Water Carrier; The Mahant of Tarakeshawar

Physical description

Image of a water carrier or 'bhisti' with an elaborately patterned goatskin under his arm and held by a sling over his shoulder. The figure with a well groomed beard wears jewellery, headgear and a patterned dhoti. The water carrier wears amulets on his arms, multiple string necklace and has Shaivite markings on his forehead as well as both arms, which suggest he may be a priest rather than a low caste Hindu or Muslim worker.

Place of Origin

Calcutta, India (Painted)

Date

circa 1840 (Painted)

Artist/maker

unknown (production)

Materials and Techniques

Watercolour and silver on paper

Marks and inscriptions

'Bheestie' or Water Carrier. Considerable allowance must be made for Poetic or Painter's license in this representation. The Bheesti in reality is anything but a swell, and the beard and ornaments exist only in the vivid imagination of the painter. Moreover, the implement for carrying water is simply made of a sheepskin and in fact when full looks very much like a sheep blown out. The only garment worn by the gentleman in question (as represented on the other side) is of a dirty white colour and certainly has no spangles on it.'

Dimensions

Height: 16 in, Width: 11 in

Object history note

The Tarakeshwar murder case of 1873 was a public scandal in Calcutta based on an affair between Elokeshi the young attractive wife of Nabinchandra Banerji and by the mahanta or chief priest of the Shiva temple at Tarakeshwar. Upon discovery of the affair, on 27 May 1873 her jealous husband Nabinchandra Banerji cut Elokeshi's throat with a fish knife ('bothi'). In the trial that followed Nabin was sentenced to life imprisonment and the Mahanta was fined and imprisoned for 3 years. Different variations of this affair favouring the various characters occur in several Bengali plays and Kalighat images between 1875-80. See Archer p12. However, it is doubtful that the Mahanta's punishment also included the task of that of a bhisti. The bhistis were generally Muslim men.

Historical significance: Calcutta was recognised as the Capital of British India from 1833-1912.By the 1830s, artists had arrived from rural villages in Bengal and began to produce paintings that reflected local history, mythology, customs and conflicts of a colonised society. As a popular art form, these artists are recognised for their use of brilliant colour, simplified images and swift brushstrokes that became the hallmark of Kalighat painting in the 19th and early 20th century.

Historical context note

This image raises questions concerning dating. Archer suggests a date of 1830 whilst Jain dates this painting to the 1870's as he argues it relates to the Tarakeshwar murder affair which started in 1873 and depicts the Mahanta or priest rather than a water-carrier.

Descriptive line

Kalighat painting of 'The Mahant of Tarakeshawar' or a Bhishti 'Water Carrier'. Calcutta 19th century.

Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)

Archer, WG (1971) 'Kalighat Painting', London, HMSO. Jain, J (1999) 'Kalighat Painting: Images from a Changing World', Ahmedabad, Mapin, p159, fig 145. Knizkova, Hana, The Drawings of the Kalighat Style Secular Theme, Published by the National Museum Prague 1975 Skelton, Robert and Mark Francis eds., Arts of Bengal, text by Robert Skelton, John Lowry, Andrew Topsfield, Veronica Murphy and Susan Stronge, Lodon: Whitechapel Art Gallery 1979, no.106, p.51 ISBN 0 85488 047 X
A water-carrier (bhisti)
Kalight/ c.1840
Water-colour with silver details

The water-carrier or 'bheesty' (=Persian 'bihishti', 'from Paradise') was formerly a common figure in northern India. An early owner has added the following note on the reverse:
'. . . Considerable allowance must be made for Poetic or Painter's license in this representation. The Bheesti in reality is anything but a swell, and the beard and ornaments exist only in the vivid imagination of the painter. . . The only garment worn by the gentleman in question . . . is of a dirty white colour and certainly has no spangles on it.'

Published: W.G. Archer [1971] pl.6, p.47.

Exhibition History

Nehru Gallery rotation (01/03/2005-31/03/2005)
Arts of Bengal (Whitechapel Art Gallery 30/12/1979-30/09/2011)

Labels and date

This painting has often been described as an everyday scene of a water-carrier. However, recent studies suggest that it is a scene from the famous Tarakeshwar affair of 1873, the entire narrative of which is illustrated in a series of paintings. The affair, between the Mahant or head priest and the wife of a local printing press owner ended in tragedy when she was killed by her husband. The murderer was jailed for life and the Mahant was sentenced to prison. Here the Mahant is shown carrying out one of his duties during his imprisonment.

Materials

Paper; Watercolour

Techniques

Painted

Subjects depicted

Goatskin

Categories

Paintings

Collection code

IND