Relief Sculptures of Ahom temples: A magnificent sculpture of a mother cuddling her child decorating an outer wall of Vishnu Dol at Joysagar in Sivasagar evokes multiple interpretation

Built during the later part of the seventeenth century CE under the auspices of Ahom king Rudra Simha or Sukhrungpha, the Visnu Dol or Kesavarai Dol at Joysagar in Sivasagar district is among the finest Hindu temples built by the Ahoms . This temple is remarkable for its exquisite relief sculptural representations. The sculptural representations profusely adorn the outer walls of the temple’s Garbhagriha or sanctum. There are relief sculptures on the inner walls as well but not as profusely as on the outer walls. The relief sculptures on the outer walls are seen to be arranged in a manner that is also seen followed in different variations in the temples or Dols built during the later periods by the Ahoms. A major portion of the sculptural representations of the deities and other deified heroic figures, here, in the Joysagar Visnu Dol are framed in elaborate cusped arched niches or Kosthas/ Devakosthas- a style that is a characteristic of several forms of late medieval art and folk art, not only sculpture, but also painting.

In one of the Devakosthas or architectural niches, here, on the outer wall of the temple, we see a very tranquil and composed standing sculpture of a lady holding her child in her arms (see figure/ image). Every curve of her body seems to be tuned by the lyric of Vatsalya Bhava or profound motherly love and compassion. Her head stoops down gently to caress the tender warmth of her child. It seems that every bit of herself has given way to the touch of her inquisitive child who is, in a way, seeming to be indulged in his own little world of articulating and differentiating touches, smells and sounds.

Now, how to interpret this image? As it forms a part of the milieu of the architectural symbolism of a temple dedicated to the Brahminical deity Kesavarai or Vishnu, it can be deciphered either as Yasoda or Devaki holding and cuddling the infant Krishna. To a viewer well acquainted with reading the Brahmanical scriptures and narrative texts, this sculpture will mean no other than one of the mother(s) of lord Krishna. The interpretation of the sculpture as Yasoda or Devaki with Krishna can also be justified because the niche in which it is housed is a part of a continuous horizontal band of similar niches housing representations of Brahmanical deities mainly of the Vaisnava affiliation, epical characters, heroes, kings, demigods and parts of epical narrative scenes.

Though the Joysagar temple is known as a house of worship of lord Vishnu, alongside it also serves as a memorial to its patron- the Ahom king Rudra Simha’s martyred mother, queen Joymoti Kuwori; after whom the large tank near the temple, that is Joysagar is also named. The various events contributing to the building of the temple by Rudra Simha are found mentioned in certain Buranjis (Ahom chronicles) and other local narratives and accounts. Now if we see the sculpture of the lady and child in the context of the architectural sculpture of a temple which is also a memorial to a martyred queen, in context of the knowledge of the personal life of Rudra Simha mentioned in the Buranjis and other narrative texts, it will perhaps come out to be identified as a memory portrait or visualizing of queen Joymoti cuddling the infant Lai Kowar or Rudra Simha as a prince. Also, it may be deciphered as a portrait sculpture of Joymati and child Rudra Simha in the guise of Yasoda/ Devaki and Krishna. The sculpture may be an attempt to give form, some exaltation, ecstasy of the patron, king Rudra Simha in which he viewed his mother no other than the divine Yashoda or Devaki and himself as the child Krishna. It may be thought of to be a result of an urge of the king to deify his mother as well as his own person. Moreover, it may be constructed as a charm or a protective symbol, according to the wishes of the king in order to nullify some omen or calamity that was believed to be bringing some misfortune to him and his kingdom.

The above image of the lady and the child may also be thought of as associated with some local belief related to childbirth and maternal behavior. Fertility, childbirth, motherhood etc. are recurrent themes in the religious art of the Indian subcontinent, mainly in the art related to Tantra and Saktism and their allied cults and belief systems, many of which are folk or village religious systems. The mother and child sculpture can allude to the prevalence of certain folk cults in Assam during that period which glorified the generative and preserving power of the female body. These maternity and fertility cults are still followed and practiced by a large section of people in the villages and small towns of Assam.

If we now, carefully observe the hairstyle and the dress of the lady, we will find that they relate to a particular kind of cultural behavior prevalent amongst women in Assam through ages, a kind of practice in which a mother, while she is with her child, must keep her hair tied in a Khopa or knot; she should not leave her hair loose or unkempt for it will, otherwise attract malevolent spirits locally known as Apadevatas, which may cause trouble to both the mother and the child. The hair knot or Khopa of the lady, in respect of its design may be classified as a Udhaniya Khopa : a hair knot tied near the Gal Dhan or the upper or dorsal part of the neck. The dress of the lady is of the local regional derivation, a characteristic of the female dress of Assam during that time. The skirt may of the type Mekhela or Ghuri. The flowing cloth on her upper body, the ends of which are visible on her either side may be a Uttariya or Chadar or a Riha. The details of the drapery in the sculpture have faded away beyond recognition; only their contours and the directions in which they traverse the body of the woman are somewhat faintly recognizable.

The compassionate, warm stance of the lady and the way she is portrayed interacting with her child is such that we can almost hear and make out the exchange of thoughts going on between them. Though there is no direct depiction of what ambience and time surrounds the two figures, they themselves through their lyrical scheme, muted vocabulary of lines and volumes and delicate gestures suggest a space, an ambience of quietness, of serenity, of timelessness and release surrounding them; a feeling of tenderness that is best explored and contemplated upon in Nisukoni Geets- traditional lullabies that every mother, in every household across Assam sings to comfort her child and put him or her to sleep. Nisukoni Geets evoke not only a feeling of dissolution of time and spatial barriers, they also speak of a somewhat ecstatic immersion, an inexplicable cohesion between the thoughts of a mother and a child, far away or removed from any regulation of so called logic or rationality. The overall compositional arrangement of the mother and child image not only gives the feeling of an ethereal lyric, but it also relates us with a reality of a cultural practice, a physical as well as a psychological experience that forms a part of everyone’s life.

Siddhant Medhi

(The author is Dr. Bhupen Hazarika fellow at the Centre for Assamese Studies, Tezpur University in Assam. Views expressed are the author’s own)

Photo- Siddhant Medhi

References and Bibliography-

Bordoloi, N. Devi, Guwahati : Sahitya Prakash, 1987 . Print

Rajkhowa, B. Assamese Popular Superstitions and Assamese Demonology, Guwahati : Dept. of Folklore Research, Guwahati University, 1973. Print