A trip to Nagpur was on my wish list for many reasons.
I had been there in 1991 on a work related trip and wanted to revisit a couple of places with my family. Tadoba and Hemalkasa beckoned. And I also wanted to visit the Central Museum at Nagpur.
While I was studying mythology, we had a lecture on Mythology and Temple architecture.
When talking about how mythology was depicted in and on temples, the expert, Dr Vaishali Welankar, spoke aout how the sculptors who adorned the temple walls with their art, were well versed in mythology.. the stories they were to depict. Also sometimes the artist did take an artistic liberty so to say.
She mentioned a sculpture currently housed in the museum at Nagpur, depicting an incident from the Vishnu mythology - The distribution of Amruta after the Amrutamanthana.
In this particular piece, the sculptor has shown Mohini with a pot of Amruta, standing on Kurma. And then there is Vishnu too, with his shankha and gada. The Kurma is shown craning its neck in between the two figures of Vishnu and Mohini, waiting to sip on any drop of Amruta that might flow out of Visnhu's outstretched palms.
Thus in one panel, the artist had depicted Lord Vishnu as well as his two forms, Mohini and Kurma.
I had been there in 1991 on a work related trip and wanted to revisit a couple of places with my family. Tadoba and Hemalkasa beckoned. And I also wanted to visit the Central Museum at Nagpur.
While I was studying mythology, we had a lecture on Mythology and Temple architecture.
When talking about how mythology was depicted in and on temples, the expert, Dr Vaishali Welankar, spoke aout how the sculptors who adorned the temple walls with their art, were well versed in mythology.. the stories they were to depict. Also sometimes the artist did take an artistic liberty so to say.
She mentioned a sculpture currently housed in the museum at Nagpur, depicting an incident from the Vishnu mythology - The distribution of Amruta after the Amrutamanthana.
In this particular piece, the sculptor has shown Mohini with a pot of Amruta, standing on Kurma. And then there is Vishnu too, with his shankha and gada. The Kurma is shown craning its neck in between the two figures of Vishnu and Mohini, waiting to sip on any drop of Amruta that might flow out of Visnhu's outstretched palms.
Thus in one panel, the artist had depicted Lord Vishnu as well as his two forms, Mohini and Kurma.
