Prachina Nidhi

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Mysore Art Research Book
Ganjifa Card Art and Traditional Wood Carving
Copyright©2014by NIFT
No part of this work may be reproduced without written permission from the writers,
except brief quotations for review purposes.
This is a research book based on personal experience
and extensive field research. The views and opinions expressed in the book are subjective and not meant to offend any organization
or individual’s sensibilities
The creators of this book wish to acknowledge the Karnataka Handicrafts Association
for their support .
Cover art by Ambica
Photography by Karen and Aakanasa
Page Layout, Editing, Compilation and Illustrations
by
Nisha, Razeena, Deya, Sahana, Jennifer, Jyothsana, Ginu,Rupal, Nancy, Ipshita
Overseen by Professor Kavita Saluja
Copyright with
The Fashion Design Department
of NIFT Bangalore.
Prachina Nidhi
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PrachinaNidhi
Ancient Treasures of Ganjifa Art
and Wood Carving
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Prachina Nidhi
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Contents
1.Preface
2.Intoduction
3.Mysore
................................................. 7
................................................. 9
................................................. 10
3.1
Demographics......................................................................
3.2
History of Mysore ........................................................................ 14
3.3
Culture
........................................................................ 16
3.4
Festivities
........................................................................ 17
3.5
Climate
3.6
Food
......................................................................... 23
3.7
Art
......................................................................... 24
4. Ganjifa
5. Mysore University
........................................ 35
6. Karnataka Janapada Chitrakala by
N.C.Patel (Transalation) ........................................38
7. Artist Profiles(Ganjifa) ....................................... 39
12
.................................................................... 22
Heritage of Ganjifa........................................................................ 29
4.2
The game of cards ........................................................................ 30
4.3
Variants of the game...................................................................... 30
4.4
Raw Materials
......................................................................... 32
4.5
Types of colors
......................................................................... 33
4.6
Process
........................................................................
4.7
Subjects of Ganjifa......................................................................... 40
4.8
Sets Available
Chandrika Ramanasaiah
........................................................... 40
7.2
Suma Krishnan
............................................................42
7.3
Raghupathi Bhatta
8. Wood Carving
................................................. 26
4.1
7.1
5
........................................................... 48
........................................50
8.1
Types of wood
........................................................... 52
8.2
MandiMohalla
.......................................................... 58
8.3
Karakushala Nagara
...........................................................60
8.4
Artisan Profiles
...........................................................62
8.5
Process of wood carving
...........................................................63
8.6
Handicrafts in Fashion
...........................................................67
9. Glossary
10. Acknowledgement
11. Bibliography
......................................................................... 41
.
.......................................68
....................................... 70
.......................................71
Prachina Nidhi
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Preface
T
he Prachina Nidhi was created keeping in mind that we should be your one stop reference when it comes to the nearly obscure art
forms of Karanataka.
This book will first walk you through the customs and cultural practices of Mysore . Everything from food to location to modes of transport can be found here. This book will cover all the historical facts and legends behind the ancient Ganjifa art form and the intricate wood
carving practices of Mysore.
Ancient and modern day practices of both art forms as well as ,tools and various methadology will be stated in the following pages . This
book contains personal interactions with present day practictioners and their professional and personal experience of living with the art
form as well as the possible future of the art .
Reading Prachina Nidhi will make sure that when it comes to ganjifa cards and wood carving ,you will have all the information you could
possibly need .
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Prachina Nidhi
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Introduction
A
s students of design, the task of exploring an artform unknown to us was both exciting as well as frightening. Initially we were
unsure as to how to proceed, but with the guidance of our mentor, we were able to successfully complete the task.
Mysore is a city of immense cultural influence. During our fieldwork, we were not only able to collect information about the given art
forms, but also watch live demonstrations and interact with the artists and artisans. There were many obstacles that we had to face on
the way, such as, language barriers, limited knowledge of the area, limited time and poor network connections. But at the end of the
day, we were able to retrieve most of the information required.
Most of our time and energy was spent on the Ganjifa art form. Ganjifa is an art form that was once a gambling game enjoyed by the
royal families. Ganjifa cards are small circular cards with paintings of various symbols depicting certain suits in the game. But this
was an ancient practice. Today, the exact rules of Ganjifa are still a mystery and it is now considered an art that can be framed and
hung for display.
We collected information about Ganjifa from various libraries in Mysore, museums and renowned artists. This wasn’t easy as most
books containing the information was in an archaic form of Kannada. Meeting the artists depended completely on their availability.
Unfortunately, most artists were in Bangalore for an exhibition, during our time in Mysore. However, the artists we did meet gave us
the exact information we needed.
The experience we had while exploring woodcarving was unlike any other. We were able to interact with the artisans in their homes,
amidst their family. Everybody was extremely helpful and warm.
We visited a few places out of which we found Karakushala to be the most active woodwork area. Almost every family there worked
with wood. Finding artisans and getting live demonstrations was an easy task here.
This document not only contains information about the two art forms, but also a rare glimpse into the memories our group made
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Prachina Nidhi
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About Mysore
T
T
he city of Mysore (traditionally known as Mysuru) is the second larg-
he city takes pride in the beauty of its palaces and rich culture that have
est city located in the state of Karnataka, India. It is located at the base of the
been kept intact for centuries. It lends its name to the Mysore style of paint-
Chamundi Hills, one of the main attractions of the city. Mysore is just about
ing, the sweet dish Mysore Pak, the Mysore Peta (a traditional silk turban)
150 km away from Bangalore, the capital city of the state. It is spread across an
and the garment known as the Mysore silk saree. Tourism is the major indus-
area of 128.42 km2. Within a single auto ride around the city, one will know
try, while information technology has emerged as a major employer alongside
why Mysore is considered the heart of cultural activities in Karnataka. At every
the traditional industries. Mysore depends mainly on rail and bus transport
other corner, a beautiful
for inter-city connections. It also has an Airport serving the city, also known
masterpiece of architecture and art await the eyes of tourists and the common
as Mandakalli Airport. The city was the location of the first private radio sta-
Myosre folk.
tion in India. Mysore houses Mysore University, which has produced several
notable authors, particularly in the field of Kannada literature. Adding to the
rich culture, Mysore has also been recently rated the second cleanest city in
India.
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About Mysore
Demographics
According to the provisional results of the census of 2011, Mysore city had a
The residents of the city are known as Mysoreans in English and Mysoorinava-
total population of 887,446 with 443,813 males and 443,633 females, making
ru in Kannada. The ongoing dispute between the states of Karnataka and Tamil
it the second largest city in Karnataka.
Nadu over the sharing of the Kaveri River water, has frequent repercussions
The gender ratio of the city is 1000 females to every 1000 males and the popu-
in the city leading to minor altercations and demonstrations. Growth in the
lation density is 6910.5 persons per km2. As per the census of 2001, in the city
information technology industry in Mysore has led to a change in the demo-
of Mysore, 76.8% are Hindus, 19% are Muslims, 2.8% are Christians and the
graphic profile of the city; likely strains on the infrastructure and haphazard
remaining belong to other religions. The city’s population crossed the 100,000
growth of the city resulting from the demographic change have been a cause of
mark in the census of 1931 and has seen a population growth of 20.5% in the
concern for some citizens of the city.
decade 1991–2001. As of 2011, the literacy rate of the city is 86.84%, which is
higher than the state’s average of 75.6%.
Kannada is the most widely spoken language in the city. Hindi/Urdu is also
significantly spoken and understood in the city. Nineteen percent of the population in Mysore live below the poverty line and 9.0% of the population live
in slums.According to 2001 census, though 35.7% of the population in the
urban areas of Karnataka are workers, only 33.3% of the population in Mysore
city belong to the working class.
Prachina Nidhi
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A sketch of the view from the entrance gate of the Amba
Vilas Palace situated at Sayyaji Rao Road
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History Of Mysore
T
he word Mysore is a corrupted version of “mysooru”, which is derived
There is an inscription on Chamundi Hills that was done in 950AD during the
from the word “mahishur” or “Mahishasurana Ooru”, which means the town
reign of the Gangas. This inscription is the oldest inscription found in Mysore.
of Mahishasura in Kannada, the local language. Mysore has been associated
The Cholas ruled Mysore for over a century after the Gangas. The Chalukyas
with the Puranic story found in the Devi Bhagavatha. According to the story
followed the Cholas. The Hoysalas drove the Cholas from the remaining part
in the Devi Purana, Mysroe was ruled by the demon Kind Mahishasura. Mahi-
of Mysore region in the 12th century. After the Hoysalas came the Vijayanagar
shasura was a buffalo-headed monster. In response to the prayer by the Gods
kings and then the Mysore Yadu dynasty came to power in 1399A.D. They
and Goddesses to save them from the demon, Goddess Parvathi, took birth as
were the feudatories of the Vijayanagar Kings. This dynasty also contributed
Chamundeshwari and killed the monster on top of the Chamundi hill near
to temple building in Mysore. Bettada Chamaraja Wodeyar, the raja of My-
Mysore. Hence the hill and the city have the names Chamundi Hill and Mysore
sore rebuilt the fort of Mysore and made his headquarters and called the city
respectively.
‘Mahishura Nagara’ meaning the city of Mahishur. Many inscriptions done
It is said that after killing the monster the Goddess stayed on top of the hill,
in the 17th century and later refer to Mysore as ‘Mahishuru’. Raja Wodeyar
where she is worshipped with great devotion to this day. The famous 10 day-
moved the capital from Mysore to Srirangapatna. After the death of Tippu
long Dasara of Mysore is in honour of the Goddess Chamundeshwari and is a
Sultan in 1799, Mysore became the capital of the Wodeyars once again. There
celebration of this victory of good over evil.
is an inscription on Chamundi Hills that was done in 950AD during the reign
Before the rise of the Gangas in the 10th century there is little historical evi-
of the Gangas. This inscription is the oldest inscription found in Mysore. The
dence relating to Mysore. The Gangas established their supremacy in the 2nd
Cholas ruled Mysore for over a century after the Gangas. The Chalukyas fol-
century and they ruled over a large part of Mysore till about 1004 AD. In the
lowed the Cholas. The Hoysalas drove the Cholas from the remaining part of
3rd century they established their capital at Talakad on the banks of the river
Cauvery.
Prachina Nidhi
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After the Hoysalas came the Vijayanagar kings and then the Mysore Yadu dynasty
came to power in 1399A.D. They were the feudatories of the Vijayanagar Kings. This
dynasty also contributed to temple building in Mysore. Bettada Chamaraja Wodeyar,
the raja of Mysore rebuilt the fort of Mysore and made his headquarters and called
the city ‘Mahishura Nagara’ meaning the city of Mahishur. Many inscriptions done in
the 17th century and later refer to Mysore as ‘Mahishuru’. Raja Wodeyar moved the
capital from Mysore to Srirangapatna. After the death of Tippu Sultan in 1799, Mysore
became the capital of the Wodeyars once again.
The most influential rulers of Mysore have been Tippu Sultan and the Wadeyars. It was
during the reign of the Wadeyars that Mysore developed as a well-planned city.
The Wadeyar royal family ruled the kingdom of Mysore from 1399 to 1947. The kingdom was not a large kingdom and was a part of the Vijayanagara Empire till its fall
in 1565. From 1565 till 1799, Mysore kingdom remained independent. During the
reign of King KrishnarajaWadeyar III (1799-1868), Mysore was awarded the title of a
princely state.
During the reign of Krishnaraja Wodeyar III the town of Mysore expanded and moved
beyond the walls of the fort. Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV developed Mysore into a beautiful city with excellent planning. Under his reign Mysore became famous for its wide
The magnificent statue of Shri Krishnaraja
Wadeyar situated at Devaraj Circle
roads, magnificent building and elegant parks.
Today Mysore is a modern city that has managed to retain its quaint old world charm.
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About Mysore
Culture
M
ysore has been a city where all religions have co-existed in harmony for
The Hindu community is the largest living community in the city. Muslims
many centuries. Even when Mysore was culturally at its zenith under the Vi-
form another prominent community in the city and there is a sizeable popu-
jayanagar Empire and the Wodeyars the rulers always encouraged all religions
lation of Jains as well. One finds people from different parts of the country,
and cultures without any discrimination.
speaking different languages, celebrating different festivals all co-existing
The continuous patronage and support of the Kings in every field led to the
peacefully.
evolution of a distinct style known as the “Mysore Style” in the all the fields
Though Mysore has become a modern it has not lost touch with its tradition
like painting, architecture, music, poetry etc. Over a period of time as this
and culture. The ultimate expression of cultural unity is witnessed during the
culture spread far and wide it was prefixed with the word “Mysore” to identify
10 daylong Dasara festivities that is synonymous with Mysore. The celebra-
the unique cultural heritage. To this day in Karnataka the best quality jasmine
tion not only includes religious ceremonies but also the decoration of houses,
flowers are referred to as Mysooru Maligae (Mysore Jasmine).
display of dolls, distribution of sweets to neighbours and children. The resi-
Over the years Mysore has become a cosmopolitan city with people from dif-
dents of Mysore have celebrated Dasara in this manner for decades.
ferent walks of life living together peacefully. In Mysore people practicing dif-
The highpoint of the celebration in the olden days was the “Jamboo Savari”
ferent faiths live harmoniously. This has helped the city develop. The people
or the procession of the Maharaja on elephant back through the streets of
of Mysore take part in each other’s festivals and celebrations. The Kings of
Mysore. It is said that Dasara was celebrated in this manner from the times
Mysore have laid a strong foundation for communal harmony by making gen-
of the epics and was continued by all the Kings of Mysore. Even today Dasara
erous contributions towards religious centers of all religions. This tradition is
is celebrated with the same pomp and splendor with some minor changes.
still followed in Mysore.
Now the Royal Elephant carries the golden idol of Goddess Chamundhi in
the splendid procession through the streets of Mysore. Though Mysore has
become a modern city and has all the comforts of modern development, this
city has managed to retain all its old world charm.
Prachina Nidhi
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Festivities of Mysore
Sri Krishnaraja Wadeyar Jayanthi
4th June
Upon our arrival in Mysore, we were lucky enough to witness the celebration
of Shri Krishnaraja Wadeyar’s 125th birthday on 4th June 2014. As we walked
towards the back entrance of the palace, the beat of the dolu(type of drum) and
the dancer’s ghungrus(bell anklet) filled the place. We saw dancers in colourful
costumes and elaborate headgear getting ready for their street performance.
The first performance was the Veeragasa, a combination of dance and martial
arts. The dancers were all male and wore a lot of gold and carried a golden
shield and a sword. They wore ghungrus and an elaborate headgear with a wig
of long black hair.
A perspective sketch
of the Devaraj Circle
from a junction,
during the afternoon
rush hour
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About Mysore
Veeragasa
Prachina Nidhi
Karadi Gunita
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Petro Della Valle
Gamsalaya
Gombegallu
Police Procession
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About Mysore
The second performance was the tribal dance known as the Karadi Gunita.
Karadi refers to ‘bear’ and Gunita refers to ‘dance’, thus Karadi Gunita is the
bear dance. The dancers wore patches of brown fur and covered their faces
with makeup.
The third performance was the Gamsalaya, where the dancers wore orange
costumes and danced with bells in their hands. They did a number of stunts
that left us all in awe.
The final performance was by the police band. Immediately as the drums and
persussions moved away, a royal silence fell. The sound of the hoofs of horses
and traditional pipes filled the air. We all rushed to take pictures as the policemen, dressed in traditional palace guard uniforms, sat on their horses and rode
on with a heavily decorated chariot not far behind.
All the dancers and performers carried their performance forward, onto the
streets of Mysore. Traffic was cleared from the main circle of the city to make
space for the performers and all the politicians and press. As the performers
surrounded the circle, the politicians and VIPs went up to the statue to garland
it. With that, the celebration came to an end. As the performers moved away
from the circle, their performance became even more joyous. Everyone had
a smile on their face. Despite the heat, the crowd stayed to watch till the end,
taking pictures with DSLRs and mobile phones. It was an amazing experience
that all of us will carry with us forever.
Prachina Nidhi
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Dussehra
Vairamudi Festival
Vairamudi Festival is one of the most admired and celebrated events of the
The Dessehra or the MysuruDasara festival is celebrated in the months
city. It is observed in the month of March each year and held on the sixth day
of September and October every year. It is in honor of the Goddess Cha-
of Brahmotsavam of Lord Cheluvarayaswamy in Melkote. Lord Cheluvarayas-
mundeshwari celebrating her victory over the demon Mahishasura, rein-
wamy is adorned with a Diamond encrusted crown during this festival. The
stating the faith that good triumphs evil. During the 10 days of festivities,
temples of the city are decorated for the event and brightened with oil lamps
the otherwise calm, peaceful city breaks out into a joyous dance with every
and candles. Thousands of devotees and supporters come from different parts
corner lit up and illuminated for the celebration period. During this time
of the country to be a part of the festivities.
the palace is open to public and the royal throne is displayed. Performances
and competitions are held in front of the palace, which are arranged by the
State Government. The finale of the celebration is the procession consist-
Ugadi Festival
ing of floats, the police band, mounted guards in royal livery and folk artists
Ugadi marks the Kannadiga New Year. This festival is celebrated in the second
and musicians. Items of the royal family are also a part of this procession.
half of March or early April all over Karnataka. Celebrated with great fervour
This procession begins at the Mysore palace and ends at the BanniMantapa-
and happiness, this day is considered to be very favourable and auspicious to
grounds(2.5 miles away). This is followed by a torch light procession in the
begin new activities. A lot of Karnataka folk believe that launching big busi-
evening accompanied by a spectacular fireworks display.
ness activities or making changes to one’s life, during Ugadi, will grant them
success in all their endeavors for the rest of the year. The festival also marks the
arrival of the spring season which brings with itself colourful flowers, verdant
meadows indicating a new creation of life. People wash their houses, garland
the entrances of house with mango leaves, draw colourfulRangoli, prepare special recipes for the grand feast and buy new dresses as part of the festivities.
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About Mysore
Mysore has a semi arid climate. Mysore district shares the wider climatic pattern of the state
as a whole, although there are some distinctive features. The climate of the district may be described as essentially tropical monsoon type. Over the greater part of the district, summers are
languorously warm and winters bracingly cool. By and large, Mysore district is endowed with
a delightful climate.
Cold Weather Season
The cold weather season begins early in January and continues till the end of February. In this
season, the weather is cool and moist .There are wide variations in between day and night temperatures. The temperature is lower than in the hot weather season but the average temperature
does not go below 16.5°C. January is the typical cold month and records very low temperatures.
The temperatures during the cold weather season (November to February) ranges form 16.1°C
to 31.3°C.
Hot Weather Season
The Hot Weather Season begins in the month of March and increases in its intensity towards
the end of May. In this season, the temperature ranges from 19.7°C to 35.1°C. Land becomes
very hot and there is a wide range of variations between day and night temperatures. However,
there is occasional relief from per-monsoon thunderstorms.
Southwest Monsoon
Prachina Nidhi
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FOOD
There is all types of finger licking worthy food available in Mysore. Restau-
Other rice based dishes include vangibath(spiced rice with egg plant),
rants around not only excel in South Indian food, they also make delicious
chitranna(rice with lime juice, green chilli turmeric powder sprinkled
North Indian dishes. Like other South Indian cities, Mysore cuisine is mostly
with fried groundnuts and coriander leaves), bisibelebath(combination
rice based.
of rice, lentils, tamarind, dried coconut, chilli powder and spices) and
A traditional Mysore breakfast consists of masaladosa(dosa with potato and
pulliyoigrae(rice falvoured with tamarind juice and garnished with ground-
vegetable filling) with sambar and coconut chutney, set dosa, ravadosa(dosa
nuts). Having been ruled by Muslim rulers in the past, Mysore has great
made with semolina) and thatteidlis(flat idlis). Another popular dish is the
biryani.
uppituwhich is roasted semolina laced with chillies, coriander leaves, mus-
A meal is never complete without desset, and Mysore has a lot dessert op-
tard and cumin seeds. Other common breakfast dishes include puripalya,
tions to choose from. Some of the traditional sweets, unique to Mysore, are
uthapam, vadasambarand kesari bath (a sweet made of semolina and sugar
chiroti(a light flaky pastry made of flour, sprinkled with powdered sugar and
laced with saffron).
soaked in almond milk), Mysore Pak(gram flour fudge), obbattuor holige(a
A traditional Mysore lunch consists of vegetable dishes like kosambri,
flat, wafer-thin chappati filled with a mixture of jaggery, dried coconut and
palyas(vegetable salads made of parboiled vegetable chopped finely and
fried gently on a skillet) and shavignepayasa(made of milk, vermicelli, sugar,
tossed with grated fresh coconut, green chillies, curry leaves and mus-
dried fruits and cardamom pods).
tard seasoning), gojju(a vegetable cooked in tamarind juice with chilli
powder),tovve(cooked dal without much seasoning), hulior saaru(a thick
broth of lentils and vegetables cooked together with ground coconut, spices,
tamarind and chilli powder)and pappad. Along with this curd and rice is also
consumed.
23
About Mysore
ART
Mysore Paintings
The erstwhile state of Mysore established a unique and distinctive form of painting in the 17th and 18th centuries. Over the years this form of painting has
become popular by the name Mysore School. This form of painting was at its
zenith during the reign of Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar III. Traditional Mysore Painting was normally done on paper pasted on cloth or wood. After the
sketch was made, a distinctive relief world called gesso was done in the areas
where jewellery and other ornamentations were to be painted. Gesso was done
to enhance these areas. These areas were later covered with 24K gold leaf and
then the painting was given the final touches.
After the painting was completed it was allowed to dry thoroughly. Then a thin
paper was placed on top of if and rubbed with a soft smooth stone to enhance
1. Top left: Mysore painting
of Hindu Goddess Lakshmi
2. Top right: Mysore painting
of Hindu God
3. Bottom left: Mysore painting of Hindu Goddess
Lakshmi
the richness in the relief work done with gold foil. In those days artists used
vegetable dyes and mineral colors and prepared all the materials they required
by themselves. There are numerous examples of mural paintings in temples and
palaces in different parts of Karnataka. These paintings are a testament to the
rich painting culture of Mysore. The themes of these paintings are largely religious and are taken from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
Prachina Nidhi
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Wood Inlay
Wood Garland
Wood Inlay or Marquetry is the art of inlaying different colours of
The art of creating wood garland is a lost treasure that we had found during
wood, or other materials like ivory, into a different wooden surface to
our stay in Mysore. This art is about creating flower garlands out of wood
form intricately designed pictorial representations of various reli-
shavings. The final product lasts longer than original flower garlands. This
gious scenes, forest scenes, etc. This art has flourished in India under
art form is not only beautiful to look at but one can buy it guilt free, since
the patronage of the Mysore royalty in Karnataka in the 17th century.
the wood is obtained from waste wooden pieces
The thing to note about this traditional craft is that even in today’s
fast paced and constantly changing world, it is still a desired art.
Craftsmen have evolved their techniques over centuries to sustain
this craft. Newer and more intricate designs and various versions of
wood can be used today. This art has been made more affordable by
using plastic sheets instead of ivory.
Inlay craftsman placing various patch
parts of a scene in
Karakushalanagara,
outside his house.
A handcrafted wooden garland
made out of wood shavings in
Karakushalanagara.
25
About Mysore
Ganjifa also known as Ganjeefa was a popular card game in ancient India. It was played
extensively in the Mughal period. Earlier, the cards were made for the elite and were made
out of ivory. In Mysore, ganjifa was also known as ‘chadd’ which means ‘God’s play’. The cards
are generally circular and sometimes rectangular with exquisite paintings on them. In fact, in
today’s world, ganjifa is more known for its artwork instead of the game itself.
Prachina Nidhi
26
Heritage of Ganjifa
Ganjifa is known by different names such as Ganjafa, Ganjifa, Ganchua, Gan-
HINDU INFLUENCE ON GANJIFA
japa or Ganjappa, Ganjeefa and Kanjafa. Ganj is a Persian word which means
As ganjifa was introduced in India first and then was passed on to other Euro-
treasure or minted money. This card game was handed over to us by the Eu-
pean countries, Hindu influence on ganjifa became a signature ethnic pastime.
ropeans keeping in tradition to all other things we have been acquiring from
The Maratha courts under Peshvas provide the written records of the game.
them. Ganjifa unlike other European handovers was originated first in India
The Maratha ganjifas were based on Hindu themes such as Dasavatara, which
and then reached the European countries.
is the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu. Hindu influences showed significant
One can see that the occurrences of ganjifa cards are littered throughout our
use of Hindu gods and goddesses in the cards.
world history. In 1300 AD, a document from mamulk times, shares evidence
of ganjifa cards where an officer gave ransom in exchange of their fallen sol-
EMERGENCE OF GANJIFA IN MYSORE
diers by paying in ‘kanjafa’.
Ganjifa was introduced and patronized by Mummadi Krishnaraj Wodeyar III
In 1500 AD, there is a mention of Babur, who sent a soldier to Shah Hasan to
of Mysore.In the preceding Mysore state, it was called as “Chad-Mysore play-
handover a set of ganjifa which he liked the most.
ing cards” and was extensively patronised by the Mysore Royal Family during
From the times of Emperor Akbar, the information about this game seems to
the reign of Tipu Sultan by the The Wodeyar Kings. Mysore Ganjifa Style were
pop up all over our history.The Biographer of Akbar, Abul Fazal records the
set to stories and shloka’s from the Hindu Purana’s, stories from the Ramayana,
complete details of a 12 suited Ganjifa and eight suited Ganjifa. This is the first
Mahabharata etc.
written reference on the game of ganjifa.
The game was started in the Mughal courts and the game of Mughal ganjifa
was standardized as the rules of the game were recorded and the cards survived even after the fall of the Mughal court.
27
CURRENT SCENARIO
•
The historical game of Ganjifa is replaced with the cheaper version of
cards in today’s world.
•
In present times, this art form remains isolated as an age-old practise
in the homes of a few artists.
•
The game died out when the painters took to other professions.
•
Unfortunately, many people use Ganjifa cards as coasters to place cof-
fee and tea cups.
1. Top: A traditionally painted 100 year old 4” diameter Ganjifa
card depicting Hindu God and Goddess
2. Top right: Three 2” diameter Ganjifa cards depicting the traditional Persian fish symbol
•
In India, which is the originating country of ganjifa, they have become
collector’s items and there seems to be no reason among the Indians to create
awareness.
Prachina Nidhi
28
Heritage of Ganjifa
WHERE TO FIND MYSORE GANJIFA
IN MYSORE
Colours were made by hand and they were rich in natural minerals and vege-
The Ganjifa creation is practiced in city at Vidyaranyapuram Gokulam, Asho-
table dyes. The artists grinded and mixed these natural colours by hand them-
ka Road, Srirangapatna in Mandya district.
selves.Traditionally, the base of the cards was made of cloth, leather, and mica,
IN BANGALORE:-
and palm leaf, sheet of sandalwood, birch leaf, ivory or paper. The colour used
It is also practiced in Ulsoor, Srinagar, Hanumanthanagar, Vijayanagar, Jay-
was natural, extracted from plants and vegetables.
anagar and HAL post.
GANJIFA IN EARLIER DAYS
Earlier it was played only by Muslims because of subject of these cardswere related to the Islam religion but later the Hindukings invented and popularized
their versions with the Hindu deities.The cards are typically circular although
some rectangular decks have been produced.
The game first became popular at court, in the form of lavish sets of preciousstone-inlaid ivory or tortoise shell. It later spread to the general public, whereupon cheaper sets were made from materials such as wood, palm leaf, or pasteboard.
29
Ganjifa
Game of Cards
Variants of the Game
The game of As is exactly like Poker, but without any flushes or sequences.
Moghul Ganjifa is played in some parts of Orissa with 96 cards in 8 suits of
There are four players, and each player gets five cards, dealt to the right. The
12 cards each; each suit is distinctively coloured and comprises ten pip cards
dealer puts down a stake. The first player then looks at his cards. If he “goes”,
from 1 to 10 and two court cards, a vizier and a king.
he says dîdam (I have seen), and covers the stake or raises it. If he does not
wish to play, he says nadîdam, (I have not seen) and throws his cards. He may
Dashavatara Ganjifa is played by three persons with 120 cards, mainly in
also “go” without looking at his cards - that is, in poker parlance, “straddle”
Sawantwadi in Maharashta, although it is played by five persons in Bishnu-
- and says nadîd dîdam (not seeing, I have seen). The second player, if he
pur, West Bengal. There are 10 suits of 12 cards each; the suits correspond to
wishes to play, must cover the stakes, and can also raise. The third player and
the ten avatars of Vishnu. The order of the suits (from lowest to highest) is:
the dealer then act in the same way just as in poker, and when the stakes of all
fish, tortoise, boar, lion (or half-man, half-lion), dwarf (looks like an umbrella
players are equal and no one raises any more the cards are turned up and the
in PySol), Rama with the axe, Rama (looks like a bow and arrow in PySol),
player holding the best hand wins the stakes.
Krishna (looks like a jellyfish in PySol), Buddha (looks like a flower in PySol),
Kalki (looks like a Pegasus in PySol).
The hands in the order of their value are as follows:
Prachina Nidhi
•
She va just, i.e., three and a pair; a “full”.
•
Sehta, i.e. threes, aces, kings, etc.
•
Do just, i.e., two pairs; aces highest.
•
Just, i.e., one pair; aces highest.
30
A collection of old and new Ganjifa cards
31
Ganjifa
Process of making the
cards
•
Raw Materials
Ganjifa cards are made on handmade papers. Nearly 8 layers of papers are
PREPARATION OF ARABIC GUM:-
used to ensure strength and stiffness to the card. The layers are pasted with Arabic
•
It’s available in crystal form in shops.
gum or Arrowroot paste.
•
The crystals are soaked in water for a day and then the gum is ready to
•
They are then cut into required circular/rectangular shapes.
be mixed with the oxides colors.
•
Size of the card varies from 8 to 10 cms in diameter.
•
Brushes: squirrel hair brushes with number 000, 00,0,1,2.
** The paste is not supposed to be heated or no hot water should be used in
•
Compass.
the preparation of the paste as it results in the paste growing thicker over time.
•
Steel (pen): nib with wooden handle for drawing circles and white dots.
PREPARATION OFMUD/OXIDE COLOURS
•
Micro tip pens
•
•
Rotter ink pens
till it becomes soft.
•
OHP pens
•
•
Varnish and polish: for waterproofing of cards.
grain particles in them.
•
White cement and lac: to be applied at the back of the cards to make it •
The oxides/mud colors, are supposed to be soaked in water for 2-3 days
It is then filtered properly; as the mud colors are very grainy and have
The paint is supposed to be filtered through a thin cloth instead of a
strong and non-foldable.
filtering net.
•
•
Pencil, scale scissor for drawing and cutting.
Then Arabic gum is added to the natural colors and finally it is ready to
be used.
Common people made the cards using leather, paper, stylographed palm leaves,
fish scalesand paper mache
Prachina Nidhi
32
TYPES OF COLORS
•
PREPARATION OF GANJIFA
CARDS
Background: - Mainly dark colors are used for the background. Dark
colors like Blue, Green, Black, Brown, etc.
Ganjifa is thin and strong made up of 8 layers of papers pasted one over the
•
other with cooked paste of arrowroot, Arabic gum, maida and a pinch of cop-
Foreground: - Light colors like yellow, Golden, occur, Red (light), and
white is majorly used as the foreground.
per sulphate.This combination of adhesives not only ensures strength and lon-
The process of Ganjifa paintings doesn’t include a lot of colors. The artists
gevity but also acts as disinfectant.
use a maximum of 4-5 colours.
•
The circle is first drawn with the help of compass.
TODAY’S OXIDE COLOURS AND ITS COMPOSITION:-
•
A sketch is drawn inside the circle.
It was fascinating to see oxide/mud colours available in places for purpose of
•
The sketch inside should be drawn with fine lines with brushes made
painting in local chemist shops. The colours and its composition are:-
up of squirrel hair.
•
•
Back side of the card is coated with the paste of white cement, lacquer.
white lead powder with gum solution.
•
Lead-red and gum are added to it to acquire the required stiffness.
•
•
And finally is baked in heat.
Arabic gum solution.
•
It is shiny and durable because of the application of the Arabic gum,
•
which keeps the colour firmly fixed and stands as the barrier for varnish against
White: Shell is soaked in citric acid, titanium oxide, zinc oxide and
Yellow: Yellow is obtained from burnt arcenic powder mixed with
Red: Red is obtained from red oxide of mercury mixed with cactus
fruit and gum solution.
the absorption at the end of the process.
•
The colours used are permanent and will not fade even after many decades
Green: Green is obtained fromburnt jungle pacche powder with gum
solution.
because as it is a rare combination of vegetable dioxide colours and natural
•
preservations.
Blue: Blue is obtained from potassium ferrocinide and iron oxide with
Arabic gum.
•
Orange: Orange is obtained from lead red oxide (sindoor) with gum.
•
Black: lamp black is obtained by the smoke lighted oil lamp with gum.
33
Ganjifa
Subjects of Ganjifa
Sets available
The subject to be made on the cards varies according to the Chad game it
1. Chamundeshwari 320 bunch of leaves
has been made for: chamundehswari game has a large assembly of the south
2. Jaganmohan 360 bunch of leaves
Indian pantheon of gods and goddesses. A particularly intricate ganjifa in
3. Mahisha Mardhana 216 bunch of leaves
this chada is that of veerabhadra, shivas creation.
4. Naveena (Modern) Dashavatara 240 bunch of leaves
The navin dasavatara chad has the 10 avatars of lord Vishnu, also there other
5. Naveena Rama 36 bunch of leaves
cards in which there are flywhisks and bow arrows made. The theme of the
6. Navagraha 216 bunch of leaves
navagraha chad is the nine planets, as per the Indian world view.
7. Sadyujata 72 bunch of leaves
The panch pandavas chad has the pandava heroes of the epic Mahabharata;
8. Sri Krishnaraja 72 bunch of leaves
the 10 incarnations of Devi form the imagery of the Devi dasavatari chad-10
9. Panchapandava 216 bunch of leaves
suits of 18 cards each. The sapta matrikas, brahmi, vaishnavi, maheshwari,
10. Devi Dashavatara 180 bunch of leaves
indrani, kaumari, varahi, chamundi as well as veena vadini, mahalakshmi
11. Dikpala 160 bunch of leaves
and mahakali or dashanane are the manifestations of Devi.
12. Manohara 160 bunch of leaves
13. Sarva Mangala 160 bunch of leaves
The credit for making Ganjifa card game in its various forms should go to
14. Navaratna 160 bunch of leaves
Sri Krishnaraja Wadiyar - III more popularly known as Mummadi Krish-
15. Ramayana 96 bunch of leaves
naraja Wadiyar, the then Maharaja of Mysore. He created Ganjifa cards by
16. Dashavatara 120 bunch of leaves
using shlokas and also the images of Hindu Gods and Goddesses in various
17. Sarvasamrajya 636 bunch of leaves
colours
18. Astaishwarya 320 bunch of leaves.
Prachina Nidhi
34
Mysore University
Jayalakshmi Wodeyar Palace
Tucked away in a corner of Mysore is the Jayalakshmi Wodeyar palace . This palace is situated in the heart of the Mysore University. The palace was turned in to a
museum around 1965.
The original palace was built from 1901 to 1905,by the 3rd Wodeyar king for his sister Jayalakshmi Wodeyar . As any palace should be, the layout is grand, with
white marble and heavy rose wood carving covering most of the walls. This palace is meant to please the feminine eye. The first thing one notices about the structure is the intricate carved wooden doors and wood based marble pillars. Later, to our utter astonishment we realized that the large amount of light was coming
through the high domed ceiling. All these features point towards the fact that the palace was built with a indo- Greek influence .
This museum houses some of the most coveted historical artifacts of our nation. Among which are the personal artifacts of Mahatma Gandhi like letters and a
sandalwood soap ,a copy of the Indian constitution from 1950 were among a few .
But our reason to be at this museum was to see the rare and treasured Ganjifa cards. They were so well preserved that they were kept under lock and key and in a
treasury. The cards were taken out only when occasion called for it and were not kept for public viewing.
After much persuasion we were given a rare glance at these cards .
35
Mysore University
Detailed Description of the cards
Prachina Nidhi
The cards in this collection were over 200 years old and kept in a special wood-
These symbols were usually seen on the top right corner of the cards or top
en box made to the exact measurements of the cards. There were about 150
center.
cards most of which were 4” in diameter and a few of 3” diameter . All the cards
The cards had many figures depicted in each. To start with, a common feature
in the box were circular in shape and made of layered paper.
in all the cards were that the borders were of 4 tiers :
Once all the cards were placed in front of us, it was noticed that all the cards
•
a thin gold line
had a particular shape at the top. Considering that they were essentially play-
•
a thick gold line ing cards, the symbols were associated to modern day symbols of spades, clubs,
•
a dotted gold line
diamonds and hearts.
•
a very thing gold line.
These ancient cards had :
Being gambling/playing cards they have the usual value cards 1-9, followed
•
circle
by the higher cards like king and queen , prince ,judge and the highest god/
•
triangle
goddess card.
•
semicircle
While all the figures dominated the center of the card and the symbol at the
•
rectangle
top, the god/goddess cards had the figures sitting in the symbol itself to sig-
•
white flower
nify the importance of the card .
•
beetle leaf
Among these 150 cards, 1 complete sub-set was found: the triangle set (with
•
sun
red inside the symbol and a gold border )
•
sword
.
•
deflated semicircle
•
the occasional white crescent moon, flag and trishul.( It is assumed
36
Totally each sub-set had 15 cards. All value cards were of a teal colored background, the 5 high values were of black background, and the god/goddess
card were of brown or red background
The teal colored cards : an object like chariot ,axe, sword, flags, dragons, fishes , scorpions, centaurs, cow ,goat or bull was repeated the required number of times to depict value , for example 2 fishes meant 2 value, and 6 axes
meant 6 value.
The black background cards had, a prince , a seated man with a balance held
in his right hand ,a couple holding musical instruments , a queen and finally
a king. These cards had more gold in their figures as compared to the previous value cards.
And lastly the god/goddess card had a highly ornamented gold border and
ornaments and cloths had a gold sheen to it .the faces of the gods were peaceful and serene. The gods were about 3” in height with in the card .
After inspecting the cards, we acquired a greater understanding of how the
traditional Ganjifa cards were played and made.
Hand drawn representations of ancient motifs as seen on Ganjifa value cards in Mysore
University
37
Mysore University
Karnataka Janapada Chitrakala by Dr. NC Patel
Chapter- Ganjifa
Page no. 152 to 172
Transalated by Ambika Mohan Kunte
Prachina Nidhi
The Ganjifa cards and their wide spread history shows that they were similar
In the western countries there are records of the usage of ganjifa cards for
to the modern day playing cards. Their story goes back to almost 1500 years .
about 60 years after which in 1190 they were spotted in China , where they
Around 100 years ago these cards were seen all over the nation and sadly it is
were used for entertainment.Soon enough, the ancient Tong community of
close to impossible to find a traditional old-school set .
provincial china started using ganjifa cards as a form of money .
Traditionally these cards have traditional and intricate work done on the face
Sometime around the 14th century these cards emerged in Italy . About 22
.they were normally 1’’ -2’’ in radius. These miniature paintings were first
cards were recorded and elements like earth fire ,wind,etc, were seen on these
done in circular shapes and then slightly modernized to rectangle and oval
cards. This is where the idea of using the cards to spread moral values first
shapes .according to German researcher Rodolf, he found records of over
arose . The Italians would write moral phrases and scripture verses behind
7000 varieties of Ganjifa cards.
the cards. They were also used to study science and astrology.
Knowing that their Persian translation is ‘treasure’, they were used as coins.
In 1558 AD, they were used as currency in what is today known as Canada.
This gives reason to the original circular shape. These cards originated in
And in 1765 ,ThePenzion University used them as passes and invitations .Af-
North India under the Persian influence of the Mughal rulers. And soon
ter the French revolution these cards were used as ration cards in America.
enough their fame and spread to the surrounding neighboring European
And once printing presses came in to existence these cards were made in plas-
provinces.
tic after which they were made on canvas or fabric.
38
Artist Profiles
Suma Krishnan
Chandrika Ramanarasaiah
39
Raghupathi Bhatta
Chandrika Ramanarasaiah
Prachina Nidhi
Chandrika is one of the popular artist’s with a vision of keeping art alive for-
Even though she has talented hands to do so many things, she doesn’t practice
ever in our modern outgrowing lives. Being the daughter of one of the most
them commercially as she doesn’t want to lose touch of her specialization. When
popular “M.S. Rama”, who has been a living legend for the people who have
the adept and accomplished artist was asked if she would have been similarly in-
practiced art, started commercializing herself as a professional artist at the age
terested and enthusiastic about art if her father was not an artist; She smiled and
of 17.
replied “I don’t think it would have made a difference; I always had a thing for art
Her father late Shri M.S Rama has taught many national award winner artist
in me”.
and popular artists in today’s time including Mr. Raghupati Bhatta, a living
She is associated to many emporiums and art gallery; so, Art is her main source
legend regarding ganjifa paintings. Mr. M.S Rama has learnt his art skills from
of income and marketing or keeping her name alive has never been a problem for
an artist from the palace ‘Mr. Kesharvaiya’.
her as she already had a name rising popular day by day. “I am very thankful to the
Mrschandrika is specialized in “mysore painting” and ‘Ganjifa card painting’
lord for giving me all success”, says Chandrika.
other than that she does various other art and craft work also like;
Chandrika has her unique style and strokes of painting very distinguishable from
•
Other classis paintings
other artists. She does put her new designs but mainly sticks to the traditional
•
Historical portraits
form of painting. But, she believes in individuality and immense creativity, hence
•
Figure portraits
people who get ganjifa cards customized get a piece of her.
•
Clay model painting
•
Coffee been craft
40
She practices the small (coin) ganjifa cards of 1” diameter. This is very difficult
to find in market. She loves collecting ganjifa cards and is the proud owner
of a 200 year old ganjifa card. She has never faced any health hazards during
the time of practicing but has faced problems with people having professional
jealousy.
Her daily life has a very interesting schedule. She gets up early in the morning
to meditate and enjoys the strokes of her brushes for 3-4 hours, gets busy in her
daily routine and house hold activities and again is down with her work. She
practices 8 hours or more a day. Even with all these hecticness, she loves her
life the way it is. She believes the kind of workmanship she produces through
Picture taken during an interactive session with Chandrika R. at her home.
her cards is only 40% of the kind of amazing work the original cards from the
palace has.
knowledge regarding painting and art. Her work has been showcased in show-
Ms. Chandrika was exposed to Mysore art from a very early age. Her father be-
rooms of Colombo and many parts of North India, mainly in the Delhi Cottage
came her guru as well her inspiration. He has been an inspiration to not only her
Emporium.
but other artists also, both local and international.
We had the opportunity to meet and interview Ms. Chandrika P at her own
Ms Chandrika started her art business at the early age of 16. She has completed
house in Mysore. Chandrika P is a well-known artist who specializes in My-
a 5 year art course from Bangalore’s well-known art college, Chitrakalaparishad,
sore paintings and Ganjifa cards. She is the daughter of highly acclaimed Mr.
to gain basic
M.S. Rama who had learnt the same art from an artist from the palace itself,
41
Artist Profiles
Suma Krishnan
Suma krishna says, “This business and our craft are an inheritance from our
grandparents.” Suma has been making into Mysore art and Ganjifa since she
was 23. Her husband, Ravi, is a retired school teacher who learned about Mysore paintngs from his wife. Together they manage the work today that continues to be a true “family business,”. “Our goal before was to build a house
and we accomplished that with our work. Now our goal is to save enough
money to build another floor in our house to serve as a coaching for people
who want to learn the art.”
Besides their regular production, they also undertake customized orders, for
which they are often asked to produce traditional and intricate designs.
Prachina Nidhi
42
The Hobby Place
The Hobby Place is Mysore is one of a kind Creative Studio, offering a variety
of classes and short courses, dedicated to bringing back the ancient art forms
of Mysore,Karnataka.
They provide demos and personal interviews from well established artisans
with old methods and techniques .
Receiving a demo from Mrs.Pallavi at the hobby place has been instrumental
in our understanding and documentation of the Ganjifa Art form.
A hand drawn floor plan of The Hobby
Place situated at Vivekananda Nagar.
43
Artist Profiles
The Making of the Cards
1.
2.
The design of “bala-krishna” was
Precautionary measures have to be
sketched out in a paper first after the ra-
taken while painting the background that is
dius of the ganjifa is decided. I’n this case
near to the face of the design, because face
it was 3 inches. So the circle and border
and ornaments are supposed to be light color
was prepared first followed by the design
whereas the background of ganjifa is a dark
of “bala-krishna”. The background of the
color. If not careful with the strokes of the
circle was painted first with black natu-
brush, the chances of the darker color smudg-
ral colour.
ing with the light color becomes more obvious and is an unfortunate sight.
3. After the background Is completed with
4.
the coating of a darker color the ornaments
another brush is used to strike off the blue to
and the skin is colored. For the effects in the
notify the color of the ‘asana’ on which bala-
ornaments, more of orange and less of yellow
krishna is sitting.
is used. This also helps to make a clear difference of the skin and the ornaments in the
figure.
Prachina Nidhi
44
After painting the ornaments and skin
5. After painting the ‘asana’ with the com-
6.After completing the hair carefully, a
bination red and blue natural color, the hair
slight hint of red is taken on the tip of a very
of Lord Krishna is very carefully painted
thin brush to strike the outline of the skin in
making sure that the black color of the back-
a way that it hides the pencil marks as well as
ground and the black color of Lord Krishna’s
helps to form a dark light shade effect.
hair is distinguishable.
7. After the red color outline is done en-
8.
suring the light shadow effect, the outline is
is used for detailing work inside the gnjifa
again properly hi-lighted using an OHP/ per-
painting. Some artisans prefer a very thin
manent marker of a very fine nib.
brush to do the detailing whereas the artisans
OHP/ permanent marker or feltic pen
prefer feltic pen or a thin nib marker as it
makes the detailing quicker and easier.
45
Artist Profiles
9.
10.
After the detailing of the orna-
After the face’s detailing, the
ment, the detailing of the face is done
detailing of the sofa on which bal-
prudently with a very thin brush en-
krishna is resting is done by anoth-
suring that it is not smudged and
er thin brush using white color and
clearly distinguishable
simple strokes. Before oing the motifs on the sofa, it is made sure that
the part of panting where the hand is
resting is dry so that it does not gets
smudged or disturbed by our hands.
11. After the detailing of the sofa,
12.
color enhancing using more of paint
was done to complete the intricate de-
is done for a second coating and a
tailed work.
better finishing. After that detailing
is done in the areas
Prachina Nidhi
46
More detailing with white paint
13. After the design is competed
14.
the border outline is first done us-
inside is painted with a lighter color
ing a black marker and a paint brush
background in contrast to the darker
cautiously and is let to dry for some-
background. By this time the artist
time.
being very interactive with our team
After the border is dry the
present there let one of our team
member to play her stroke on the
painting.
15.
After filling the outer circle,
16. After the painting is complet-
detailing in the border is done either
ed it let to dry for some time, so that
using a pen or a very thin brush. The
we don’t get paint on the brush while
motifs used are mainly traditional
finishing or polishing the painting.
motifs. With the completion of bor-
After drying the painting is polished
der the painting finally comes to an
with a brush with a varnish. Sh e cut
end.
the gajifa card o the border in a circle
shape. After this, this was told that
the back of the card is painted and
47
Artist Profiles
Raghupathi Bhatta
In one hidden corner of this city, tucked away in a quiet locality near the famous Cha-
Shri Raghupathi Bhatta makes all his colours by hand and they are rich in natural
mundi Hills of Mysore is the home of Shri Raghupathi Bhatta or Ganjifa Rahupathi
minerals and vegetable dyes. He grinds and mixes these natural colours by hand him-
Bhatta as he is popularly known.
self. He also uses his own fine brushes including squirrel hair brushes suitable to the
A very humble and simple man, a large chunk of whose life as an artist was spent
Ganjifa painting technique. Shri Raghupathi Bhatta successfully re- created a large
reviving Mysooru Ganjifa in an attempt to popularize it in our present times.
number of Ganjifa paintings and cards.
ShriRaghupathiBhatta is originally from Udupi District in Karnataka and had a keen
interest in painting and ancient Indian art from a very early age. His interest in traditional paintings of the region that led to his active interest in the restoration and revival of Ganjifa Miniature paintings He also had an early induction into the Mysooru
Ganjifa miniature style of painting during his studies at the Karnataka Chitrakala
Parishat.
However it was not until many years later in the early 1980’s ( 1981- 82) that he
chanced upon Ganjifa originals from the Mysore Palace. His early fascination with
traditional art combined with the uniqueness of this miniature art form led him to
delve further into the intricacies of the form of painting, its techniques and history.
The originals he chanced upon were about 200 years old and he was attracted to the
beauty of the painting and fascinated with the fact that these cards had stood the test
of time and not lost any of their original beauty. All Mysooru Ganjifa paintings were
made from natural dyes and colours and squirrel hair brushes were used for their
fineness.
Prachina Nidhi
48
About his work
By and large most of Raghupati Bhatta’s works comprise of mythological content. It’s almost like mythology translated on little cards, speaking the visual
language that is so very peculiar with Bhatta. He has composed miniature
card paintings drawing inspiration from the Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, Vedas,
Upanishads, Basavanna’s Vachanas, and so on.
Raghupati Bhatta works on little cards, sometimes as small as two inches or
even one. That he can paint hundreds of figures within this tiny canvas, speaks
volumes about the ability of the man. Another uncharacteristic feature of Raghupati Bhatta’s passion is that he prepares his own colours, brushes, gums,
varnishes, and related accessories. His works, which are truly one of a kind,
got the global attention they deserved when they were on display as part of an
exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. They continue to be a
part of the museum’s permanent collection. Besides, Raghupati Bhatta’s works
were exhibited in Japan, Tunisia, USA, and the Netherlands as well.
ShriRaghupathiBhatta one of the pioneers of Mysooru Ganjifa.
Raghupati Bhatta working on a Ganjifa card in his
studio in Mysore.
49
Artist Profiles
Prachina Nidhi
50
India’s rich cultural heritage is well depicted through the wooden handicraft items sold abundantly all over India and the world. These beautiful handicrafts are made using various types of wood such as, sandalwood, rosewood, shivani wood, kadamb wood, dudhi wood etc. There
are production centres in Karnataka, Rajasthan and other places. The
carvings of elephant, ambawari, peacock and other cultural symbols on
these woods make them unique pieces which are used for decoration of
homes and as gifts to friends and relatives.
51
Types of wood
Sandalwood
Sandalwood is known as Santalum. The Ancient Sanskrit word for the wood is Chandana and it is best suited
for ornamental treatment. It also has religious sentiments in the Indian culture. Sandalwood objects are
mainly engraved, inlaid and veneered and made into a variety of beautiful artifacts.This wood has good oil
content. Sandalwood and the its extracted oil has made its routes to different parts of the world for its great
medicinal properties.
The objects made of sandalwood are the famous for the intricate carvings and the sweet fragrance that is
native to only this particular wood. Availability of sandalwood is in abundance in the forests of Mysore. This
has made this region the most flourishing for sandalwood trade. Besides Mysore;Tirupati, Madurai and Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu,Jaipur, Delhi and Varanasi are the other centres for this trade.
Artisans in the state of Karnataka arespecialised in the art of sandalwood carving. Their speciality used to
be deities carved out of sandalwood, but now they mostly work with boxes. The Srigandha variety of sandalwood is used for this purpose. They have a distinctive aroma that sets them apart from other woods. Large
boxes covered with mythological scenes are an important product of Mysore, Kumta and Sagar. In south
Kanara, life-sized wood carving of Buddha figures is carried out.
Inlay carpentry wood
Prachina Nidhi
52
Samples of uncut, unprocessed sandalwood as
seen in Mandi Mohalla
53
Wood Carving
The instruments employed by the sandalwood carvers are extremely simple: a saw, plane,
mallet hone or fine-grained hard stone, an assortment of various shapes and sizes of
chisels and a few engraving tools, some extremely minute and delicate. The operation is
started, by either drawing the pattern intended to be produced on the smooth and white
washed sandalwood or on a piece of paper pasted over its surface. The wood is then engraved or outlined in every detail; the interspaces between the lines are then cut away,
thus leaving the pattern in low relief. Lastly, the design itself is carved out in excruciating detail keeping the intricacies and subtle light and shade effects, every desired curve,
expression and texture wellrepresented.
Wood carving tools
Kadve Chheran Reke Chheran
Star Punch
1. Far left: A set of real time carving stencils used by
wood carvers in Karakushalanagar
2. Top: Hand drawn sketches of tools used in the art of
wood carving.
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Mekh
Carver working on swing set
The most popular articles made in sandalwood are figurines, elephants, cubical boxes, photo frames, paper knives, key chains, book marks, screens and
chess sets.
Sandalwood is a controlled wood and it is the Government (Respective State
Governments under Ministry of Forests) that has the appellate authority to
cut, sell or issue this wood. This tradition of control has been followedsince
the era of the Sultans (which dates back to 1800A.D.), who during their regime termed Sandalwood as ‘royal’ so as to maintain its preciousness. This
wood is considered sacred by different societies. Artists, who attain their skills
by the generations, use the wood so issued by the Government to make figurines or artworks.
A wood carvers working with
a chisel and a mekh while constructing a pre-ordered swing set
in Mandi Mohalla.
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Wood Carving
Shivani Teak Wood
This wood is used as a substitute for sandalwood. As sandalwood is hard to obtain due to various Government regulations, artifacts are made in Shivani Wood instead.
This wood does not possess any fragrance like sandalwood nor does it have any medicinal value, but the color of the wood is similar to that of sandalwood thus making
it a perfect substitute.
Rosewood
Rose wood is available in abundance in the forests of Karnataka in South India. Mysore town has become a center for rosewood carving since the medieval period.
Since rose wood has a brilliant tan colour, often images of Hindu pantheon are carved in this wood. Large figures of Krishna, Ram, Vishnu, Shiva andGanesha as per
Hindu iconography and religious texts are made for prominent display in large residences, palaces, hotels and religious centers. Animal figures such as elephants and
peacocksare created using various shades of wood, incorporating furniture design to create unique and beautiful sofa sets, dining sets, chest of drawers, screens etc.
Rosewood is a characteristically dark and highly grained wood. The grains run differently in different logs of wood when cut. Rosewood ranges in color from rich red to
dark brown. The wood is heavy and fibrous. This wood is priced historically as they have a close, dense grain that makes them extremely strong and durable.
Inlay work and woodcarvingusing rosewood is quite famous in Mysore and has been done since the time of the Maharajas of Mysore. The Mysore Palace has some work
of inlay and carving on its doors.
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Kadambwood
but as the wood became rarer, the craftsmen switched to the locally available small pieces of Dudhi wood, which is soft and easy
to carve.
Kadamb Wood is well known for its strength and long life, there-
“Haldu and Dudhi are used for special polychromatic effects. Du-
fore it is generally used for making architectural items. There are
dhi is a fine-grained soft white wood. This wood can be chiseled
various techniques used for decorating the objects made of Kad-
with ease and is used for making plaques, picture-frames etc.” –
amb wood.
Wood handicraft: A study of its origin and development in Saharanpur By OmacandaHanda, Dr Madhu Jain
The most common is the carving in relief. The floral creeper and
fauna decoration is often found in these wood carvings. Beauti-
This wood is obtained from AlstoniaScholaris, commonly known
ful Ganesh, Buddha, elephants in different shapes, chess sets and
as Blackboard tree, Indian Devil tree, Ditabark, Milkwood pine,
other decorative figurines are intricately carved in this wood.
white cheesewood and Pulai.AlstoniaScholaris is native to the In-
Dudhi Wood
dian subcontinent, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australasia. This tree
Most of the wood carved products the artisans in Mysore make
is abundantly available and has multiple uses. It is used to make
are out of dudhi wood or milk wood. These objects were earlier
wooden products and is also valuable for the medical depart-
made from Sagwan wood (Teak), wood be
ment. Each part of the tree is known to have ayurvedic properties.
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Wood Carving
Mandimohalla
On the 7th day we visited a small town in Mysore called
Mandimohalla. This small town was known for its exemplary
wood carving work in Mysore.
On interacting with a well established woodcarver we got a
peak in to their life, and what we found out truly fascinated us.
Artist Abdul Ansari
Abdul Ansari is a well known carver who has been in this art
form since 1952. Generations of his family have been residing
in Mysore from the early 1940’s.
From a single man shop he now employees 8 workers to help
him.
Although he has been raised in the artform he hopes to spare
his 3 sons the hardships of this life. He sends them to school in
the hopes of turning them to doctors or engineers .
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He specializes in making small decorative objects out of rose wood and teak
Being a small family owed business he takes a personal interest in the lives of
wood. And on the side to earn a little extra he also make sandal wood perfume
his employees . He personally sees to it that they are well taken care of finan-
and oil.
cially .Also that they get bonuses if there happens to be a wedding or an event
Being a government licensed artisan he used to subsidize his sandal wood from
in the family.
the government. But once it got banned under the Karnatakan act on the 1960s
When asked about the financial stability of his art , he said that he and his family
and the restrictions became even harder to work around from 2001, he has
get by just fine and that they have no major problems in this area.
had to source rose wood and teak wood on his own from local suppliers. This
He sells his work at a minimum of 450 per piece. The highest he has ever got for
caused a large dent in his profit margin .
his work is two lakhs for a 3 foot ornamental carved elephant.
When asked if the government takes any special interest in their work , he said
When his customers come to him directly to claim their pieces , he insists on
that every now and then a few people visit them and ask questions about their
them naming the final price .
problem , but they never hear back from them .
Abdul Ansari travels all over the nation and also sometimes abroad to promote
Today along with paying for his own raw material , he has to give a portion of
his art . He pays for these trips out of his own pocket.
his profits to the Cauvery Emporium in Mysore and also 30 % to the guide that
brings him his customers .
.
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Wood Carving
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Karakushalanagara
This is a cluster region located on the outskirts of Mysore ,Karnataka. This cluster region has not just artists but their families as
well.simply put the residents of Karakushalanagara live , eat and breath the ancient arts.
The layout of this community resembles a intricate weave, roads turning in and out ,schools ,temples , shrines, shops and bus
stands tucked against each other. The most beautiful part of this region is not just the preserving of art , but also that inter religious communities, who seem to live in absolute harmony without the prejudices of the outside world .
Each turning will lead you to a home where either wood carving or inlay working, is practiced through generations. Although
some members of the household have professional degrees ,they always come back to help in the family practice.
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Wood Carving
Artist Profiles
Nazirbhai Kifa aged 37, residing in Mysore for 20 years and he’s trained
in wood carving for 15 years ever since he
came here looking for work. He is very dedicated to his work though earlier this was the
only means to help feed his family but now
he finds peace by doing this. His family lives
on the outskirts of Bangalore. He wants his
Thyagarajan aged 53, is established in the woodcarving business since for
only son to go for better education and not
the past 30 years. Some of his unique prod-
have to struggle as he did.
ucts include intricate door knobs as well as
candle holders. Besides these, he also makes
decorative idols, animals and small intricate
Khalim aged 45 and Sayed Ehraam
birds.
his son along with his cousins and family
are woodcarvers who earn their sustenance
through intricate woodwork. They have
a talent and love for making and selling
pieces that symbolize Mysore heritage. They
also do customized works. Together they
manage to earn so that they have a quite
comfortable life.
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The Process of wood carving
The artists have to own all sets of carving tools which include various kinds of chisels, gouges, mallet, coping saw, carving knife and sharpening equipments such as stones and a
strop which is necessary for maintaining edges. They also have a pen/pencil or a printout of the design that is supposed to be carved out.
1. At first the artist creates a drawing/printout of the required
2. Then the paper is aremoved and the outline is darkened. Af-
design and places it on the dried wood piece. The tracing of the
ter this the carver takes a shallow curved chisel and creates a light
design is done using a marking pencil
grove over the markings to get the boarders sorted out.
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Wood Carving
3. This grove is then worked deeper into the wood. The depth
4.To get perfect curves and to improve accuracy the wood piece
of the grove is determined by the force at which the chisel is
is moved around . Normally the artists anchor the wood by plac-
hammered in .
ing their foot over it ,clamping smaller wood pieces would damage the wood.
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5. The carver then uses a flat headed chisel to work out larger
6. Here is where the details are added to the design. Depending
chunks of the wood. This saves time .
on the sort of edge required different chisels are used.
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Wood Carving
7. The more intricate and delicate curves and carving are done
8. Final product is shown here.
using cold chisel.
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Handicrafts in Fashion
When one is asked to associate ancient playing cards and fashion together, they reach a rather questionable road. Why mix both in the first place? How would the cards used in
palaces by kings when they take their tea break ever be used as a fashion accessory?
As a part of our learning experience in Mysore, we were asked to develop our own fashion related product using the art forms that we were there to learn about. This was our own
special way of contributing to the preservation of these treasured art forms. We do this by adding modern day values to these olden methods, by combining current day trends to
the carved wooden piece or the painted playing card.
From talking to the artisans in this city, we learned that many of them would prefer their children to go to school and earn a degree in other fields rather than to have them work
in the family business. The use of machines in big industries and lack of time to appreciate fine art by people puts these artisans into a tough position to fend for themselves and for
their families.
By conducting these study trips to clusters help not only us, but also the artists. Not only do we get to learn about our past and get inspired but these artists are sensitized to the
modern day demands of other fields too; they are opened up to new possibilities and creations. This further encourages them to continue working in the art field thus preserving
the art.
From a men’s bow tie painted in the traditional Mysore style to playing cards laid into the dial of a watch, the possibilities are endless for us artists and designers.
When these products are sent out into the fashion market, customers are intrigued by their uniqueness and amazing workmanship. This further spreads interest to other customers
around the world, making it available and known to everyone.
By allowing this flow of ideas between two separate fields of work, it helps in creating a unique line of creations. The scope of traditional art forms in the fashion industry is tremendous. Designers are always looking for new inspirations; they fight to be different while the artists on the other hand are desperate to see a sudden growth in this field. They want to
be inspired too.
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Handicrafts in Fashion
Glossary
1. Arrowroot : nutritious starch
1. Kadamb : a kind of wood
2. Ashokaroad : place in Bangalore
2. Kandu : brown color
3. Bevel : edged chisels
3. Kappu : black colour
4. Bhagavad Gita : religious books of hindus
4. Kaumari : manifestation of hindu goddess
5. Bibi : lady or queen
5. Kautukanidhi : the treasure of wonders; a chapter in Sritavanidhi on Ganjifa art
6. Bishnupur: place in west Bengal
6. Lakat : something of little value, generally a dancing girl
7. Carving knife : tool used to cut and smoothen the wood
7. Madurai : place in Tamil Nadu
8. Chadd / Chad : God’s play
8. Mamulk : Indian ruling family between 1300-1400
9. Chandana: Sanskrit word for sandalwood
9. Mandya : a district in Banagalore
10.Chamundi: manifestation of hindu goddess
10.Maheshwari : manifestation of hindu goddess
11.Chisel : tool with straight cutting edge
11.Mahakali : manifestation of hindu goddess
12.Coping saw : small saw
12.Mahalakshmi : manifestation of hindu goddess
13.Darbar: royal court
13.Maida : a kind of dough
14.Dasavatara: the ten incarnations of Mahavishnu
14.Mandimuhala : a small town in mysore
15.Didam : I have seen
15.MummadiKrishnarajWodeyar : ruling member of Mysore
16.Dudhi : a kind of soft white wood
16.Nadiddidam: not seeing
17.Firmer : chisel with blades
17.Nadidam : I have not seen
18.Ganj : Persian word meaning treasure or minted money
18.Navagraha : nine incarnations of Mahavishnu
19.Ganjifa : popular card game in ancient India
19.Panch : five in number
20.Gouge : tool with curved edge
21.Indrani : manifestation of hindu goddess
22.Jagannathtemple : place of worship located in Puri , Orissa
23.Jaganmohanpalace : museum in Mysore
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1. Paring: a longer chisel
1. V-tool : tool used for partying
2. Ramayana : religious books of hindus
2. Vaishnavi : manifestation of hindu goddess
3. Sagwan : teak wood
3. Vedas: the entire body of hindu sacred writings
4. Santalum : sandalwood
4. Veiner: a specialized deep gouge with a U-shaped cutting edge
5. Sarbas : soldier
5. Veenavadini : manifestation of hindu goddess
6. Savanthvadi : place located in Maharashtra
6. Veerabhadra : the hindu lord shiva’s creation
7. Sehta : three, aces, kings etc
7. VidhyarnyapuramGokulam : place in Bangalore
8. Shah or pisha: king
8. Vishnu :hindu God
9. She va just: three and a pair ; a ‘full’
10.Shirvakhursh : lion and sun or ace
11.Shivani: a kind of wood
12.Shlokas : verse line developed from the vedicanushtubh
13.Sindoor : cosmetic powder worn by married women in India
14.Sritatvanidhi : an encyclopedia attributed to KrishnarajWodeyar III
15.Srigandha : variety of sandalwood
16.Tirupati : place in Tamil Nadu
17.Tong: community of provincial China
18.Trishul : a traditional trident from India
19.Tup : bluff
20.Tupzadan: fire off a gun
21.Upanishads : philosophical development beyond Vedas
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Glossary
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We would first like to thank The National Institute of Fashion Technology for giving us the opportunity to work with the cluster program in Karnataka. The institute’s initiative to sensitize us to the art and culture of Mysore, Karnataka has proven to be not just informative on an academic level
but also has opened us up to many possibilities that our art forms hold in fashion industry.
We would also like to give a special thanks to the Handicrafts association of Karnataka and to The Cauvery emporium for their help and guidance
here in Bangalore and Mysore . Without them we would not have been able to conduct such an in-depth research on our art forms.
Also , we would like to thank The Mysore institute for granting us an exclusive and private viewing of their centuries old Ganjifa card collection .
Their contribution helped us fill a lot of blanks in the understanding and decoding of the cards.
We would like to express our gratitude to Mrs. Chandrika and Mrs.Pallavi for their time and patience in interacting with us . Also we would like
to thank the Hobby Place ,Mysore for conducting a private demo on Ganjifa cards just for our benefit .
We would also like to extend our gratitude to the wood carvers on Mandi Mohala and Karakushalanagara for their enthusiasm in helping is understand their lives and livelihood. They opened their homes and hearts to us and treated us like family . Without their help our products would not
have seen the light of day.
And finally ,we would also like to thank Professor Kavita Saluja, our mentor, for her unlimited patience and guidance in seeing us through the project from start to finish . She helped us organize ourselves , our activities and our documentation. Her attention has helped improve the quality of
our work.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
BOOK
Karnataka Janapada Chitrakala by Dr. NC Patel
Chapter- Ganjifa
Page no. 152 to 172
WEBSITES
Aishwarya Suresh. (October 12, 2011) Mysore Ganjifa: Reviving a Forgotten Art Form
- See more at: http://www.thebetterindia.com/4191/mysore-ganjifa/#sthash.5Tto58Sx.dpuf
Aparna Datta. (July 2, 1999) Published in Spectrum/Deccan Herald, Bangalore,
http://www.crucible-online.net/kaleidoscope/The%20Art%20of%20Ganjifa.htm
Geetha Rao. Mysore Chada Ganjifa- A Forgotten Royal Card Game
http://www.craftrevival.org/CraftArtDetails.asp?CountryCode=India&CraftCode=003659
Ruchita. (7 June 2012) Undiscovered Indian Treasures,
Ganjifa Cards: Ancient India’s Favorite Game
http://undiscoveredindiantreasures.blogspot.in/2012/06/ganjifa-cards-ancient-indias-favorite.html
http://www.cohands.in/handmadepages/pdf/367.pdf
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