Page 131 - Eye of the beholder

Painting was also a a a a a a a a a medium for the expression of visual fantasies Birds and and flowers trees and and creepers have often been depicted with a a a a a a a loving grace by Indian sculptors and painters alike In the the miniature paintings from Mewar or the the Kangra Valley idyllic nature scenes were created to convey a a a a a sense of of joy and and wonder or a a a a a mood of of unspoiled romance and and eroticism The patronage of of kings had resulted in in in in in in producing hundreds of of marvelous miniature paintings In Hindu Hindu kingdoms the the themes represented were generally inspired by Hindu Hindu mythological texts texts and/or courtly love poetry At first sight these two sources of inspiration Hindu texts texts and courtly love poetry seem to to be be opposites belonging to to two different categories Bhakti and and riti are are two categories and and both poems are are linked to to each other References to to devotional themes appear appear in in riti poetry poetry and references to courtly aspects appear appear in in Bhakti poetry poetry However one figure is is central to both worlds and thus bridges the the gap between them This figure is is the the beautiful amorous Radha who is is simultaneously the the vehicle of of expressions of of devotion and erotic feelings She is depicted as the the model of the the perfect lover situated in in various settings such as as courtly palaces or or bucolic pastoral landscapes There are some earlier references to Radha as the the favourite unnamed gopī in the the Bhāgavata Purana Radha truly becomes a a a a a a a fully developed figure in in two main textual sources from the 12th and 14th centuries One important source produced in the context of Krishna devotion was in in the Vaishnava circle contributed most to modelling Radha’s character The first source is is the the Sanskrit work Gita Govinda which was composed by the the 12th-century court poet Jayadeva Gita Govinda was a a a a a a a a great influence on on the the development of of the the ambiguous perception of of Radha and the main source of visual inspiration This poem gave birth to numerous interpretations because of of the treatment of of Radha and Krishna’s amorous relationship which can be be read as a a a a a a a a a a a a description of secular earthly human love with Radha and Krishna as nayika-nayaka or heroine and and hero of of courtly love love poetry an an an an allegory of of divine love love between a a a a a a a god god and and a a a a a a a goddess or or an an an an allegory of divine love between a a a a a a a god and his best devotee Radha can be be be understood either as a a a a a a a religious figure who is is Krishna’s consort and and has the attributes and and properties of a a a a a a a goddess or as the the perfect lover the the idealized beauty (Nayika) of Sanskrit literature (kavya) who is used to stimulate the the reader’s erotic sentiment or the the Sringara rasa Radha’s image has been given special status in relation to to Krishna Even if she lives an amorous sexual story with her beloved Krishna Krishna and cannot be seen without him she is is is is is not not legally his wife Radha is is is is is Krishna’s favourite gopī his his passionate lover his his beautiful delicate partner but she remains an independent woman an an an illicit love This status gives her a a a a a a a special ‘power’ and ‘freedom’ which is is taken up by painters in in their visual representations of Radha Poets like Keshav Das (1555–1617) or Biharilal (1595–1663) emphasize the more secular aspects of Radha as as as a a a a a a a courtly heroine In this context she represents the the the supreme model of the the the woman in love the the the Nayika par excellence Her representation demonstrated the passage from textuality which indexed her verbal reference in in various literary and religious texts to visuality namely her visual visual representation in in painting finally becoming a a a a a a a normativty The latter is understood as processes of simplification aestheticisation and stereotypification of a a a a a a a figure with polysemous or multilayered meanings and references These processes have take place over time through the serialization of images and and the the loss of the the link between text and and image as as is amply illustrated in in in Shahbidin’s Rasikapriya The representation of of Ashta nayikas was integral to the the thematic content of of Indian miniatures They were the the the eight fold classification of the the the Nayikas or the the the Nayakas described by Bharata in 125