Kamakshi Amman, Kanchipuram - Year 1951
Such are the words that describe so beautifully the form of the Mother in the Soundarya Lahari. An ocean of beauty, far deeper than the star lit clear sky by night glowing in the presence of the moon. Within the chamber that houses the Goddess one can feel this silence of the night, this fragrance in the air. The darkness of the inner chamber, lit up with the lamps that bring the glow to her face, the Mother sits within, calm and compassionate to her children, her lotus eyes in partial bloom which is just truly divine.
The Mother was first captured on canvas by Artist Silpi in the year 1951. As the Artist meditated on the Mother, he asked for fewer flowers to cover her form so that he could capture her in greater detail. He describes her seated on her lotus seat, her feet covered in sacred kumkum powder, a different form of turmeric that is offered to the Goddess and later adorns the foreheads of her devotees. Kamakshi Amman, in her calm form is decorated with jewelry taken from the temple treasury. Her idol made of black stone, adds beauty to her face with the glow of red on her forehead depicting her third eye, one that she too possesses apart from her divine lord Shiva.
In front of her lies the sacred Sri Chakra yantra within its yoni peetha surrounded by 8 Goddesses, 3 to 4 of whom are captured here. The chamber is lit up with oil lamps that bring out the sacredness of her form, while the incense adds fragrance to her room. The brass bell is rung occasionally to present the Mother with the light, the flame of the arti that light up her divine face for the world to see. The brass pot with the spoon contains sacred water for her children to take, as a blessing of the Mother. The floor covered with offerings of flowers and kumkum bring peace to the mind when the ocean of beauty glides through.
Kamakshi Amman, Kanchipuram - Year 1963
Artist Silpi had this chamber and the Goddess dressed with a difference in the year 1963, a form that is not always in our luck to see. Every element that adorned the Mother during a festival was pulled out of the temple treasury. The utsav murti is grandly decorated in these treasures, so much so that much of the Mother gets hidden among the shower of flowers that are offered to her. Within the chamber, the Artist observed every piece of jewelry that adorned the Mother. The pearls that adorns her neck, is described in the Soundarya Lahari as those found within the skull of elephants, in this case from the head of Gajasura, the elephant demon that Lord Shiva vanquished. She holds the silver sugarcane in one hand, and an intricately designed veena covered with precious stones in the other. The Goddess has been captured as she would be adorned on Vijaya Dasami day during Navaratri. During this time she takes the form of Saraswati and therefore holds the Veena. A parasol covered her head on this day, clearly painted for the benefit of the devotees, by the artist.
Brass lamps give way to silver, few flowers cover her divine beauty and her third eye glows on in red, while she displays compassion on her face. This form of the Goddess is unknown to the world at large; it is a glimpse we get if we are lucky enough to visit her shrine. It is through the paintings of this gifted painter, that we realize his silent sensitivity towards bringing this divine form of the Mother to the world. It is bringing alive the ocean of beauty of the Soundarya Lahari, through is paintings for those who have never set eyes on this form of the Mother.
Also read: Shakti worship during Navaratri
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Photo courtesy: Mr.Mahalimgam, son of Artist Silpi
© Silpi, these pictures should not be reproduced on the internet.
It was a moment in unsung history when the Mahaperivar of Kanchipuram granted Aritst Silpi an audience, a moment that the artist had waited for over a month foregoing his work; it was a moment that changed the life of Artist completely.
In the late hours of the night, after the entire world had sunk into deep slumber, a dialog commenced between two people. One was a revered saint, loved and respected by all and the other was an artist, talented but unsung. Within the sacred room, in the light of an oil lamp, the bright and clear eyes of the saint lit up as he whispered the truth to the painter.
He said, “You have lived many lives, and in all of them you have worshipped the Lord sincerely. You have been a Sthapathi at various temples in your past lives where you have sculpted various forms of the Divine. This is your last birth. Do not dilute this sacred skill anymore. Take a vow that you shall paint the form of the divine alone hence forth. Your talent is divine, you are blessed, and you are already aware of the sciences of the Shila Shastra and Samudrika Lakshanam, you need no more education. Go into the world again, at sunrise tomorrow, with a goal to bring the divine into every home, through your paintings.”
The artist took leave and went across the land, to the remotest temples across the country to capture the very form of the Divine into his canvas. It was not an easy task that lay ahead, for the restrictions were tough, and only the orthodox and pure hearted could perform such a miraculous feet. He was told, "You shall not use your imagination, you shall not change anything that you see within the shrine chambers, you shall follow the law of Shilpa Shastra, and you shall capture the character of the Divine in various forms as described in the Samudrika Lakshanam. You shall not use extra lights, you shall work within the limited lamps lit within the chamber, and capture the changing swarupa(features) of the Divine as you meditate through the experience of painting. In this way, you shall capture the power of the Divine within the shrine chamber into your painting, the secret of which shall be expressed through the strokes of your brush."
The artist did as told, and started a whole new life dedicated to the Lord, to his Guru, his guide who blessed his every breath through the rest of his life.
Artist Silpi, was a family man, and his wife was a staunch devotee of the Paramacharya. As age took over, she was unable to visit the saint at the Kanchi Matt and seek His divine blessings. She requested her husband to go and capture the essence of the Paramacharya in his painting and make a portrait that she could worship at home for the rest of her life.
In the year 1956, Artist Silpi made another visit to the Saint to capture His portrait, for his wife. It was a difficult proposition as the Saint did anything but co-operate. He moved around, to make it extremely difficult for the artist, testing his devotion and his patience to capture His being. When it finally ended, the painter held a master piece in his hand. An expression of devotion, one that captured every finger and toe that the Saint otherwise hid, one that even captured the divine light the enveloped the form of the Saint.
It was a true masterpiece. Within the color the Saint stares on, the clarity in His eyes so beautifully captured, the vivla leaves still so fresh, the divine glow of spiritualism in His being which no photograph could ever catch. The only lamp that lit the room lay at His feet, a light that lit up so much of his Divine form, this celebrated Saint has never been captured such. Within the chamber where he posed and watched an artist paint, He blessed this work by granting us a vision of His divine presence for the world to feel, to imbibe. Kanchi Mahaperivar Sri Jagath Guru Chandrasekarendar Saraswathy Swamigal lives on in the painting of Artist Silpi.
For further information on this picture, please contact me through email.
Photo courtesy: Mr.Mahalimgam, son of Artist Silpi
© Silpi, these pictures should not be reproduced on the internet.
Kamakshi Amman, Kanchipuram - Year 1951
Kamakshi Amman, Kanchipuram - Year 1963
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