The Marriage -Details

This textile is one of a set of three which depicts, intricately, the details of an elaborate wedding procession. Developed at a middle stage of the Visvakarma exhibitions, this theme was a departure from the earlier religious imagery in Kalamkari while keeping it rooted in a familiar setting of the social life of the region where it was produced. A use of a green base was a radical departure from conventions, and dyeing in a tea infusion lent it a final colour finish, along with hand calendering. The artist went onto develop a well known arts practise, and his later, private commissions are in important collections in India.

In the centre of the panel is the kalyana mantapa, the wedding alcove, canopied and festooned with flowers and leaves. Two plantain trees laden with fruits flank both the sides and two Anna pakshis (swans) are painted atop the pillars. The bride and groom have been painted in larger dimensions than the rest, and the bright homa fire burns in front of them, presided by the priest who feeds the fire with oil. In front of them, a platter holds fruits, clothes and rose water sprinkler. The guests are painted in mudra, the long horn of a nadaswaram is turned upward and there is a drummer by the side. The scene is lively, the visual so evocative that one is transported into the scene.