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Temple cloth

Temple Cloth
19th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

A large painted cotton (kalamkari) cloth designed for hanging in Hindu temples during religious festivals. This cloth, according to its Tamil inscriptions as translated by Dr Mangalam Mathrubutham, depicts the Subrahmanya temple at Tirupparankunram, Madurai. This is denoted by the temple gate-tower (gopura) in the lower register, flanked by a temple car (ratha), awaiting decoration in the next annual temple festival. These cloths are both decorative and instructional, recounting great events from the epic literature of Hinduism for the benefit of the devotees who would have an opportunity to enjoy and study them whilst waiting for their turn to see the icon of the god (‘take darshana’) in the temple sanctuary.

This example has a central assembly of five presiding deities: Devayani Amman, Subrahmanayasvami, Valli Amman, Durgai Amman and Vigheshvara. The
composition is organised into four registers in which selected scenes from the exploits of Subramanyana, otherwise known as Skanda (Sanskrit) or Murgan (Tamil), the god of war. Glosses written in Tamil accompany each scene identifying the episode depicted. For example, a battle scene centre-right depicts Arumurugan battling Simhamukhasura, a powerful demon. Other battle scenes occupy further panels. Murugan is seen on his peacock vahana upper-left, and so on. The border design has a recurring design of animals – peacocks and deer – and Hindu holymen (rishis), some meditating, some in discourse and others performing yogic austerities in a variety of remarkable (and often acrobatic) postures.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleTemple cloth (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Painted cotton
Brief description
Kalamkari temple cloth of hand-painted cotton depicting Sri Subrahmanyasvami Temple, Tirupparankunram, made in the Madurai area, Tamil Nadu, 19th century
Physical description
Brahmanical temple cloth of coarse cotton fabric painted, chiefly in red and black, with representations of various Hindu deities, depicting scenes of the life of subrahmanya, mythological battle scenes and a view of the Thiruparankundram Hills in Madurai. Rectangular cotton textile painted with figures in red and black dyes.
Dimensions
  • Top edge width: 2755mm
  • Bottom edge width: 2762mm
  • Proper right length: 1912mm
  • Proper left length: 1915mm
  • Weighed on roller weight: 17kg
Marks and inscriptions
(Inscriptions are in Tamil)
Credit line
Purchased from Alfred Flemming
Object history
These 8 panels of Indian cotton were originally the property of General Sir Arthur Ellis (King Edward’s Equerry) to whom they were presented by a Maharajah. Sir Arthur Ellis sold them about 1878 to the carpet dealer Vincent J Robinson, who lent them in 1880 to the South Kensington Museum, where they were exhibited in the Indian Section until 1896. [Letter from A Fleming to V&A, 415M-24 Jan 1911, A Fleming Nominal File] They were then offered by Alexander Fleming to the V&A in 1911 and purchased for £5 a piece or £40 in total. [RP 1911-517M, A Fleming Nominal File]

Purchased from Alfred Fleming (Dealer), 53 Castle Road, Southsea, Portsmouth. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Museum records (Asia Department registers and/or Central Inventory) as part of a 2023 provenance research project.

RP 1911- 415M
Subject depicted
Summary
A large painted cotton (kalamkari) cloth designed for hanging in Hindu temples during religious festivals. This cloth, according to its Tamil inscriptions as translated by Dr Mangalam Mathrubutham, depicts the Subrahmanya temple at Tirupparankunram, Madurai. This is denoted by the temple gate-tower (gopura) in the lower register, flanked by a temple car (ratha), awaiting decoration in the next annual temple festival. These cloths are both decorative and instructional, recounting great events from the epic literature of Hinduism for the benefit of the devotees who would have an opportunity to enjoy and study them whilst waiting for their turn to see the icon of the god (‘take darshana’) in the temple sanctuary.

This example has a central assembly of five presiding deities: Devayani Amman, Subrahmanayasvami, Valli Amman, Durgai Amman and Vigheshvara. The
composition is organised into four registers in which selected scenes from the exploits of Subramanyana, otherwise known as Skanda (Sanskrit) or Murgan (Tamil), the god of war. Glosses written in Tamil accompany each scene identifying the episode depicted. For example, a battle scene centre-right depicts Arumurugan battling Simhamukhasura, a powerful demon. Other battle scenes occupy further panels. Murugan is seen on his peacock vahana upper-left, and so on. The border design has a recurring design of animals – peacocks and deer – and Hindu holymen (rishis), some meditating, some in discourse and others performing yogic austerities in a variety of remarkable (and often acrobatic) postures.
Bibliographic references
  • L'escultura en el temples indis : l'art de la devoció : exposició organitzada per la Fundació "La Caixa" i el Victoria & Albert Museum, Londres. [Barcelona: Obra social, Fundació "la Caixa", c2007 Number: 9788476649466 p.231, Cat.186
  • Kalamkari Temple Hangings Ahmedabad: Mapin Publishing, 2015
Collection
Accession number
IM.29-1911

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Record createdJanuary 5, 2007
Record URL
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