An ongoing exhibition at the National Museum presents craftwork of the Deccan Sultanate. Curator Kavita Singh tells Shrabasti Mallik how kingdoms became cosmopolitan in that era
The emperor’s wardrobe or weaponry has always been enticing. At an ongoing exhibition Nauras: The Many Arts of the Deccan at the National Museum, Aurangzeb’s shamshir, khanjar and jambia dagger (bearing inscription of his name) that he used during the battles are being displayed.
More than 130 historical artefacts from the Deccan Sultanate dated from 16th to 19th centuries form part of the exhibition. Curators Preeti Bahadur and Kavita Singh spent years and months in research and sourcing artefacts. “After the fallout of the Delhi Sultanate in the 13th century, five independent sultanates were formed in the Deccan, which is also called the Southern Sultanate — Ahmednagar, Bidar, Berar, Golkonda and Bijapur. They flourished from the 15th to the 18th century and they were culturally and artistically very rich,” said Singh. Being closer to the coast also helped them become successful in trading many merchandise and formed links in many parts of the world.
The highlight of the exhibition is a Kalamkari coverlet, a piece of textile that was used to cover an item to be traded and is possibly an import from overseas. The episode depicted on it is of a Deccani king relaxing in his grand palace that resembles South Asian architectural tradition. The figures surrounding this palace can be identified as belonging to different regions of the world based on their attire. There are figures from Armenia, Mughal kingdom, China and Turkey.
It has been borrowed from the National Museum Decorative Arts Department and exemplifies “Deccani cosmopolitanism” at its best. Singh pointed out, “Not many would know that the Deccan Sultanate was a very cosmopolitan place because traders from all across the world came to that place to conduct their business.” The stylistic features of this painting hint at an influence from Persia but also have visual traditions of Central Asia, Turkey and Iran.
In another section there is a collection of poems dealing with the nine rasas (sentiments) of Indian aesthetics from the book Kitab-I-Nauras which was written by Ibrahim Adil Shah II of Bijapur. The manuscript was illustrated by Khalillullah, an Irani calligrapher who worked at the Safavid court before being employed at the court of this ruler. Singh said, “Ibrahim realised even at that time that art had the power to unite people because it of its common aesthetic sense. The book is long gone but some pages of the book was preserved by archivists and historians. They were happy to share them with us.”
The Ragamala paintings are said to have originated somewhere in North India but its roots were probably sown in the Deccan sultanate. “Tradition of poetry in India is old and in those olden days poets believed that each raga had their own powers and they personified the mood of the raga in verses. These interested the Indian miniature painters and the work they did was called Ragamala paintings. It is believed that the Ragamala miniature painting traditions of Mughal and Rajput cultures may have originated in Deccan and traveled northward. We are waiting for more evidences which will give us a clear picture of its origin,” she added.
The most interesting objects on display are metal vases and hookahs which are made with a combination of a special alloy or zinc and are lined with silver or gold beneath. They are then processed with some chemical wherein the outer zinc layer would turn black so that the inner metal shines through. Singh said, “It is considered one of the chemical processes that the Deccan sultanate used to give the objects a different look.”
Other exhibits include the Al-Buraaq, which is a composite creature believed to be the steed of Prophet Mohammed for his flight to paradise; pieces of cloth from an early Ragamala from Ahmednagar or Bijapur; an 18th century qanat replica from Burhampur; a 40-feet long hanging embroidered temple cloth from Vijayanagar depicting episodes from Ramayan and Deccani copies of the Ajaib-al-Makhluqat that narrates the wonders of the world among many others. The exhibition will continue till March 20.
photos Sanjeev Kumar