Saanchi Antiques, Langford Road
Lord Ram has been a muse for many an artist’s imagination. If you are a fan of antiques or anything vintage, then Saanchi Antiques, situated in the quaint streets of Langford Road, has curated collector’s pieces. Alongside rare Lord Rama Pattabhishekam glass paintings, one gets to witness porcelain statues of Lord Ram, Sita, and Lakshman and a gold kasu necklace featuring an engraving of Lord Ram and Sita. “The porcelain piece was made in Germany, during the late 19th century. The faces of the idols were inspired by the Raja Ravi Verma paintings. While in India, we use bold colours, pastel colours were used for the porcelain,” explains Parwathi Mirlay, the founder of Saanchi Antiques, further adding, “What makes the gold kasu necklace unique is that while most Kasu necklaces have Goddess Lakshmi engraved, this was the first time I saw Lord Ram engraved.”
A Colourful Tribute
City-based artist Vilas Nayak is paying tribute to the inauguration of the Ram Temple with his latest painting. “As a child, I used to do paintings of Lord Ram and Hanuman and for the past four to five years I have been planning to do it to relive those childhood memories. A few months ago, I did a Hanuman painting and now finally I managed to finish the Lord Ram painting. Secondly, the inauguration is such a big event for the country,” says Nayak. Many might find an uncanny resemblance of Lord Ram’s face in his painting to Dr Rajkumar and Puneeth Rajkumar. However, the artist reveals that it is not done intentionally. “I wanted the face to be calm and smiling. But many times it does not come that perfectly, no matter how seasoned the artist is. But I was quite happy with the way it turned,” says Nayak.
MAP, Kasturba Road
The ongoing exhibition at the Museum of Art & Photography (MAP), Bengaluru, Book of Gold: The Kanchana Chitra Ramayana of Banaras showcases the 75-plus folios from the Kanchana Chitra Ramayana or the Golden Illustrated Ramayana. The manuscript, based on Tulsidas’ Ramcharitmanas, was commissioned by Maharaja Udit Narayan Singh of Banaras and created between 1796 and 1814. “The seven volumes of the magnificent Kanchana Chitra Ramayana, an illustrated Ramcharitmanas, have justifiably garnered great praise by the scribes of the text,” says Parul Singh, co-curator of the show.
Gallery G, Lavelle Road
Various aspects of Lord Ram’s life story are depicted in Raja Ravi Verma’s lithographs. On the occasion of the temple inauguration, Gallery G is showcasing some of those lithographs. Among the highlights is Shree Ram Janam, a rare depiction of an infant Lord Ram, alongside his parents King Dsaratha and mother Kaushalya. There is also a lithograph of an episode of Sita Swayamvar. The scene shows Ram effortlessly lifting the legendary bow Pinaka and breaking it. Sita is shown as a small girl, hugging her father Janaka. Apart from Raja Ravi Verma’s lithographs, the exhibition also features paintings from the episodes of Ramayana by artists like Keshav Venkataraghavan.