Catalogue on artist Ratnakara Gudikar for the exhibition "Vernacular in the contemporary" by Devi Art Foundation, curated by Jackfruit Design, Bangalore.
About the artist: (Text by Sushumna Kannan)
Rathnakara Gudikar has been sculpting bhuta murtis since age ten and is joined by his sons today. “Gudikar” in Kannada refers to “s/he who makes gudi or temple”. “Ella daiva ne” or “It is all divine” says Gudikar, when he refers to the bhutas in relation to the more well known gods of Puranic Hindu culture. Bhutas in Dakshina Kannada are not seen as “devils”; they are worshipped as forms of helpful energies. In their temples, called daiyyada mane, they stand next to each other in rows and each has a specific location so that they have to be placed exactly in the same position after a refreshing coat of paint, when they are re-consecrated. Failure to do so will incur their wrath. Often, two different animal murtis that represent opposing or different principles are placed together. One dominates the other in terms of size and strength but the other is always present, like the small ram paired with the larger tiger. Across much of Dakshina Kannada, bhutas can be females, males or animals. Bobbariya, Jataka, Benadakki, Aihole, Nandikeshwara, Masti, Chikka, Mailaadi and Naankaali are some of the common ones. For Rathnakara Gudikar, the art and craft of his sculpture is structured by convention and tradition. Bhutas are made of wood from two varieties of the jackfruit tree and then clothes and jewellery are painted with small, intricate designs. Gudikar innovates when making these designs and they incorporate changing tastes and trends. Usually, the murtis are of the average size, approximately 91 inches by 22 inches; Gudikar, however, makes each new addition to a shrine a little larger than the one before so as to continuously augment the artistic energy in the temple. Otherwise, it is believed to lead to a lack of “elige” or prosperity. The murti is considered to have no life until the drishti or eyes are painted; the Gudikars do this with veneration, as part of the pranapratishthapana or installation ceremony conducted in temples. With increasing prosperity in the region, bhutas are offered today in gold and silver for harakes or vows from people, and each bhuta has a favourite object it likes to receive. Gudikar’s sculpture is the basis for the sanctity of a temple and the worship of the bhutas. His artistry enriches the experience of the worshipper in a myriad ways since it is Gudikar who preserves the rules for making the murtis, adorns them with innovative designs and endows each with a specificity that eventually comes to represent the very way the bhutas are remembered and seen in the act of darshan. The Gudikars have taken up carpentry to financially support themselves but are committed to sculpting bhutas. The growth in religiosity seen in his region, as in other parts of India, along with the growth in income earned from the IT industry among the class of patrons that the Gudikars serve, has meant there is widespread interest in promoting shrine-based worship of bhutas. But new patrons with more money tend to commission metal bhutas in order to represent their higher status through more expensive and prestigious materials. However, Rathnakara Gudikar carries forward historic practices he has inherited and sees no need to question the rules of his craft. Even as new elements are added, like the shiny, commercial paint which covers his bhutas, he sees it as an enhancement of tradition, not a modification or an innovation. The point is to preserve what may otherwise be lost.
Rathnakara Gudikar has been sculpting bhuta murtis since age ten and is joined by his sons today. “Gudikar” in Kannada refers to “s/he who makes gudi or temple”. “Ella daiva ne” or “It is all divine” says Gudikar, when he refers to the bhutas in relation to the more well known gods of Puranic Hindu culture. Bhutas in Dakshina Kannada are not seen as “devils”; they are worshipped as forms of helpful energies. In their temples, called daiyyada mane, they stand next to each other in rows and each has a specific location so that they have to be placed exactly in the same position after a refreshing coat of paint, when they are re-consecrated. Failure to do so will incur their wrath. Often, two different animal murtis that represent opposing or different principles are placed together. One dominates the other in terms of size and strength but the other is always present, like the small ram paired with the larger tiger. Across much of Dakshina Kannada, bhutas can be females, males or animals. Bobbariya, Jataka, Benadakki, Aihole, Nandikeshwara, Masti, Chikka, Mailaadi and Naankaali are some of the common ones. For Rathnakara Gudikar, the art and craft of his sculpture is structured by convention and tradition. Bhutas are made of wood from two varieties of the jackfruit tree and then clothes and jewellery are painted with small, intricate designs. Gudikar innovates when making these designs and they incorporate changing tastes and trends. Usually, the murtis are of the average size, approximately 91 inches by 22 inches; Gudikar, however, makes each new addition to a shrine a little larger than the one before so as to continuously augment the artistic energy in the temple. Otherwise, it is believed to lead to a lack of “elige” or prosperity. The murti is considered to have no life until the drishti or eyes are painted; the Gudikars do this with veneration, as part of the pranapratishthapana or installation ceremony conducted in temples. With increasing prosperity in the region, bhutas are offered today in gold and silver for harakes or vows from people, and each bhuta has a favourite object it likes to receive. Gudikar’s sculpture is the basis for the sanctity of a temple and the worship of the bhutas. His artistry enriches the experience of the worshipper in a myriad ways since it is Gudikar who preserves the rules for making the murtis, adorns them with innovative designs and endows each with a specificity that eventually comes to represent the very way the bhutas are remembered and seen in the act of darshan. The Gudikars have taken up carpentry to financially support themselves but are committed to sculpting bhutas. The growth in religiosity seen in his region, as in other parts of India, along with the growth in income earned from the IT industry among the class of patrons that the Gudikars serve, has meant there is widespread interest in promoting shrine-based worship of bhutas. But new patrons with more money tend to commission metal bhutas in order to represent their higher status through more expensive and prestigious materials. However, Rathnakara Gudikar carries forward historic practices he has inherited and sees no need to question the rules of his craft. Even as new elements are added, like the shiny, commercial paint which covers his bhutas, he sees it as an enhancement of tradition, not a modification or an innovation. The point is to preserve what may otherwise be lost.
Comments