CHENNAI: When Tanjore Maharaja Sarboji painted and promoted Tanjore Paintings, little he would have guessed how popular the art would become. Samboji Raja Bhonsle and Raghavan Raja Bhonsle, both belonging to the Maharaja clan came to the city recently to promote the art form and exhibit their work at the Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Artisans Welfare Association, Srushti.
Belonging to the fifth generation of the Tanjore royal family, Samboji and his brother Raghavan have exhibited around 40 Tanjore paintings.
The highlight of their exhibition is their three dimension tanjore paintings that have intricate work on them. A 3x2 feet painting of Bhoomadevi has intricate works on her including the sea bed, angels and other creatures of the world that refers to the journey of birth to death — birth from Karpaga Vrisksha tree and death from Yama Darma Raja. The 4x3 feet painting of Radha and Krishna on a swing has been given life through its three dimension swing and steps. Similarly, they have displayed angels with oriental floral works in Tanjore style, Rishabhavana Uidyar, 108 Shiva thaandavams among others.
But what makes these paintings stand out from others is not just the three dimension aspect but the paintings are mounted on a mandap that can be opened and closed when required. These mandaps too have paintings on them, some having 108 shiva lingams, and paintings depicting thiru vilaiyadal and others. Also they follow the traditional method of painting where Tanjore art is usually made on teakwood and the base is made of hard rock mixed with tamarind seeds. The base protects the paintings from insects and hence they are durable unlike the new method of using chalk powder, which fails to protect the artwork from fungus. “This is our style of making Tanjore paintings and each piece stays intact for 150 years,” notes Samboji adding that they use original gold foil.
Besides, there is also a 40-year-old painting of Sarboji Maharaja that was made by Samboji ancestors. “Not many of my ancestors followed the art. It’s only my idea to make business out of the art,” says Samboji.
While Samboji explains in detail about his work and about his ancestors, his brother Raghavan gives a live demonstration on Tanjore paintings. “Nowadays, people learn this art in 10 days. But according to us, one can learn the art and its intricacies only after three years of training,” says Raghavan. Their art work can cost anywhere between Rs 1,200 to Rs 8 and making piece can take just a few days or even months.