Spotlight
The Never-Ending Story
We look at three indigenous art forms from the Sarmaya collection and listen to the timeless tales that animate them
Search Results for: Bengal Pattachitra
Saturdays at Sarmaya
Traditional Indian art: Show and tell session
On 2nd December 2023, we invited visitors curious about Indian traditional art to our archive. In a show-and-tell session, we introduced them to some ancient storytelling artforms, from the Sarmaya collection. For this session, we explored Mithila, Pattachitra, Mata-ni-Pachedi and Tholu Bommalaata. Some of the prominent works that we presented belonged to renowned artists like… Read more »
Spotlight
Object of the week: Jagannath’s Puri temple inspired this art form
Odisha’s Pattachitra paintings are rooted in the culture of the seaside town of Puri and, more specifically, in its legendary Jagannath temple
Spotlight
Miracle cure – Goddesses of health
The devis, matas, ammas and other female divinities who have been called upon, time and time again, to save humanity from disease, death and its own hubris
Talks
The Splendour of The Forest by Pavitra Rajaram
In this talk, Sarmaya Brand Custodian Pavitra Rajaram examines the tensions between the eastern and western perspectives on nature.
Collections
View of the Kali Ghat, Calcutta
The Kalighat area first finds its mention in the 15th century Bengali text, Manasā-Vijaya, written by poet Bipradas Pipilai. It is also mentioned in a 16th century literary work Chandimangala by Mukundaram Chakrabarti. Kalighat was also established as a pilgrimage centre after legend placed a fragment of Sati’s body here, near the Ganges and since… Read more »
Collections
Kali Ghat, Calcutta
This is an image of a bridge over Tolly Nullah at Kalighat in Calcutta by Samuel Bourne. Warren Hastings, the Governor General of India from 1773 – 1785, had acquired permission in 1763 to build a suspension bridge over Tolly Nullah which was to connect Kalighat to his garden house in Alipore. It was later… Read more »
Spotlight
March of the Mammoth, the Indian elephant’s story
No animal looms as large over the art, architecture, iconography, folklore and literature of the Indian subcontinent as Elephas maximus
Collections
Untitled
The work deals with the theme of crucifixion. There is a central figure on a cross and other figures are gathered around, perhaps representing the mourners. Rudimentary architectural elements can be seen in the background. KG Subramanyan was actively involved in the freedom struggle and was known for his Gandhian ideology. His visit to Santiniketan… Read more »
Reads
The Man Behind Sarmaya
Meet Paul Abraham, the collector who turned a childhood hobby into a lifelong quest for beauty and wonder. For the story of Sarmaya is the story of one man following his curiosity through the history and art landscapes of India.