Release of Renaissance, Volume VI, Issue 4
Date: April 21, 2025
E.B. Havell, the famous British art historian, said that a golden thread of Vedic thought bound together all varied strands of Indian art—Buddhist, Jain, Hindu, Sikh, and even Indo-Saracenic—in spite of their outer, theological, ritualistic and dogmatic differences. Also, because art is primarily subjective, it is not in existing monuments and masterpieces or in the fragmentary collections of painting and sculpture in museums that we should seek for the origin of the great art schools of the world. Rather, we should seek that in the thoughts which created these monuments and masterpieces, emphasises Havell.
“..it is undoubtedly true that in Greece, in Italy, in India, the greatest efflorescence of a national Art has been associated with the employment of the artistic genius to illustrate or adorn the thoughts and fancies or the temples and instruments of the national religion. This was not because Art is necessarily associated with the outward forms of religion, but because it was in the religion that men’s spiritual aspirations centred themselves.”
~ Sri Aurobindo, CWSA, Vol. 1, p. 450
In our ongoing exploration of the Spirit and Forms of Art in India, the focus has been on uncovering the deeper aspiration of Indian soul which has found expression in her various art forms over millennia. Especially starting with the issue on Indian temple architecture, we have emphasised a more experience-based account. And we have eschewed a dry academic analysis of Indian artistic traditions and art history where dates, dynasties, and details find center-stage. We have also kept in view the need for a variety; this allows us to more appropriately present the multiplicity of forms bound by one spirit. This current issue focused on Indian sculpture also follows the same flow.
In this Issue
Sri Aurobindo, in his volume The Renaissance in India and Other Essays on Indian Culture, devotes a full essay on Indian sculpture (CWSA, Vol. 20, pp. 286-297). We find there an inspiring description of the profound intention and motive which guides Indian sculptural art. We also learn its deep and intimate connection with the spiritual and religious-philosophic vision which is at the source of all Indian cultural expressions. For the Guiding Light feature we highlight some selections from that chapter and present them in two parts.
In the feature titled From One Formless to Many Forms, we highlight selections from the book Indian Sculpture and Iconography: Forms and Measurements (2002). The book was published by Sri Aurobindo Society in collaboration with Vaastu Vedic Research Foundation, Chennai.
Closely linked with the sculptural heritage of India is the long tradition of image worship. We explore this through an excerpt taken from the book titled Elements of Hindu Iconography, Vol. 1, Part 1.
Of Sculptures and Temples
To appreciate fully the sculptural tradition of India we have to see it in the context of the temple architectural tradition. The intimate connection between these two art forms – known together as vaastu parampara – is exemplified perfectly by Kailasha Temple at Ellora caves. This temple is essentially carved out like one big sculpture. A huge pile of hard rocky material was scooped out, revealing into form a two-storied beautiful temple.
Excavated from top to bottom, the entire monolithic cave-temple was planned at the beginning. It is said that no major part of this architectural marvel appears to have been an afterthought. Read Unearthing the Path: My Indian Story to know more about the Kailasha temple and the deeper story it may speak to a seeking heart.