Goddess Meenakshi Kalyanam | Traditional Colors with 24 Karat Gold | With Frame

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Under the expansive blue sky where celestials, sages, and the Sun and the Moon appear as the heavenly audience to the ceremony, is a golden pavilion with two domes and a grand arch. The intricacy of South Indian architecture is presented in the pavilion which is decorated with traditional motifs and covered in gold foil. In the center of the Thanjavur Meenakshi Kalyanam painting is the supreme couple- Shiva and Meenakshi Amman, surpassing the combined allure of all the other divinities present in their marriage ceremony. Shiva has forfeited his ascetic garb and is draped in a golden attire that matches the sari of his bride, who stands coyly in front of him, as beautiful as the lotus she holds. Behind Devi Meenakshi stands her father, Himalaya or Himavana, pouring water on the hands of Shiva and Parvati, completing the Paanigrahana (taking of hand) ritual. The flow of ritual water is marked by a single white line that falls directly in the mouth of Nandi placed between the duo, an artistic inclusion of Shiva’s beloved mount in his marriage. Next to Uma-Parvati (Meenakshi) is her mother, nudging her daughter to reach the hand of the Lord of her heart.  In the foreground of the Meenakshi Kalyanam, Tanjore painting is Lord Brahma, acting as the officiating priest for the ceremony. Other members of the retinue identifiable due to their distinctive appearance are Surya (Sun) and Chandra (moon) on either side of the main arch, distinguishable through their halo. On the left side of the viewer in this painting is Batuka Bhairava with his dog and staff, Ravana with multiple arms and heads, and on the right, is a green-hued Garuda, bull-headed Nandikeshvara, goddess Saraswati with her Veena, blue-skinned Vishnu flanked by Sri Devi and Bhudevi.  Mounted on clouds in the sky, Deva Rishi Narada on the left and Gandharva Tumburu (a celestial musician) also attend this divine event. The glistening gold leaf that is pasted over the embossed surface in this painting, is covered in an additional yellow slip that enriches the images and the decorations with a unique aesthetic. Through the hand gesture of the subjects, drizzling of ritual water and a variety of facial expressions, the maker of this Thanjavur painting has succeeded in bringing a stunning vibrancy to this composition. With the grandeur of Meenakshi Kalyanam adorning your wall, you can immerse in the togetherness of Shiva and Shakti which is the origin of all bliss in the universe.

Gilded Elegance: Unraveling the Artistry of Tanjore Paintings

Tanjore painting is a traditional form of art in the South Indian style and was started by the inhabitants of a small town known as Thanjavur of Tamil Nadu. This gives it another name called “Thanjavur painting”. This painting draws its figures, designs, and inspiration from the time when Vedic culture was prevalent in India. Certain remarkable features of a Tanjore painting distinguish it from other paintings. Some of these are pure gold or gold foil coating on gesso work, the use of rich and vivid colors, and the inlay of cut-glass or semi-precious and precious stones. The subjects of most of the Tanjore paintings are Hindu Gods, Goddesses, and saints. The main devotional figure is portrayed in the central portion of the painting and is usually surrounded by various secondary figures.

The process of making a Tanjore painting

The classic Tanjore paintings are done on wooden planks and hence are also referred to as Palagai Padam in South India (Palagai = Wooden plank, Padam = Picture). Creating a masterpiece is never an easy task but the skilled artists of Thanjavur have been following the tradition of making timeless Tanjore paintings for decades.

The making process begins with preparing the wooden board or canvas. The size of the board depends upon the choice of the patron. The next step is to paste cardboard over the wooden board and then a cotton fabric is stretched and pasted upon it using Arabic gum.

Now that the cloth is attached to the wooden panel, a rough sketch of the motifs and figure is drawn onto the fabric. After this, a paste of chalk powder and water-soluble adhesive is evenly applied over the base and smoothed.

Thereafter, the outlines which were made or traced using a stencil are now ready to be beautified and decked with various add-ons. The usual materials for decoration are cut-glass, pearls, semi-precious and precious gems, gold leaf, and laces. 22 or 18 Karat Gold leaves and gems of varied hues are especially inlaid in areas like pillars, arches, walls, thrones, and dresses. In the final step, the rest of the painting is filled with rich and striking colors such as shades of red, blue, and green. Formerly, the artists used natural colors like vegetable and mineral dyes instead of chemical paints. The entire painting is then cleaned and refined to give a flawless finished look.

Since the making of a single piece of Tanjore painting requires a complex and elaborate process, the artists usually take at least one or two months to complete it. The use of pure gold foil and gems for beautification is a characteristic of an authentic Tanjore painting. Due to this, Tanjore paintings last for generations without getting tarnished and are much more expensive than general paintings. Though the art form has undergone various changes and technique modifications over the years, it continues to attract the hearts of art lovers.