Alamkara: 5000 Years of Indian Art

Page Last Updated: October 06,2009

Introduction

A significant number of people of Singapore are of Indian origin. As part of an initiative to present the ancient heritage of the people of Singapore, in 1994-95 the Government of Singapore held an exhibition Alamkara: 5000 Years of Indian Art, at the National Museum, Singapore. The exhibition was organized by Asian Civilizations Museum, National Heritage Board, Singapore and National Museum, New Delhi , and ran from July 1994 to  January 1995.

The Alamkara website, originally at http://www.ncb.gov.sg/nhb/alam/ (site no longer live) was hugely popular in the early days of the World-wide Web, but was taken down at the end of the exhibition. I thought it was a well developed online exhibition, and decided to resurrect it in February of 2002. However, I no longer had access to the original presentation or artifacts, and instead have used alternate works available to me from my father's Timeless Theater Picture archive. I have tried to be faithful to the spirit of the original exhibit, and have maintained the original commentary, including the foreword by Lim Chee Onn. I have enhanced the presentation by including relevant pictures and annotations. I have also compiled a comprehensive list of references for students and researchers.

Alamkara  is a Sanskrit word meaning ornamentation, decoration, and  figure of speech, describes an enduring characteristic of Indian artistic production, whether in the visual, performing or literary arts. This online exhibit explores this notion of ornamentation in the context of objects made for use in domestic, religious and courtly settings. These objects are grouped into sections focusing on various aspects of Indian life, including the cooking and consumption of food, dress and jewelry, pastimes, the world of men and of women, and devotional pursuits. In order to do justice to the multitude of folk-arts of India (as opposed to the classical arts), I have added a new chapter, The Smell of the Earth.

- Vikas Kamat
All Pictures by K. L. Kamat

Table of Contents

• Adorning The Self
• The Enduring Image
• From Pot to Palate
• The Heroic Ideal
• The Ideal of Ornament
• Indian Art Inspired by Devotion
• Kings, Courtiers and Craftsmen
• Mortal Women and Celestial Lovers
• The Pursuit of Pleasure
• References on Indian Art
• The Smell of the Earth

List of Pictures

• Bharatesha Vaibhava
• Bronze Statue of Shiva, Tamilnadu
• Carved Bust of a Celestial, Khajuraho
• Dasara -- painting on the walls of Mysore palace
• Decorated Nutcracker
• Emperor Babur Hunting a Tiger
• Indian Woman
• Lady Churning Curds
• Lovers in Pahari style.
• Man Offers Ring to Girlfriend
• Metallic Floral Design
• A Nutcracker Styled as Yaksha-Yakshi
• Ornately Decorated Rudrakshi Mala
• Sculpted Chandela Temples Depicting Erotica
• Shiva the Magnificent
• Statue of Meditating Buddha
• A Statue of Meditating Mahavira
• A Three Headed Mythological Figure Rides a Lion
• A tier of spiral foliage of exquisite design
• Woman Grinding Herbs to Make Cosmetics
• Woman Puts on Makeup
• Woman with Bow - Stone Sculpture

See Also:

• The Way Back Machine -- If you are lucky, you might find once great, now dead websites here. Just type the original URL.
• Cache = Cash -- Blog on the value of Internet archives
• Timeline of Indian Art -- List of important art movements in Indian history with links to articles and pictures.
• Artifacts of Heritage -- An assorted collection of historical and cultural artifacts from the Indian subcontinent
• The Arts of India -- The arts of India exemplify how life can indeed revolve around arts.

 

Alamkara: 5000 Years of Indian Art Introduction | Foreword | Kings & Courtiers | Ideal of Ornament Enduring Image | Adorning the Self | Heroic Ideal Stream of Devotion | From Pot to Palate | Pursuit of Pleasure Mortal Women & Celestial Lovers | Smell of Earth | References