Unfinished Indian Art

On Unfinished Indian art There is something distinctly compelling, insightful and attractive about unfinished works that have either been abandoned, missed completion due to several reasons or exist as deliberate aesthetic device. While finished artworks echo the consolidation of a religious, socio –cultural, and political beliefs, unfinished works give a dramatically different entry point into the systems of patronage, cultural production, philosophical and aesthetic beliefs.The first and foremost question that arises is what is the arbitrary aesthetic criteria,if any,for the categorisation of a site as incomplete ?When is the work regarded as finished?Were incomplete works meant to be finished at all? Were they functional? Do they always arise from conditions of political-dynastic instability and necessarily represent a lack or a deficiency?Could the idea of the unfinished be ensconced within the broader framework of philosophy and artistic choice? The aim of this paper is to investigate the reasons behind the unfinished art in India and use it as a lens to focus thinking on patterns of patronage,philosophical beliefs and modes of production in order to advance our understanding about the nature of Indian aesthetics. Using a wider range of texual,ethnographic and historical data we can hazard several speculative reasons as to why the works are left unfinished, however, arriving at a final, exhaustive conclusion is not the primary objective. Patronage, War and unforeseen contingencies India abounds in her intrigue for unfinished works as much she does on the value placed on refined, ornamental work. The upper tier of the magnificient temple of Brhadisvara,Tanjore [eleventh century A.D] has only 81 Karanas out of the total 108 and even those which are carved are yet to be given final touches. Subrahmanyam Padma, Karaṇas: Common Dance Codes of India and Indonesia. Chennai, India: Nrithyodaya, 2003.pp.110 The temple at Bhojpur, a massive structure near Bhopal in central India was left unfinished in the mid-eleventh century.What survives is rock drawings and unfinished architectural parts. Hardy Adam, Dravida Temples in the Samaranganasutradhara, http://www.prasada.org.uk/images/Publications/ Samaranganasutradhara%20overview,%20Salvini.pdf , Accession date 15-10-2012 .pp.45 One the most popularly cited reason for unfinished art is disappearance of the patron.This includes death of the patron or overthrow of the ruling dynasty drying out the funds necessary for construction.This reason is synchronous with the belief that breakdown of collective patronage and rise of individual patrons was responsible for “relatively less unfinished early carving than for the Gupta and later periods.” Williams Joanna,"Unfinished Images," India International Centre Quarterly 13, no. I (1986),pp. 90The history of the unfinished site of Ajanta bears witness to the aggression of Asmakas, feudatory to the Vakatakas, who were ruling over the territory just to the south when Ajanta's renaissance began. Spink Walter,Archaeology of Ajanta, Ars Orientalis, Vol. 21 (1991),pp 4.The war that broke out between them in 480 AD wiped off the Vakatakas as well as the economic aid that supported the excavations. Ibid Cave 24 is unfinished with the initial task of removing stones abandoned either because of the likely interruption of payment or that the rock resisted further work. Brunel Francis,Rare masterpieces of world art,Unesco courier,(1954)pp .11The workmen were probably paid by quantity than by task as the latter provides more incentive to complete a particular unit. Williams Joanna,"Unfinished Images," India International Centre Quarterly 13, no. I (1986),pp. 93 Another Buddhist excavation Lomas Rsi [Ca mid third century BC] has interior that is left incomplete.The wall surfaces show rough stonework that had not yet been finished to a fine polish. Huntington Susan,Huntington John, The art of ancient India: Buddhist, Hindu, Jain( 1985),University of Michigan ,pp. 50. Since the date of its excavation coincides with the end of Asoka’s reign, its unfinished state is attributed to crisis in patronage. Cunningham notes a fissure in the granite rock causing the ceiling to move 3-4 inches to the north. It may be noticed that more careful rough cutting comes to the edge of the fissure and stops, suggesting that work continued despite the fissure and was abandoned only when a second movement of the rock mass occurred during the course of the excavations Huntington John,The Lomās Ṛṣi: Another Look ,Archives of Asian Art, University of Hawai'i Press for the Asia Society, Vol. 28 (1974/1975), pp. 44.It is known that early rock cut cave excavations were fashioned after wooden prototypes with wooden latticework,beams and inward leaning pillars.It is argued that Lomas Rsi which employs sophisticated woodworking techniques had rough cut surfaces to deliberately imitate the course texture wood grains on the walls. Huntington,50 However, the surface shows different degrees of cutting and lacks consistency in textural quality. It is also clear from the unfinished stonework that the areas nearer the entrance are finished prior to the completion of the initial excavation. Huntington John,pp,47 The long glorified diversity of present day Ellora as the site that houses Jain, Buddhist and Hindu cave temples was witness to the growing sectarian rivalry in the first quarter of the sixth century.In the tussle for land that followed, Cave XXVII and an unnumbered excavation situated between Caves XIX and XX were occupied by the Brahmanists while the Buddhist were pushed to the southern part of the hill. Kumar Krishna,The Buddhist Origin of Some Brahmanical Cave-Temples at Ellora, East and West, Vol. 26, No. 3/4 (September - December 1976), pp. 359.With the growth of Brahmanical mathas and the gradual decline of Buddhism, in the Deccan many finished or unfinished Buddhist shrines and viharas were gradually appropriated for Brahmanical uses accelerated by lofty,royal patronage. Ibid,360Caves XIX and XX that were originally Buddhist monastery which, for reasons unknown, could not be converted into a Brahmanical shrine remained unfinished. Ibid,363 The Case of Mahabalipuram and the rule of incompletion. One of the most intriguing unfinished site is the monuments of Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu. Samuel Parker argues that “every ancient monument at Mamallapuram is incomplete to a greater or lesser degree”. Parker Samuel,Unfinished Work at Mamallapuram or, What Is an Indian Art Object?Artibus Asiae, Vol. 61, No. 1 (2001), pp. 53Several reasons have been cited for the unfinished and half-finished nature of the rathas namely the Panca Pandava rathas, the Ganesa ratha, the Valayankuttai ratha and the two Pidari rathas. These 'riddle of the sands’ Brown Percy, Indian Architecture (Buddhist and Hindu Periods), 3rd ed. rev. and enl., Bombay, 1956, p. 79.are more detailed and finished on the upper storeys of the monument than on the lower walls which exhibit rough,blank spaces characterised by heavy chisel marks.NS Ramaswamy deploying ethnographic evidence extracted from the early nineteenth century MacKenzie manuscripts argued that “a great earthquake lowered the coast and extended the bed below the sea.” N. S. Ramaswamy, 2ooo Years of Mamallapuram (New Delhi: Navrang, 1989), IIo. In 1910, Ernest Hultzsch speculated that the site was left unfinished due to the sudden defeat of the Pallavas by the Chalukya king Vikramaditya II (reigned 733-46).However,the widespread polarity of roughness and refinement embodied by these ancient monuments cannot be effectively explained as the outcome of a calamity or political instability making it essential to generate newer arguments. Scholars postulate the theory that the Pallava monoliths were models of the structural temples of the pre Pallava age and not actually rathas or 'temple cars'. Ibid,pp.156 Samuel Parker cites a popular folklore circulating the village that “monuments are unfinished because this was the site of an ancient school where the young guild members were free to practice their skills without the restraining hand of a patron.” Parker Samuel, pp. 56 The distinct form and appearance of each of the rathas as well as the inclusion of Saivite and Vaishnavite shrines further denotes that a deliberate melange of architectural forms and sectarian worship was formulated.The thatched roofed Draupadi monolith was a Durga shrine,the oblong Bhima’s ratha with the barrel vaulted roof was the shrine of Vishnu while the lofty Dharmaraj ratha was a Saiva shrine. Kalidos Raju,Stone Cars and Rathamaṇḍapas,East and West, Vol. 34, No. 1/3 (Sept. 1984), pp. 159 Despite the lack of historical and textual evidence to validate these claims ,it is likely that a sort of fervent artistic experimentation was active on this site initiated by the patron or by the training school. Unfinished rock cut shrines of Mahabalipuram bespeak of workmen proceeding from top to bottom,using the uncut rock beneath as the platform upon which to work. Huntington Susan,pp.305 Do the unfinished lower walls betray an abrupt cessation of work or was it an act of careful deliberation? Different viewpoints emerge. Benjamin Rowland argues that the temples and images have been left unfinished intentionally, in order to express the perpetual emergence of form out of a formless, primal substance. Benjamin Rowland, Art in East and West (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1954), pp.122-23Samuel Parker draws parallel between the Mahabalipuram stylistic convention and the contemporary Tamil house construction practice vis-à-vis E. Valentine Daniel's ethnographic study in which builders claim to observe a formalized "rule of incompletion" wherein “no stage should be completed before the next stage begins” Parker Samuel,pp.59. Srinivasan though confirms the resemblance in contemporary South Indian construction process to the Dharmaraj ratha of Mahabalipuram, he theorises sudden (military or political?) interruption of the project just as the middle tier was nearing completion,and when work was resumed at a later date, the lower tier (aditala) was undertaken hurriedly, without regard for completing unfinished work on the upper tiers. IbidIt is interesting to note that though incomplete,some of the monuments like the Dharmaraja ratha was used for worship. Gift Siromoney, M. Bagavandas and S. Govindaraja, "Iconometric Analysis of the Sculptures of the Dharmarmja Ratha" Srinidhih, Madras, 1983, pp. 137 - 150. The open air sculpture of the Great penance at Mahabalipuram whose function and purpose remains the biggest unsolved mystery of the twenty first century, is unfinished on the lower left side of the composition.Whether it is Arjuna’s penance or Bhagirath’s or a royal panegyric, [prasasti] Rabe Michael,The Māmallapuram Praśasti: A Panegyric in Figures,Artibus Asiae, Vol. 57, No. 3/4 (1997), pp.221what is central to our query is why was it left unfinished? A variant of the same subject exist nearby ,probably a preliminary version inferred from its less satisfactory, and incidentally less complete carving Williams Joanna,95while its better known counterpart is distinguished for its sheer scale,better location and narrative and compositional sophistication. Rabe Michael,pp.191It has been suggested that this preliminary relief was struck by lightning creating a central crevice deeming the surface unsatisfactory. This makes the incompletion of the Great Penance –the largest narrative structural panel in India even more intriguing as it is certain that the creators of this relief were not unsure about the meaning that was be produced for it was being executed in stone for a second time. Michael Rabe speculates that the Great Penance functioned as a prasasti for Mahamalla Narsimhavarvam and features rare dynastic portraits of Mahamalla,his father, Mahendra, and grandfather Sirhhavisnu. Rabe Michael,41-42 It is likely that the lower left panel was left uncarved to accommodate the portraits of successive rulers,its incompletion denoting the successor’s lack of interest in the work.Williams proposes that the relief performs its intended functions satisfactorily without further addition in the lower left corner. Kaimal Padma,Playful Ambiguity and Political Authority in the Large Relief at Māmallapuram,Ars Orientalis, Vol. 24 (1994), pp. 18 Hence,though the sculpture is unfinished,it is not necessarily inadequate jeopardising the fundamental criteria of distinction traditionally made between finished as sufficient and unfinished works of art as falling short of a prescribed requirement. Williams cites death of the artist as a possible reason for the cessation of work.She explains “Some kinds of stone harden relatively fast, so that a few months' break in carving would necessitate the abandonment of a piece.” Ibid The Vedas and the Agamas observe in their rules of conduct that in case the Sthapati or the Sthapaka is unavailable,the work should be done by their sons or disciples who are competent in the work. Kramrich Stella,The Hindu temple,vol 1 ,Motilal banarsidas publishers,Delhi,[1976]pp.10The collective nature of artistic production would therefore entail a shortage far more severe than the death of a single artist. In the light of current evidence, traditional explanations of withdrawal of patronage seem erroneous as it is likely that the site of Mahabalipuram enjoyed several patronages instead of one. Hirsh Marilyn,Mahendravarman I Pallava: Artist and Patron of Māmallapuram,Artibus Asiae, Vol. 48, No. 1/2 (1987), pp. 109-123+125-130 Looking at the persistent appearance of unfinished architecture at Mahabalipuram, one is compelled to think that incompletion is deliberately employed as an aesthetic device and is even preferred.The implications and the use of the unfinished can be seen in the broader systems of philosophy, mythology and consecration rituals. Pattern of Donation[daan] and temple construction. The construction of temple as daan with its unfinished properties replicates the formal pattern of donation for sacred works which follow the conventional formula of an even number plus one. Parker Samuel,pp. 65E.Valetine Daniel notes “The message behind the gift is "this is but a faulty gift, an incomplete one; kindly accept it." In acknowledging its blemish and incompleteness, the giver, rather than saying, "this is it," says, "there is more to come." E. Valetine Daniel, Fluid Signs: Being a Person the Tamil Way (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984), 134. It is interesting to note that the consumption pattern of prasada or ritual feast in South India dictates that a tiny morsel of food be left behind and never be “finished” in its entirety.It is likely that the finished has inauspicious overtones and is even frowned upon.Seen in a different light,it is the incomplete which escapes finality and exudes the potential to grow while completion heralds a closure.Therefore,the employment of unfinished as a rule advocates the construction of a temple as an additive process which is continually breathing,growing and expanding. Temples besides being the artistic expression of the community’s religious beliefs also serve to generate and sustain the patron’s sacred authority.Padma Kaimal notes, “Temple building declared publicly the king's ability to protect and donate to the deity, it created a lasting visual symbol of the king's sacred authority.” Kaimal Padma,Early Cōḻa Kings and "Early Cōḻa Temples": Art and the Evolution of Kingship,Artibus Asiae, Vol. 56, No. 1/2 (1996), pp. 55As the unfinished temple denotes the possibility of renewal and growth, it simultaneously becomes a marker of the patron king’s ever increasing strength and prosperity. The site becomes the heirloom projects through which the rulers re-establish their political and sacred authority with ambitious projects while their unfinished nature extends the scope for their successors to do the same.The unfinished thus becomes a promise for more. Thus the Indian temple seems to exude an ever expanding potential to grow,renovate and extend its boundaries. While pursuing the question of when is work on a temple finished,Samuel Parker quotes a sculptor “There is virtually no end to the refinements that are possible to lavish upon a statue; it will be as rough and simple, or as refined and ornamented as the donor is willing or able to afford.” Parker Samuel,pp.60What is important is to view unfinished works not as deficiency,loss or cessation but as sites exhibiting boundless opportunity of growth and expansion. Consecration and fertility rites. A rather interesting case of the remains of four small structural temple, a jayastambha[victory pillar]and amlaka capital is situated at the earliest rock cut monuments of the Chalukya-Ravana Phadi complex at Aihole. Tartakov M Gary,The Beginning of Dravidian Temple Architecture in Stone,Artibus Asiae, Vol. 42, No. 1 (1980), pp. 84It is puzzling to note that the amalaka -the crown of the superstructure-which effects and symbolises the passage to heaven and is the architectural symbol of the celestial world, Kramrich Stella,The Hindu temple,vol 2 ,Motilal banarsidas publishers,Delhi,[1976]pp.356 lies on the ground near the remains of four temples.What do these structural remains resembling a stambha and amalaka denote? In the Puranas,amalaka is the first tree grown in the universe where Brahma,Vishnu and Shiva dwell.It has contributed to the temple the image of its fruit. Ibid,pp.351The amalaka moreover in the early Vastushastra is called “Anda” [the egg].The amalaka as the fruit or as anda has generative powers and fertile potential. The stambh has multiple meanings and representations.It may be seen as representing the World Axis that is used to separate the Heaven from the Earth during the creation of the universe.add Vishnu thing It is also seen as a symbol of earthly kingship. Huntington Susan,pp.45The placement of the stambh then becomes especially potent in the course of temple construction which is made by the patron ruler in the likeness of the universe As the Tamil expression vinay yaccam (residue of action) indicates, the moral qualities of an act are commonly presumed to leave something like a physical residue, or trace, on the actor's person.Such traces as not static. Parker Samuel,pp.65Could these dispersed structural elements be seen as the residue of a sacrifice that becomes the seed for further development? The remains of a consecration rite whose aim is to take possession of the site, sanctify it and make it fit to serve as a construction ground? What is unfinished? The widespread juxtaposition of heavily ornamented sculptures contrasted with rough,blank corners in the temple debunks the popular notion of Indian art as horror vacui. The co-existence of the unfinished within the finished makes it essential to assess these distinct categories as relative terms that can be placed on an aesthetic continuum rather than polar opposites. Williams Joanna, pp. 102-03 What is interesting to note is that despite being unfinished, worship continues and the temples remain functional. Samuel parker notes, “A temple becomes ritually, or ideologically complete when it is consecrated even though much physical work remains to be done. Parker Samuel,pp.60 The importance of consecration ritual is deduced from the verse in Kasyapasila that states that one should not stay in a house without a garbha and no God will commit such a deed. Slaczka Anna,Temple Consecration Rituals in Ancient India,Text and archaeology,Boston,Brill,2007,pp 202 It would be worthwhile to assess the range of reactions that the unfinished artworks elicited during its production and compare if it reflects contemporary affective response of anxiety and displeasure compounded by the severe urge to hasten the proceedings so as to cover up the trace of the unfinished. The absence of any attempt to make smoothen the preliminary carving or conceal tool marks by successive rulers or communities indicates that they were probably more tolerant or comfortable with markers of the unfinished than we are today.Williams calls this phenomenon as "freedom from compulsive concern with achievement." Williams,pp.97 Is it likely that the idea of the “unfinished” as we see it today could have been very different from its implication in the past? The material produced in antiquity is studied under the shadow of living practices of contemporary patrons and image makers producing new meanings that may never have been intended by the creator.Probably,the ancient monument of Mahabalipuram was never regarded as “unfinished” at the time when it was built. The spillage of the contemporary notion of the unfinished on the visual lexicon of ancient monuments and practices then becomes a severe hindrance in arriving at a closer understanding of the ancient aesthetic practices and philosophy.Another question that remains is that can visual culture be privileged as embodiments of the complex philosophical and aesthetic system independent of the textual and historical evidence supplementing these claims? Can these works narrate a story of their own?