Khajuraho: Mother and Child Sculpture from the Chandelle Dynasty

1. Indian PaintingB.A. II Dr. O. P. Parameswaran, Assistant Professor, Department of Fine Arts, Post Graduate Govt. College for Girls, Sector-11, Chandigarh.

2. Unit-II: History of Indian Sculpture (BA-3) • 4. Khajuraho: • Mother and Child, • Chandelle Dynasty (c.950- 1203 A.D.)

6. Introduction: • Of the magnificent temples at Khajuraho mostly built between950 and 1050 A.D., only some twenty survive from an original total of more than eighty. • Though maimed by time, they are still among the greatest examples of Medieval Hindu architecture and sculpture in North India. • The shrines at Khajuraho, unlike the multi-unit temples of Orissa, consist of one compact architectural unit standing on a high plinth.

7. Khajuraho is further notable in that both the style and the site were shared by Vaishnavite and Shaivate sects, and even by the Jains. • All these masterpieces of art works were made at Khajuraho during the time of the Chandella dynasty. • The Chandellas or Chandratreyas (c.950-1203 A.D.) rose to power with the break-up of the Pratihara Empire

8. They ruled over central India from their capital at Khajuraho, as the same time as the Palas and Senas had control over the eastern regions of India. • By this time the various norms and codes of sculpture had become almost fully established-a great drawback since the artist lost originality and inspiration by following them almost verbatim

9. Thus began the slow but sure decline of Indian art. • Sculptural works became stereotyped, monotonously resembling each other. • While keeping with these codes, some artists did manage subtly to express some originality and individuality.

10. Sculpture: Mother and Child: • The ‘Mother and Child’ from Khajuraho is a best example which shows some originality and individuality in its execution as a work of art. At present this sculpture is kept in the Indian Museum, Calcutta. • This sculptures shows a mother holds her baby and looking at it with tender affection.

11. Here the true affection between mother and child has very beautifully and naturally been represented. • The mother bends her head towards the child who responds by smiling up at her. • She looks more plump and maternal than any other female figures produced at Khajuraho.

12. The woman’s hair is indicated by wavy lines, flat and loosely coiled at the back. • The round face has elongated eyes and brows, long straight noses, with a kind of smirk on the thin pouting lips, and rounded chins. • Slightly wavy double lines indicate the drapery, diaphanous and clinging to the legs almost like a second skin.

13. A girdle, from which hang various pearl ornaments including uru-damas, holds the lower garment. • Necklaces, anklets, armlets and various head ornaments abound.

14. One can understand the real quality of the sculpture ‘mother and child’ when the same is compared with most of the other sculptures produced at Khajuraho. • The sculpture ‘mother and child’ reveal originality and uniqueness in its execution. • While most of the other sculptures have a mechanical elegance and technical allure, the actual modeling of the Khajuraho sculpture has petrified into life-less forms.

15. They resembles puppets more than living beings, violently jerked into unnatural movements to compensate for the lack of inner vitality, to give a semblance of animation to the dull, mask-like facial expressions. • The bodies twist unnaturally around their axis and the tubular limbs are wrenched almost to breaking point at their joints

16. Often while the bodies turn towards the wall, the upper part is contorted in such a way that the face appears in profile. • In comparison to the other sculptures produced at Khajuraho,what makes the ‘mother and child’ a unique sculpture is not only the very natural pose and movements of the figures but also the emotional expression of both the figures of mother as well as child.