Exploring the Arts in Patan Museum, Nepal
Patan is my hometown which is also home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Patan Durbar Square which has a tremendously rich cultural history. Those getting a ticket here have access to the Patan Museum which displays the traditional sacred arts of Nepal in its unique architecture.
In Nepali, we have the term “Najik ko Tirtha Hela” which means that we tend to underestimate the value of things that are nearest to us.
This is why while I have been dreaming about visiting different places abroad, I have underestimated the beautiful history and arts that are present right where I was born.
Not any more!
This year I have realized the huge importance of the origins and stories of my community and would like to share them with the world too.
The Patan Museum is based mostly on the arts during the Malla Period(1200–1769 B.S.) which is even known as the Nepalese Renaissance because of the tremendous progress in terms of Fine Arts.
It is important to know that an important factor in this flourishing of arts and culture was the Malla rulers who were known to be enthusiastic patrons of both Hinduism and Buddhism (Vergati, 1979).
Many of the paintings also represent the deities of Buddhism and Hinduism with the Newar inhabitants of the time being known for the making of such arts including metal casting, woodcarving, clay and stone sculpting, and painting (Shrestha & Singh, 1972).
- Bhairava & Consort(middle art)
Time period: 17th Century
Civilization/ Society: Malla Dynasty
Analysis
Bhairava is a fierce manifestation of the god Shiva. In this art, Bhairava embraces his wife occupied with birds and angels.
He is known for his frightful nature which has been illustrated with the elements of his bristling hair and skull decorated crown which includes severed human heads.
Moreover, one part of the art that I closely noticed was the dancer’s bell which is apparently called a ‘glam gala’. Even today, in traditional dances, the male dancers are seen wearing them during the festivals in Patan Durbar Square.
Among the Newari people, Bhairava is a well-known name and we keep its emblem in the home too. In my home too, there is a picture representing Bhairava’s fierce nature.
Actually, in tantric practices, Bhairava is associated with the transformation of anger and hatred into understanding (Carol, 1983). I have also come to understand that they are the protectors of the Buddhist faith and its followers. My father mentioned that such protection was one of the main reasons he chose to keep this image in the home.
2. Maitreya, the Buddha to Come
Time period: 18th century
Civilization/ Society: Malla Dynasty
Analysis
This art depicts Maitreya, who is also known as “The Benevolent”.
In this art, we can observe that Maitreya is dressed with splendid ornaments while his hair is braided like that of an ascetic. A key part is that the art supports a ‘chaitya’ which is the sacred monument of the Buddhist world.
It is believed in Buddhism that Maitreya is present in the “Tushita Heaven”, a realm of the universe where he is a bodhisattva.
There, he teaches Buddhist doctrine to celestial beings until he descends into the world that we live in to be the future mortal Buddha.
My father and his friends had organized a hike to a place called Manichud, which is a Buddhist temple in Shankhrapur. Many of the people from Newar community had come in the hike in order to do “puja(worship)” here where there is the image of Bodhisattva Maitreya. I still recall this hike 4 years ago where even an elderly uncle in his early 70’s had come in the strenuous hike to do puja here!
3. Vajrasattva and Prajna
Time period: 1859 A.D.
Civilization/ Society: Post- Malla Period
Analysis
Vajrasattva, who is also known as the “Sixth Buddha” is depicted in this art in mystic union with his companion.
In this image, we can see that both of them carry Vajra, which is the means to enlightenment as well as bells, which signify impermanence of this world since the sounds of the bells do not last.
Among Tantric images, it is known that most people misunderstand the images of the deities in sexual embrace. I too used to think such images were portraying sexual meanings. However, after going through the descriptions of this image, it actually has nothing to do with sex or eroticism.
This art portrays that “salvation results from the merging of two primary cosmic aspects, male and female (Dargyay, 1992).”
In Buddhism, the female principle is passive and represents wisdom while the male is active and represents compassion which leads mortals towards enlightenment.
This image represents the goal of Vajrayana Buddhism in which all the sense of personal individuality is discarded and the worshiper unites with the divine (Roderick, 2006).
4. Vajrapani
Time period: 15th-16th century
Civilization/ Society: Malla Dynasty
Analysis
Bodhisattvas are dedicated to appear in any form necessary to bring others to salvation (Linrothe, 1999).
That is why the Bodhisattvas tend to manifest themselves in fierce forms and this art of Vajrapani is an illustration of just that.
Vajrapani is shown in this art with three menacing heads and three pairs of arms. If we observe the art closely, we can see that Vajrapani is swallowing two serpents whilst being surrounded by many more of such serpents.
I used to think that such forms were actually demons or villains in my mind. Yet, though their appearance seems fierce, they actually have the opposite purpose to not frighten.
The weapons that they carry, such as the Vajra, are to encounter ignorance and delusion. They are the fighters against hate, pride, and jealousy which are the true obstacles to enlightenment.
5. The Divine Play of Lord Krishna
Time period: 17th century
Civilization/ Society: Malla Dynasty
Analysis
This painting shows the 31 devotional songs which is a genre known as Krishnalila.
The plays are for Lord Krishna who is the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. These songs were composed by the ruler of Patan at the time named Siddhi Narasimha Malla who was the ruler from 1619 to 1661.
The painting is to be viewed from left to right and top to bottom. There are several scenes in this painting with different backgrounds including showing the mountains of Nepal.
Lord Krishna is a recurring character in many of the scenes present. These songs have been written in the old Newari language.
I hadn’t seen a picture of such kind in my life and so I felt that it was a very unique art with a great concept. This was definitely one of those moments when rather than analyzing the arts you want to feel them and enjoy them.
Reflecting on the Museum Visit
Though I have visited Patan Museum before, the lens with which I went there was one where I wanted to learn about these arts and the background as well as insights that they can provide.
As I started to go through the different works and found a section which was dedicated to gods, I couldn’t help but think back to a course I took in college called Art History where one key inference was that there have been connections with higher intelligence and gods in all of the arts of different civilizations from East to West of the world.
Being a Newar, we have many customs and festivals dedicated to gods and they have deep meanings.
But, one trend I am observing in our generation including myself is that we are following such customs and festivals without what would have been their original purpose.
Rather we mostly focus on the indulgence of food and time with family. That is not bad yet but there is definitely more to such cultural practices which is a curiosity I will gradually fulfill.
These arts may have some variations in terms of interpretations yet the above analysis is based primarily on the information absorbed from the museum itself.
I hope this article provided you some idea about the arts that are present in Patan Durbar Square!
References
Carol, P. (1983). The Book of the Goddess: Past and Present. New York: Crossroads.
Dargyay, ,. N. (1992). The Sovereign All-Creating Mind: The Motherly Buddha. Albany.
Linrothe, R. N. (1999). Ruthless Compassion: Wrathful Deities in Early Indo-Tibetan Esoteric Buddhist Art. Serindia Publications.
Roderick, B. (2006). The Twilight Language: Explorations in Buddhist Meditation and Symbolism. International Journal of Buddhist Thought & Culture, 55–94.
Shrestha, D. B., & Singh, C. B. (1972). The History of Ancient and Medieval Nepal. Kathmandu: HMG Press.
Vergati, A. (1979). Newar Art: Nepalese Art during the Malla Period. The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 154–166.
