The Authentic Artist

Most of us are aware of the Buddhist Mandala paintings and scrolls and if you have ever googled ‘Art from Asia’, chances are you have seen  a Mandala painting pop up ! With its complex geometric patterns, colourful symmetry and religious symbolism it is a real treat for the eyes.

Today’s blog is based on the ancient art form of Mandala, its history and importance and the different types of Mandalas there are! The word "Mandala" is from the Indian language of Sanskrit where “mandal” means circular or circle. In essence, Mandalas represent the connection between our inner worlds and outer reality. It is not just a drawing , it is considered a spiritual journey into one’s own being and is said to haave therapeutic and mystic powers.

A Mandala is used as a symbol to pray to,  a picture for concentrating during meditation or is gifted as a holy blessing all in one. In Tibet, the Mandala is called Khyil-khor, which means loosely as the “centre of all creation on earth” where a truly awakened being lives!

Importance…..

In Buddhism, Mandalas represent the ideal form of the universe. The act of creating a Mandala represents the transformation of the universe from a reality of suffering to one of enlightenment. It also represents the beginning of each person's journey towards knowledge, wisdom, and enlightenment. Often, Mandalas are used as tools to focus the mind during meditation.

How it all started?…..

Through meditation and following a path of thought and action, Siddhartha Gautama, became the Buddha ( the enlightened one) and freed himself from the  cycle of death and rebirth. He taught this path to his followers who call themselves Buddhists. As his folloers increased and began travelling to spread the Buddha’s message , a need arose to carry a symbol or painting to remember the core of his teachings and use as a focal point for meditation , that is when the Mandalas emerged!

The followers carried Mandalas with them and brought the practice of creating these works of art to other parts of Asia. The earliest evidence of Buddhist Mandala art dates back to the first century B.C. which slowly grew into an esoteric, mystical art form that we see today !

Earlier Mandalas  were extremely complicated and nuanced as compared to the modern Mandalas and the process of creating one was a prayer unto itself!

The process…

The Mandala begins with the centre, with a point  and then radiates outwards towards the sides. The symbols and designs becoming more and more intricate as the pattern grows larger. It can be painted, drawn, or even made from colourful sand. Those painted on scrolls are often carried by travellers and pilgrims for a blessing on the road and a good luck charm and also used to pray and focus during  meditation .

 Meaning

While a finished Mandala bears importance as a focus for meditative practice, the creation process remains equally important. There are three basic layers to a Mandala's meaning.

1.     The outer Mandala ring meaning represents the divine form of the universe.

2.     The inner one represents the map to take the mind towards enlightenment .

3.     The third and the innermost ring is the secret meaning, which remains between the artist and his God as far as specific details are concerned and is never shared. Overall, it represents a balance of body, mind and universal energy!

Its symmetry represents balance and that is the key to making a mandala . Balance.

The lotus is an important symbol used in Mandala painting as it grows in a  muddy bed to blossom into beauty and radiance , much like a human being reaching towards joy and peace beyond worldly sorrows.

Types…….

There are various types of Mandalas found in different cultures and used for a multitude of purposes, both artistically and spiritually. Below are three main types of Mandalas and how they are used.

 1. Teaching Mandala

Teaching Mandalas are symbolic, and each shape, line, and color represents a different aspect of a philosophical or religious system. The student of the monastery and scholars of Buddhism ,opine that these teaching Mandalas are based on ancient principles of design and construction, projecting a visual symbolization of everything they have learned, just like a graphic organiser or mental maps to Buddhism and are usually made by the senior most Lama or Monk.

 2. Healing Mandala

Healing Mandalas are more intuitive than teaching Mandalas, and they are made for the purpose of meditation. Healing Mandalas are intended to deliver wisdom, evoke feelings of calm, and channel focus and concentration. They are made to specific needs by the teacher for a disciple and one has to be particularly lucky to receive one!

 3. Sand Mandala

Buddhist monks have long used sand Mandalas as a traditional, religious element. These intricate designs use a variety of symbols made from colourful sand that represent the impermanence of human life. It is an extremely tiring and painstaking process and usually involves more than three monks to make over a period of several days or months but the fun part is – it is then destroyed!

 The sand is all brought together at the centre , to reiterate the point that nothing lasts in this ephemeral world!

Society requires that architecture not only communicate the need of the building ( For example – a temple is needed for offering prayers) but also showcase the aspirations of its builders.

 When architectural forms become the vehicles of content—in plan, elevation, and decoration; they are bound to become symbolic;  their symbolism can be understood consciously or unconsciously by looking at the structure . Since both these structures wanted to show the strength and power of the King sanctioned by religion, it used pyramid shapes or mountain shapes to show strength and power or the circular pathways in Borbudur  and Angor Wat !

Circumambulating the various layers of the massive step pyramid in Borbudur, Cambodia one is reminded of the large tantric Buddhist Mandala sculptures from the life of the Buddha. On the topmost platform, one can clearly notice 72 small stupas surrounding one large stupa. The stupas merge into the landscape, mimicking the mountains behind them. Borobudur or Candi Borobudur is a 9th century Mahayana Buddhist structure, comprising of nine layers, of which the first five are square shaped and three circular platforms sit atop those. A hidden layer exists below the first platform, commonly known as the hidden foot.

Rediscovered by accident, it had been enclosed in stone by the ancient builders before the completion of the monument. Although the exact reasoning behind it being hidden is unclear, some scholars speculate that the move is purely utilitarian, to prevent the edifice from sliding, before the completion of the monument.

The monument has three layers to its construction. The Kamadhatu- or the realm of desire, represents the phenomenal world we live in. The Rupadhatu - or the world of form, represents the world of forms of those materials that are of a higher nature than that of the phenomenal world. The Rupadhatu consists of four square galleries above the base, decorated by balustrades. Staircases are present in the middle and at both ends of every gallery. The third and final level is called the Arupadhatu- the realm of formlessness representing materials of the highest nature, beyond recognizable form or thought. The Arupadhatu consists of levels circular terraces that contains the central stupa.

The word “Stupa” originally referred to a mound that covered the ashes or relics of the Buddha, but later came to be associated with the monument built above relics of a religious person.

 Although it is referred to as such, Borobudur is not a temple, because there is no idol to be worshipped. Borobudur represents the Buddha and his many teachings.

 From a historic point of view Borobudur is connected to both Indian and ancient Indonesian structures that came before it. Although it is a stupa similar to the likes of those found in India, it is also in some ways comparable to a terrace pyramid structure, the likes of which have been found in ancient Indonesian terrace sanctuaries. Borobudur, a step pyramid stupa, is clearly a unique mixture of both cultures- global and local.

 The series of reliefs on the lower levels tell the story of how the historic Buddha transformed, from his stay up in heaven, his previous lives and his first lecture at the Lumbini forest. The subtle differences in the reliefs indicate to us the different levels. The Borobudur terraces are a reward for the lessons taught in the galleries. And thus, the architecture of the time and place successfully capture the religious and cultural heritage of the Mahayana Buddhist practices and teachings in Indonesia at the time.

 Angkor-Wat

 Angkor-Wat  is a 12th century Buddhist temple located in Angkor, Cambodia that was built by the Khmer king Suryavarman , in what is now known as Angkor, and was originally a temple dedicated to the Hindu God Vishnu. We know this because it largely differs from traditional Khmer architecture of the time in that it is an example of a west facing temple.

Containing three galleried temples, and an outer wall 3.6 km long, Angkor wat is a unique plan of the temple mountain and the concentric galleries common to Khmer architecture at the time.

  Considered to be a representation of mount Meru, the divine mountain where the gods reside in traditional Hindu texts, the temple mountain is made to be an architectural depiction of the mountain. The mountain like shape of the temple was enhanced with its pyramid like elevated layers, while the elevated sanctuary at the center of the temple structure was supposed to represent the home of the gods.

 Architecturally, this style can be characterized by its ogival, lotus bud shaped towers, broad passageways, cruciform terraces and axial galleries. Unlike traditional Khmer temples, however,  Angkor Wat is oriented to the west rather than the east, leading some historian to believe that Suryavarman originally intended for it to be used as his funerary temple. Even the relief at the temple are in the reverse order of the usual, leading many to believe in its funerary intentions, as Brahminic funerary services involve rituals in reverse order too.

 Apart from the more noticeable differences, Angkor wat also differs in the way that it uses measurements were used during its construction. In traditional Khmer temple architecture, measurements have several layers of meaning, both for utilitarian purposes and divine. The elongated corridor at the end of the north and south hallways have an uneven split, even though they are equally divided with 54 pillars on each side that add up to a total of 108 pillars, referencing the divine number that is often prayed to in ancient Hindu texts.

 Temples were constructed to serve many purposes but perhaps the most important one was, to showcase the king’s connections with the divine and establish their legitimacy and power over the people. The temples became “testaments to royal legitimacy”. The Hindu King SuryaVarman  ordained the Angor-wat temples and the Buddhist rulers of the Sailendra Dynasty got Borbudur made to show off their complete and total control and all pervasive powers over the masses , just like God they worshipped – an extension of the divine right theory and easy accept from the masses, both these aims were achieved by the building of these temples. Hence, they were more a political and religious statements than actual love for God!

Religio- political ideas that shaped the architecture

The study of ancient architecture not only in South East Asia but  around the world shows that  the most important and exalted buildings were always temples and churches or mosques as they stood for the universal appeal of religion in the State and an expressive and powerful icon of  their rulers and their authority over the masses. It was and maybe is, the most permanent, and the most influential building in most communities and has a unique religio-political backing to its architecture, drawings and structure as a whole.

 In Borbudur and Angor-Wat we see the same being portrayed, not so subtly. The Kings used their authority to make massive structures and reinforce their “divine right theory of kingship “which is a politico-religious theory of king being a representative of God on earth , just as powerful and divinely ordained and any attempt to restrict his powers or rebel against him is sacrilegious.

The typology of religious architecture is complex, because there is no basic requirements such as those needed in building a house or a school as the functions of any one religion involve many different kinds of activities, all of which change with the evolution of cultural patterns. Hence, there cannot be any one standard structure of temple architecture.

 Even the place where the temple was erected shows power and privilege- both the structures are surrounded by a summit of pyramidal mounds and hillocks , only privileged members of the community were allowed to approach it from one side and no one else could enter from that side.

    Massive lawns surrounding the temple at Angor wat

Both the temples had massive lawns and facades ,  symbolizing the power of the king and to make sure that the subjects never forgot to associate the King and the royal household with God and his omnipotent powers.

 The temples were a statement of the kings power and complete control over his kingdom , sanctioned by God and hence these structures were built to showcase the same . As the main aim was to constantly remind the people of the complete and unconditional authority of the kings, the temple architecture and the hallways and the pyramidical structure was all designed to be imposing , powerful, vast and overwhelming .

 The modern temple plans are determined by problems of space and need  relationships, etc. but ancient temples had symbolic communication with the onlooker.

Decoration is the most easily recognised element of communicating an idea or content and both have been used well in Angor –Wat and Borbudur. Angor Wat has murals and stone etchings from the Ramayanas and of the Holy Trinity – Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma , while Borbudur is decorated with events from the life of Budhha, not only do they remind the visitor of God and his powers , but it also reminds him about the great kings that built them !

 Bas relief from Angor Wat showing a scene from the Ramayana.

The “gaze” is a term that describes how viewers engage with visual media. Originating in film theory and criticism in the 1970s, the gaze refers to how we look at visual representations. These include advertisements, television programs, paintings and even cinema.

When film critics talk about the gaze, they are often referring to the “male gaze”. But what does that really mean?

The male gaze simply means that – the men staring at a female body. Gaze- to look intently, that is what the dictionary says but mostly the artists and other art mediums have used it to objectify women.

In fact the word in art circles is that “making nudes” is the fastest way to “catch the attention of art curators”…but why?

History…                        

The film critic Laura Mulvey, a British film theorist and critic, coined this term in the late 1970’s in her essay entitled, “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema”.

It basically talks about how women are depicted in the visual world to represent sexual objects for the pleasure of a man’s viewing. The male gaze has 3 main perspectives world, (i) that of the man behind the camera looking at the nude body, (ii) the female looking  

At herself in a mirror (iii) that of the spectator gazing at the direct  image.

How did this term actually come about ?

The term is now well know and hotly debated in art circles , but the term actually came from  the idea that women as positioned as objects to be viewed by the men for their pleasure !The “male gaze” invokes the way men  gaze at female nudity that actually empowers men  but objectifies women.

In the concept of the “male gaze” a woman is nothing more than an object , so placed to give viewing pleasure to a man and make her the “object” of his heterosexual feelings , giving no credence to her own feelings, thoughts or  own sexual drive, which in the case of a “male gaze” are actually of no consequence. The entire concept of the male gaze is so called “framed by the man’s desire “to enjoy the optics of a woman’s anatomy!

Adopting the language of psychoanalysis, Mulvey argued that traditional cinema looked only to give “sexual pleasure “to men looking at it and soon it moved from cinema to Art .

Visual media that respond to masculine voyeurism tends to sexualise women for a male viewer. As Professor and critic Laura Mulvey wrote, women are characterised by their “to-be-looked-at-ness” and the man is “the bearer of the look”.

Finding the male gaze

The male gaze takes many forms, but can be identified by situations where female characters are controlled by, and mostly exist in terms of what they represent to, the hero. As Budd Boetticher, who directed classic Westerns during the 1950s, put it:

What counts is what the painting/art provokes in the man as the viewer , in herself the woman has not the slightest importance.

In India Raja Ravi Varma and his work provided that voyeuristic pleasure to the male and most of his nude women paintings also reflect the centrality of the "male gaze" in defining the feminine image.

Although a century has passed yet his work on male gaze images , still provokes strong reactions from the art fraternity as to how insistently women are presented as sexual objects.

Objectifying women as sex objects is not only against human rights but also against gender justice. And male gaze does just that.

Prambanan Hindu Temple complex in Indonesia  and its supernatural story in stone !

  Imagine seeing into the far recesses of the past and reconstructing the reality through the visual senses only and being stunned by the glory, grace and grandeur and mysticism of the sight. Well, that is Rara Jonggrang or Prambanan for you; the largest Hindu temple complex in Indonesia and the third largest in South Asia. More than just an architectural and art feat of the 9th century, this temple is a mystical cultural site with a rich and intricate history and a story so mesmerising that is continues to enthral the masses that visit it one thousand years after the Sanjaya kings of Java, built it to show off their power and dominance over that area. This temple complex is spread over 17 kilometers and is almost 1163 years old now, commissioned to be built by the Hindu Sanjaya Dynasty kings as a symbol of their return to power after almost a century of Buddhist Sailendra Dynasty domination. The construction of this massive Hindu temple signified the shift of the royal patronage from Mahayana Budhism to Shaivaite Hinduism. It was started by the King Rakai Pikatan and expanded by King Lokpala and subsequently by King Maha Sambhu. It is characterized by its tall and pointed architecture, typical of Hindu architecture, and by the towering 47-metre-high (154 ft) central building inside a large complex of individual temples.

The temple is dedicated to the Hindu Trimurti the expression of God as Creator (Brahma) Protector or preserver  as Vishnu and the destroyer as Shiva. Infact , the main temple diety is Shakti or Durga – the feminine energy form of Mother Goddess also called Rara Jonggrang in Indonesia. The legend of Rara Jonggrang has all elements of fantastical nature along with love and betrayal, anger and cursing . It  begins with the story of the beautiful , intelligent Princess Rara Jonggrang, daughter of the cruel but powerful, giant who ruled Java - King Boko.

The legend haunts…..

The legend begins with the description of two ancient and neighbouring kingdoms in Java, Pengging and Boko.

Pengging was prosperous and was ruled by the wise Prabu Damar Maya who had a son named Bandung Bondowoso. By contrast, Boko was ruled by a cruel man-eating giant named Prabu Boko, supported by another giant Patih Gupolo Despite his unpleasant nature, Prabu Boko had the most beautiful and intelligent daughter named Roro Jonggrang.

Prabu Boko

The story relates that Prabu Boko desired to expand his kingdom, and so began training an army and raising taxes for an invasion of the neighbouring kingdom  Pengging. His forces launched a surprise attack on Pengging, and the ensuring war caused devastation and famine on both sides. In order to defeat the invader, Prabu Damar Maya sent his son Bandung Bondowoso to fight Prabu Boko. After a furious battle, Prabu Boko was killed by the prince who used his supernatural powers and brought an end to the giant’s life. His assistant, the giant Patih Gupolo, led his armies away from the battlefield in defeat and ran back to his kingdom to report the death of his master and King Boko. Hearing the news of her father’s death princess Rara Jonggrang was filled with anger and sorrow and vowed to avenge his death. Meanwhile , the victorious Prince Bandung Bondowoso decided to capture the kingdom of the dead king Boko by marrying his only daughter and bringing both the kingdoms together. He has already heard stories about her legendary beauty. So he sent forth his marriage proposal which was duly rejected by the princess. Meanwhile  the Pengging army besieged and captured the palace and Prince Bandung Bandawasa again proposed marriage, and finally Rara Jonggrang agreed on two impossible conditions: first the prince must build a well named Jalatunda, and second, he must construct a thousand temples in only one night.

The love-struck prince agreed, and immediately started work on the well. Using his supernatural powers once again and summoning all manner of demons, the prince swiftly finished the construction of the deep well and proudly displayed his work for the princess. As a trick, she urged him to enter the well and when he did so, Patih Gupolo piled stones into it and buried him alive. With great effort Bandung Bandawasa escaped, but his love for the princess was so strong that he forgave her the attempt on his life.

To fulfill the second condition, the prince entered into meditation and conjured up a multitude of spirits from the earth. With their help he built the first 999 temples in a few hours and started work on the final one.  When the Princess came to know that Prince Bandung was about to finish the last temple she thought of a clever plan to thwart his efforts.

She and her maids lit fires in the east direction and begin pounding rice paddy, a traditional dawn activity. The roosters crowed fooled into thinking the sun was about to rise. The dark demons of the netherworld fled back to the darkness, leaving the last temple unfinished.Hence, the Prince could not fulfil the second condition.

The prince was furious when he learned of this deception, and he placed a curse on Rara Jonggrang, turning her into stone, so that she could not marry anyone and be stuck in time and space forever. But in this way she herself became a feature of the final temple, completing its construction and fulfilling the conditions for their marriage! She became the divine Goddess or Durga or Shakti and is the main diety of the Candi Prambanan Temple..

 The magnificence…

An aerial view of the Rara Jonggrang temple complex

The 17 kilometer perimeter of the Prambanan Temple spans between the southern slopes of the Merapi Volcano in the north  and the Sewu mountain range in the south, and consists of the following temples :

·         3 Trimurti temples: three main temples dedicated to Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma

·         3 Vahana temples: The tree temples dedicated to the vahanas or mode of travel of the Gods- nandi, Garuda and Hamsa

·         2 Apit temples: two temples located between the rows of Trimurti and Vahana temples on north and south side

·         4 Candi Kelir temples: four small shrines located on the four cardinal directions right beyond the four main gates of inner zone

·         4 Candi Patok temples: four small shrines located on four corners of the inner area of the Prambanan temple complex.

·         224 Pervara temples: hundreds of temples arranged in 4 concentric square rows; numbers of temples from inner row to outer row are: 44, 52, 60, and 68 shrines. These shrines are called "Candi Perwara" guardian or complementary temples. Some believed it was offered to the king as a sign of submission. The Perwara are arranged in four rows around the central temples, maybe depicting the four Hindu castes.

The Shiva shrine at the center contains five chambers, four small chambers in every cardinal direction and one bigger main chamber in central part of the temple. The east chamber connects to central chamber that houses a three meter high statue of Shiva Mahadeva. The statue bears the attributes of Shiva such as skull and sickle (crescent) at the crown, and third eye on the forehead, also four hands that holds Shiva's symbols: a prayer beads, feather duster, and trident. Some historians believe that the depiction of Shiva as Mahadeva also meant to personify king Balitung as the reincarnation of Shiva. So when he died, a temple was built to commemorate him as Shiva. The statue of Shiva stands on lotus pad on a Yoni pedestal that bears the carving of Naga serpents on the north side of the pedestal. The other three smaller chambers contain statues of Hindu Gods related to Shiva; his consort Durga, Agastya, and Ganesha, his son.

Exterior of Shiva temple

The bas-reliefs along the balustrades on the gallery around the Shiva and Brahma temple depict the Ramayana legend. On the balustrades in Vishnu temple there is series of bas-relief depict Krishnayana, the story of lord Krishna.

The Siva idol is three metres tall and the main pount of attraction of the temple. His crown has a skull and a crescent moon. There is a snake as a head-band. There is a third eye on the forehead. He is shown with four hands. The two back hands hold a fan (chowrie) and a rosary. The frontal right hand holds a lotus bud. The frontal left hand holds a small spheroid representing cosmos which is an unusual representation. He stands on a lotus and the lotus stands in the middle of a square base receptacle which can collect abhishek water and let it go from an outlet. The statue is almost like a lingam then. Siva has a Mongolian visage. The statue is not rounded but is in bas-relief.

BELOW: Pic of Siva idol, three metres tall, the description of which is given above. (Pic from the book "Ariswara Prambanan", PT Intermasa Jakarta)

 Why is this temple so interesting and inspiring ?

Apart from the legend and tale of Prambanam, the sheer scale and massiveness of the complex is mind blowing. The detailed carving from Ramnayana on the stone walls and also from the Krishnaya on the walls of the Visnu temple are extraordinary . The sense of order, organisation and the amazing layout of  the temple spread over 17 kilometers is something to wonder about. Despite the humongous scale of construction , each and every nook and inch of the temple is beautifully carved and decorated.

The temple built entirely of stone is made in the form of a mountain as the Gods are believed to reside there.

The significance of the mountain symbol derives from its immense height and from its conceptualization as the navel of the World. It is where Heaven ( Brahamlok) and Earth ( Prithvilok) meet, where the gods have their home and human ascension has its boundary and therefore also represent the notions of transcendence and divine manifestation; mountains are where gods and men interact; but by giving it a human legend and story , the Prambanam temple or the Rara Jonggrang temple tries to humanise God and bring the two closer through the King; who is seen as an emissary of God. The temple form of architecture is so prevalent in Java, Indonesia and Cambodia region as it  is dotted with Volcanoes that keep on erupting from time to time and are prayed to , so as to keep them “silent” or dormant. The mountains symbolise the immense power of nature over man and hence the association of mountain with something very dominant and powerful is seen in the temple architecture of the Prambanam.

A stairway leads the pilgrim to the entrance to the temple, which is raised off the ground level, an act mimicking that of ascending a mountain. The temple chambers open up a gateway to the divine world, almost as if the divine has been brought to manifest in the human world, fulfilling the notion of transcendence; a figurative meeting of man and God.

Built at the height of 47 meters , the tallest temple is  slightly taller than Borobudur- the Buddhist temple complex. The Javanese people believe that it was done deliberately so as to send a clear message to the kingdom about the supremacy of the Hindu Sanjaya Kings over the Buddhist Sailendra rulers.

Just like Indian temples, the Prambanan temples do have a sanctum sanctorum known as the Garbha Griha literally meaning the “Womb Room”  but no other broad architectural aspects that you see in Indian temples such as Dhwaja sthamba or the kalyana mandapams etc. The temple entrance faces the east as in India too. The bigger  Prambanan temples have galleries at various levels to walk around, in between the walls and the balustrades which are  exquisitely sculpted with scenes from the Ramayana and Krishnayana.

There are four worshipful Gods located in four chambers. Apart from Shiva. the other three deities are Mahaguru Agastya (Siva's teacher), Devi Durga (Siva's wife) and Ganesa (Siva's son). Karthikeya, the other son, is not present.

Indeed one of the most awe inspiring ancient structures that should be a must visit on your itinerary incase you ever head to Indonesia!

Jorge Méndez Blake is a Mexican mixed-media conceptual artist. Trained as an architect, the artist builds walls and connects their history to literature. He lives and works in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Given the political discourse surrounding walls, immigration, and border security in contemporary American culture, it’s nearly impossible for viewers not to draw parallels between Blake’s installation and Trump’s desire to build his so-called “big, beautiful wall” meant to partition the United States from Mexico. This exploration of barriers as both a cause and emblem of otherness and exclusion appears to address our aspiring autocrat’s longing to shape an American ideology predicated upon nationalism, isolationism, and xenophobia. To this extent, then, Amerika functions not only as a material barrier that blocks patrons’ view and impedes their movement, but it also acts as a metaphor for the border politics and debates that currently occupy our national and global conversations.