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Ran
Durgavati Museum was named after the queen, the museum was founded in
1964. It is a collection
of stone sculptures and prehistoric relics. These sculptures are
iconographically excellent and are eloquently executed. In this
collection are icons of Uma-Maheshwara (Lord Shiva and his consortParvati),
Ganesha (Shiva and Parvati’s elephant-headed son), Uma-Maheshwara
playing chauser (a gambling
sport), Lord Vishnu (the Preserver of the Universe), Lakshmi-Narayana
(the Goddess of Wealth with Lord Vishnu), Balrama (Lord Krishna’s
brother), Vamana (Lord Vishnu’s dwarf incarnation), Narsingh (Lord
Vishnu’s lion incarnation), Gauri (Parvati), Sarasvati (Goddess of
Knowledge) and images of Jain saints.
The cult of the goddess Durga (worshipped as
Shakti) gained
prominence and became very popular in the Middle Ages. In the Rani
Durgavati Museum is displayed a 36cm high sandstone idol of Durga, a
specimen sculpture of Kalchuri art which was procured from Doni.
Sarasvati, the wife of Brahma (Hindu Creator of the Universe) is the
patron of art, music and letters. Attended by a swan, she is depicted as
a beautiful, fair young woman, often with a veena
(Indian lute) and a book in her hand. Traditionally, she was the
inventor of the Sanskrit language and the Devanagari script (Sanskrit
and Hindi script). A circa 10th century a.d.
sandstone sculpture of Sarasvati is now on display in the Rani
Durgavati Museum.
Yoginis
are lesser divinities in the cult of Shakti, and were widely believed to
be sorceresses. This Museum has the sculpture of a seated yogini,
portrayed with four hands with a lion at her feet. It can be safely said
that the cult of Shakti (Energy/Power) was a major source of inspiration
for the art of the Kalchuris.
A 10th century red sandstone sculpture from Tripuri
depicts the story
of a gamble between Shiva, the Hindu Destroyer of the Universe, and his
consort, Parvati. They are seated on the slopes of the Himalayan Mount
Kailasha playing chauser, a
gambling sport. Brahma (the Hindu Creator of the Universe) and Vishnu
are shown amidst clouds with their consorts Sarasvati and Lakshmi
respectively, while Bhairava, Virabhadra, Bhringi, Ganesha, Kartikeya
and other devotees look on with great curiosity. The sculpture makes the
ultimate result of the game seem more interesting than the game itself.
Shiva is made to lose the game, and expressions of delight are visible
on the faces of Parvati and all the female attendants. |
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