Amongst the 51 Shaktipeethas, Jwala Devi temple happens to be an important temple in Himachal Pradesh. Jwalamukhi is a village in Kangra district, which is believed to be the place where the tongue of Sati fell. According to a legend, a shepherd while herding his cattle in the forest saw a continuously blazing fire from a mountain. He then went and told the king about the incident; the King believed the shepherd visited the place and had a Darshan of Goddess here. He then built a temple in this place, later; Raja Bhumi Chand constructed a proper temple here. It is believed that Jwala Devi fulfills the wishes of all those who visit here. Offering coconut here is mandatory.
Chintpurni Temple, Una
Another important Shaktipeethas in Himachal Pradesh, Chintapurni Temple is situated in the Una district. According to mythology, it is the same place where the forehead of Sati fell. In Chintpurni temple, Goddess Chinnamastika is worshipped. She is also known as the Headless Goddess, as it is believed that the Goddess beheaded herself and offered her blood to here two companions (Jaya and Vijaya Yoginis) Therefore, the Goddess is the symbol of self-sacrifice, who can do anything to serve her beloved. Till today, devotees visit this temple in hope of getting their wishes fulfilled.
Bhimkali Temple, Sarahan
Bhimkali Temple holds importance as one of the 51 Shaktipeethas. According to legends, it is the place where an ear of Sati fell. The temple is situated in Sarahan, which is at a distance of about 180kms from Shimla. Bhimkali temple is a important landmark of Sarahan town. This wooden temple has a scenic background with lofty snow-clad mountains. The architecture of the temple and the intricate wood carvings are also worth praising.
Mani mahesh temple
Manimahesh Yatra is pilgrimage to Manimahesh Lake (4115m) situated at the base of Manimahesh Kailash Peak. Manimahesh Yatra is just like mount Kailash yatra or Lake Manasarovar Yatra for pilgrimage to lord Shiva.
Many pligrims, who visit Manimahesh every year and locals often cover this distance Bharmour to Manimahesh in one day. People start visiting Manimahesh from May onwards and keep on visiting Manimahesh until end of October. Every year more than half a million people visit manimahesh lake to take holy bath and to see Manimahesh Kailash. Manimahesh Kailash Peak is believed to be home of Lord Shiva. Manimahesh yatra is not considered complete without visit to Bharmani devi temple which is at a distance of 4 km from Bharmour. It is believed that it is necessary to take bath in Bharmani Devi pool to complete Manimahesh Yatra. Manimahesh lake and peak are considered sacred and it is said that no one has been able to climb to the Manimahesh Kailash Peak. People point out rock projections, human-like in appearance, and say that one is of a hermit and other of a shepherd, frozen stiff during their futile effort to reach the top. A fair is held at Bharmour in August every year, providing a rare occasion to see and study the customs and rituals of the local people.
Shri Vajeshwari temple, kangra
Vajreshwari temple and Kangra Devi temple are located in Nagar Kot in Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh. Mother Vajreshwari devi is also known as the Goddess of Nagar Kot and also as Kangra Devi.
It is believed that this temple was constructed by the Pandavas in the Mahabharat era and that the old name of district Kangra was Nagar Kot. The Goddess rests in the form of a pindi under a parasol in the main hall. There are many idols of various deities placed in the temple. The idol of Bharav Nath is placed on the left side of the temple.
Vajreshwari temple and Kangra Devi temple is one of the 51 siddha-peethas. Devotees from India and all over the world come here to have a glimpse of the Goddess. The number of devotees increase very much during Navratras.
Bansi Gopal Temple
This temple is also of shikhara style and is situated in the vicinity of Chamba palace. This famous Hindu temple is dedicated to Lord Krishana whose image holding a flute is enshrined with Radha. In copper plate of Raja Balbhadra issued in A.D. 1595, mention is made of this temple.
The occasion of the issue of the copper plate grant was the conservation ceremony performed by the King at the temple of Gopal now called Bansi Gopal. This shows that some repairs or renovation had been done to the temple and the completion of the work occasioned the ceremony. It is indicated in the inscription that the donated village was formerly granted by Ganesh Verman to a Brahman named Rama.
The entrance gate of the temple depicts Ganga and Yamuna standing holding a vase. A curious feature of the temple is the depiction of amorous scenes of Khajuraho type on the exterior of the temple. In the niches outside the temple are depicted various deities, including Surya, Hari-hara, lord Krishna with flute, lord Hanuman, lord Mashishasuramardini, lord Anantasayi Vishnu, lord Vishnu with three faces (those of hanuman, a lion and a boar), lord Uma Maheshwara, lord Narsimha and lord Varaha.
Shri Chamunda devi temple
In Hinduism, Chamunda or Camunda is an aspect of Devi, the supreme mother goddess. The name is a combination of Chanda and Munda, two monsters which Devi killed. The famous temple of Ma Chamunda is in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, India. It is around 10 km west of Palampur, on the Baner river. Around 400 years ago the king and a Brahmin priest prayed to Devi for permission to move the temple to some easily accessible location. Devi appeared to the priest in a dream giving her consent. She directed him to dig in a certain spot and an ancient idol would be found and that idol should be installed in the temple and worshipped as Her form.
The king sent out men to bring the idol. Although they were able to locate it but were not able to lift it. Again Devi appeared to the priest in a dream. She explained that the men could not lift the holy relic because they considered it an ordinary stone. She instructed him to get up early in the morning, take a bath, wear fresh clothes and go to the place in a respectful manner. He did as he was told and found that he could easily lift what a large group of men could not. He told the people that it was the power of the Goddess that brought the idol to the temple.
Narbadeshwar temple
Narbadeshwar Temple is situated in Sujanpur town and was built by Maharani Prasanni Devi, the wife of Raja Sansar Chand. The temple is famed for its rich wall paintings that enhance the beauty of its walls. It is a 200 year old temple that is built in the Bhitti style of architecture. The arches and niches catch the eyes of many visitors in the temple. There are other temples built around the Narbadeshwar, which are dedicated to Durga, Ganesh, Laxmi Naryana and Mahisasur Mardini.
Sujanpura Tira houses
five temples and a hall called Baradari, where the court was held in the realm of Sansar Chand. The entrance of the fort is an impressive one with signs of some excellent wall paintings over it. The main attraction of the fort is the Gauri Shankar Temple that is within the precincts of the palace. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shankar and Goddess Parvati and has a large number of wall paintings executed in the precision.
Deotsidh Temple Hamirpur, Himachal
Situated on the border of Hamirpur and Bilaspur, Deotsidh Temple is amongst the most popular shrines in Hamirpur district. Deotsidh is a cave temple that is dedicated to Baba Balaknath. It is believed that the sage meditated here. Baba Balak Nath was a spiritual reformer during the time of Shakti movement and is appreciated for his acts of philanthropy. The Deotsidh temple is inaccessible; however, they can see the deity from a raised platform located in front of the cave temple.
Panchvaktra Temple
Situated at the confluence of the Rivers Suketi and Beas, the serene beauty of the Panchvaktra temple attracts a large number of visitors from across the country. The temple stands on a huge platform and is very well furnished. Panchvaktra temple is a supreme shrine dedicated to Lord Shiv. The temple is built in the typical Shikhara architecture style which looks astounding. Temple got its name from the five faced statue image of Lord Shiva, out of which only three can be seen when viewed from the front.
Monastries in himachal pradesh
Tabo Buddhist Monastery
Tabo Monastery, also known as the ‘Ajanta of the Himalayas,’ is one of the most popular monasteries in the Lahaul and Spiti Valley and was founded more than a millennium back in 996 A.D. This ancient structure stands on the barren, cold, and rocky desert of the Tabo valley at a dizzying height of 3050 meters above sea level. This untouched beauty has preserved the glorious heritage, traditions, and culture of Buddhism through the passage of centuries. According to the Tibetan Calendar, the Tabo Monastery is believed to have been established in the year of the Fire Ape, by a great teacher and translator Lotsawa Rinchen Tsang Po, the king of the western Himalayan Kingdom of Guge.
Kye Monastery
Kye Monastery is a famous Tibetan Monastery in Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh and is located at an altitude of 4, 166 meters above sea level. This beautiful monastery is positioned on a picturesque hilltop and is very close to the Spiti River, in the Spiti Valley of Himachal Pradesh. It’s hard to believe, but this spectacular monastery is at least a thousand year old and is the largest monastery in Spiti Valley. It was established in the 11th century and it still houses ancient Buddhist scrolls and paintings. A large number of Buddhist monks, nuns, and lamas live in this religious training center to receive their religious education here.
Kungri Monastery, Lahaul & Spiti Valley
The ever beautiful Kungri Monastery is located around 10 km from Attargo and 3 km from Gulling in Pin Valley of Himachal Pradesh. The town of Attargo is located approximately 12 km from the sub-divisional district headquarter of Spiti and one has to cross the stunning Spiti River to reach the Pin Valley, most of which has been declared a National Park. The Kungri Monastery happens to be the second oldest Gompa in the Lahaul and Spiti Valley and has the distinction of being the only monastery, which belongs to the Nyingmapa order of Buddhism. It is also the oldest order of Tibetan Buddhism.
Tayul monaster, Lahaul and Spiti Valley
Tayul monastery namely Tayul Gompa is assumed as the oldest monastery in the Northern region. The monastery is standing tall in the midst the mighty mountains. It is located at an elevation of 3900 m above the sea level in the Bhaga Valley of Lahaul and Spiti. Satingri village is home to the Tayul Gompa that can be reached by a steep footpath from Upper Keylong.
Shashur Monastery
Amidst the hilly terrains of the Himalaya rests a small and quaint Buddhist shrine called Shashur Monastery. The literal meaning of “Shahsur” is blue pines; it is completely compliments with the name of the monastery because it is surrounded by the blue pine trees which share shoulders with each other. Shahshur monastery is related to the Gelukpa order or red hat sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The monastery was founded by the Lama Dewa Tyatsho hailing from Ladakh in the 16th century but its construction was stopped after awhile. Later, the construction of the monastery was restarted by Lama Dewa Gyatsho in the 17th century. It is also believed that Dewa Gyatsho stayed in the monastery till his death.
Gemur Monastery
The Gemur monastery is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery located on a picturesque hilltop in Keylong, Boasting manicured gardens, brilliantly carved Stupas, shrine rooms displaying relics and Tibetan art, and to top it off, sculpture of the goddess ‘Marichi’ and ‘Vajravarahi,’ the monastery is its self a grand spectacle. Gemur monastery is a small shrine, but is quite famous for its ‘Devil dance-drama’ which is held here during the months of July in great sanctity at the Local Gompa. The monastery interior is tastefully decorated with extraordinary paintings that take one through the events that shaped the life of Buddha. If a tourist wants to indulge in some spiritual activity then they can go to a meditation at the monastery.
Guru Ghantal Monastery
The Mighty Guru Ghantal Monastery is the most popular destination for travellers in the Lahaul region. Surrounded by mountains and rolling sand dunes, the monastery spells magic. It is deemed to be the oldest monastery in the Lahaul region. Legends say that the monastery was established by Guru Rinpoche in the 8th century CE. In the year 1857, historians discovered a copper goblet which is the oldest example of metalwork from the 1st century. The latter instance depicted that the Buddhist civilization was pretty advanced at that time as well. Perched at an elevation of 3160 m on the rocky cliffs of Tupchiling village, the mighty monastery is close to the point where there is a confluence of Chandra and Bhaga River.
Paintings of himachal pradesh
Pahari painting is the name given to Rajput paintings, made in Himachal Pradesh and J & k. Pahari paintings have been widely influenced by the Rajput paintings, because of the family relations of the Pahari Rajas with royal court at Rajasthan. One can also see strong influence of the Gujarat and Deccan paintings. With the emergence of Bhakti movement, new themes for Indian Pahari paintings came into practice. The Shaiva-Shakta themes were supplemented by argot poetry and folk songs of Lord Krishna and Lord Rama. At the same time, the themes of the paintings revolved around love and devotion also. There was also illustration of great epics, puranas, etc. The depiction of Devi Mahatmya manuscript painted at Kangra, in 1552, has been much acclaimed.
Pahari paintings of India can be divided into two distinct categories, on the basis of their geographical range, namely:
- Basohli and Kulu Style (Influenced by Chaurpanchasika style)
- Guler and Kangra Style (Based on cooler colors and refinement)
Basohli Paintings
Basohli painting, school of Pahari miniature painting that flourished in the Indian hill states during the late 17th and the 18th centuries, known for its bold vitality of colour and line. Though the school takes its name from the small independent state of Basohli, the principal centre of the style, examples are found throughout the region.
The origins of the school are obscure; one of the earliest examples so far discovered, a series of illustrations to the Rasamañjarī (c. 1690), exhibits a style already completely formed. An oblong format is favoured, with the picture space usually delineated by architectural detail, which often breaks into the characteristic red borders.
The stylized facial type, shown in profile, is dominated by the large, intense eye. The colours are always brilliant, with ochre yellow, brown, and green grounds predominating. A distinctive technique is the depiction of jewelry by thick, raised drops of white paint, with particles of green beetles’ wings used to represent emeralds.
Kangra school of paintings
Kangra painting is the pictorial art of Kangra, named after Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, a former princely state, which patronized the art. It became prevalent with the fading of Basohli school of painting in mid-18th century,and soon produced such a magnitude in paintings both in content as well as volume, that the Pahari painting school, came to be known as Kangra paintings. In the middle of the 18th century A.D. when the plains of Northern India were convulsed by the invasion of Nadir Shah (1739), followed by the incursions of Ahmad Shah Abdah, a strange event took place in the Punjab hills viz. the birth of the Kangra School of Painting at Haripur-Guler under the patronage of Raja Govardhan Chand (1744-1773), a prince with a refined taste and passion for painting. He gave asylum to refugee artists trained in the Mughal Style of painting. In the inspiring environment of the Punjab Himalayas with their beautiful green hills wave-like terraced paddy-fields and rivulets fed with the glacial waters of the snow-covered Dhauladhar , the Mughal style with its sensitive naturalism blossomed into the Kangra style instead of painting flattering portraits of their masters and hunting scenes, the artists adopted themes from the love poetry of Jayadeva Bihari and Keshav Das who wrote ecstatically of the love of Radha and Krishna. Thus, developed a school of painting with new spirit, whose artistic works are suffused with romantic love and bhakti mysticism.
Parkash Chand (ruled 1773-1790), the successor of Govardhan Chand, also continued the patronage of the artists. The paintings in early Guler style were by the artist Pandit Seu and his two sons Nainsukh, Manak and his brother Gursouhae were in the employ of Raja Parkash Chand of Guler. Raja Sansar Chand (1775-1823) attracted a number of talented artists from the court of Guler even when he was 20 years of age. He was the most renowned Raja in the Kangra Valley and was the most generous patron of the art of painting. It was under his patronage that Jaydeva’s Sanskrit love poem, the “Gita Govinda”, “Bihari’s Sat Sai”, “Bhagawat Purana”, the romantic tale of Nala and Damyanti , and Keshav Das’Raskapriya and Kavipriya were translated into paintings of exquisite beauty. Manku, KhushalaKishan Lal, Basia, Purkhoo, Fatoo are also mentioned as artists in the employ of Sansar Chand and his son Ramdyal is also mentioned. These artist did not mention their names on the painting which also shows their selfless devotion to the art.
To turn to the techniques of Kangra Painting, its chief features are delicacy of line, brilliance of colorand minuteness of decorative details, like the art of Ajanta, Kangra art is essentially an art of the line. This imaging delicacy and fineness of the line was achieved by the use of fine brushes made from the hair of squirrels. The Kangra painters made use of pure colors like yellow ,red and blue and these have retained the brilliance, even after two hundred years. The central theme of Kangra painting is live and its sentiments are expressed in a lyrical style full of rhythm, grace and beauty. The recurring theme of Kangra painting whether it portrays one of the six seasons or modes of music, Radha and Krishana or Siva and Parvati is the love of man for woman and of woman for man.
The three main centers of Kangra painting are Guler, Nurpur and Tira-Sujanpur. Painting depicts ideas and values which guided life in society, sentiments and passions pictured in the language of brush and color make our experience rich and sensibilities sharp. Miniatures are steeped in religious faith as they depict Puranic tales and stories from Ramayana and Mahabharata in minute detail. Sensitive depiction of literary works RasikPriya, Sat Sai and Rasmanjari, GeetGovinda and other works refer to the awareness of people. The episodes are most eloquent, colours most vibrant, brilliant and soft. The brush is tender. Nature sublime. Animal & birds find place wherever necessary. The Nayika of miniature is Radha, the most beautiful woman on earth characterized by feminine grace and Porcelain delicacy and Nayak is none other than the blue God Krishna. We also see the hill Rajas modelling for the Nayak. Portraits of hill Rajas give us a glimpse into theircharacter, likes and attributes. But for the liberal patronage available this art would not have touched such High levels of excellence.
Though the main centres of Kangra paintings are Guler, Basohli, Chamba, Nurpur, Bilaspur and Kangra. Later on this style also reached Mandi, Suket, Kulu, Arki, Nalagarh and Tehri Garhwal (represented by Mola Ram), and now are collectively known as Pahari painting, covering the style that was patronized by Rajput rulers between the 17th and 19th centuries. Pahari paintings, as the name suggests, were paintings executed in the hilly regions of India, in the sub-Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh. It is in the development and modification of Pahari paintings, that the Kangra School features. Under the patronage of Maharaja Sansar Chand, it became the most important center of Pahari painting. To see some of these master pieces one can visit the Maharaja Sansar Chand Museum, adjoining the Kangra Fort in Kangra Himachal. This museum has been founded by the erst-while Royal Family of Kangra.