ARTS AND CRAFTS IN NEPAL

BACKGROUND:

The history of Nepal has been influenced by means of its position in the Himalayas and its two neighbors, India and China. As a result of the "arrival of disparate settlers' people from outside migrated through the ages, it’s now a multi-ethnic, multiracial, multicultural, multireligious and multilingual country. The Lichhavis arrived from Northern India and overthrew the Kirantis. One of the crucial legacies of the Lichhavis is the Changu Narayan Temple near Bhaktapur, a UNESCO World Heritage Site which dates back to the 5th Century. The Lichhavis brought artwork and structures to the valley; however, the golden age of creativity arrived in 1200 A.D. with the Mallas. The culture of the people strongly influences Nepali art; the two particularly go together and are interwoven. The two most typical forms of art are paintings and sculptures.

PAINTING

The original examples of Nepalese artwork in painting kinds are manuscript illustrations determined on palm leaves. This subculture goes far again into the ancient ages, and the earliest identified illustrated manuscript is the Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita of 1015 A.D. The entire manuscripts are adorned with portraits of gods and goddesses, whether or not they're Buddhist or Hindu in the foundation.

A different form of painting that is visible in Nepal since the historical instances are Thangka paintings. These have been especially religious in nature and have been used as icons in worship. This artwork is referred to as ‘Paubha of Pauwa’ in Newari and ‘Thangka or Thanka’ in Tibetan and originated in Nepal. An excellent example of a thangka portrayal is the ‘Mandala of Vishnu,’ which dates to 1420 A.D. It is also believed that the thangkas produced were mentioned to possess magical forces, and satisfactory symbols had been integrated into the paintings. The most demanded and liked image by visitors in Nepal are the thangka painting, which has been the most critical aspect of the Nepalese tourism industry. Thangka serves as an important teaching tool depicting the life of the Buddha, various influential lamas and other deities and bodhisattvas.

Today printed productions of the poster size of painted thangka are commonly used for devotional and decorative purposes. Thangkas were developed in the northern Himalayan regions among the Lamas. Besides Lamas and Gurung, Tamang communities are also producing Thangkas, which provide substantial employment opportunities for many people in the hills. Newari Thangkas have been made in Kathmandu valley since the 13th century.

Thangkas have been one of the significant tourist products of Nepal, which are liked and taken as a souvenir by visitors; this is why the thangkas have become famous as one of the primary sources of tourism economic activity. Thangkas have a meditational value also, which helps to bring peace of mind. Today Thangkas are found in many designs and arts as per the growing demand for thangkas around the world; this is why thangkas have occupied space in online sales too. Whereas one, wishing to feel, view and purchase, Thamel is the best place to hang out, where many painting and thangka shops are readily available.

Art tourism is one of the growing tourism activities in Nepal, with the availability of several art museums and galleries where interested can go and visit the place and see the variety of paintings and thangkas. Also, visitors wishing to see the thangka painting live can coordinate with the thangka shopkeepers, and they can arrange a visit to the thangka painting place.

The few famous art and thangka galleries around Kathmandu valley are:

National art gallery: The main attraction here is the old Thangka paintings from the time of the monarchy. Chronicles and manuscripts, along with stone and woodwork.
Siddhartha art gallery: Located in the upmarket shopping complex Baber Mahal Revisited, a series of renovated Rana palace outbuildings dating from 1919.
Park Gallery: Located in Pulchowk, Lalitpur.
Nepal academy of fine arts / museum: Located in Naxal, Kathmandu.

SCULPTURE

Sculpture is the art of constructing objects of extraordinary shapes, sizes & facets in glass, metallic, stone, wood, or clay. Together with the portrait, the sculpture is attached to religious traditions and practices in Nepal. There's a lengthy subculture in Nepal of creating statues or sculptures of different deities from metal or stone. Sculpture has developed with the duration of the nation's history.

A sculpture of Baman Tribikram erected with the aid of Lichhavi king Man Dev is viewed to be the oldest sculpture in Nepal. Sculptures created during the period of Lichhavi period incorporate ones of Palanchowk Bhagawati, Budhanilkantha, etc. The art of sculptures started within the Lichhavi interval and reached a high during the Malla reign. The Malla period is referred to as the golden period in sculpture history. The statues inside Changu Narayan Temple and around it, statues of Palanchowk Bhagawati, the statue of Budhanilkantha, etc., are a few examples of sculptures made throughout the Lichhavi interval of time.

Sculptures and monuments are the primary components of religious tourism in Nepal. Nepal is a Hindu-dominated country with Buddhist influence too. Nepal is rich in sculptures; in Kathmandu mostly, wherever one goes can find various and many historical sculptures. In Nepal, one famous saying is that “the number of sculptures exceeds more than the number of houses.” In Hindu culture, we worship many gods and goddesses like Shiva, Parbati, Vishnu, Ganesh, etc., which are in the sculpture forms. For example, the sleeping Vishnu of Budhanilkantha, the tallest sculpture of Lord shiva in Sanga, the Bhairav sculpture in Kathmandu durbar square, etc.

Yearly, several visitors from India, China, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, followed by other countries, visit Nepal as religious tourists to view and experience the Nepalese variety of sculptures. The places with Hindu and Buddhist sculptures are frequently visited because of their historical values, beliefs and myths. One of the most incredible and beautiful forms of sculpture is “AANKHIJHYAL,” which is only made and available in Nepal. One wishing to see aankhijyal can visit the Bhaktapur Durbar Square area and see the famous “PACCHPANNE JHYALE DURBAR or 55 Windows Palace.”

Nepal is a multicultural, multi-ethnic, multireligious and diverse country with vast sources of sculptures. Those sculptures also represent Nepalese history, culture, and traditions. Nepalese sculptures are preserved to save the Nepalese history, arts and living style and promote and continue religious plus cultural tourism. Religious and cultural tourism has been generating and encouraging the flow of revenue and visitors; this is why sculptures play a significant role in promoting the Nepalese tourism industry.

The Stupa or Chaitya form

Consistent with the Buddha tradition, the structure having a broad base and progressively tempering upwards is referred to as the Stupa or Chaitya type. Emperor Ashoka is believed to have offered this sort of architecture in Nepal. Maya Devi temple of Lumbini is an excellent example. This sort has been in practice in Nepal on the grounds for centuries, and the Swayambhunath and Boudddhanath are first-class examples of the Stupa type. Ashok Stupa of Patan is believed to be the oldest stupa in Nepal. Charumati Chaitya of Chabahil is also constructed in this type.

The Shikhar type

The Shikhar kind is also a typical structure. It looks tall and appears like a pyramid. There are five to 9 perpendicular divisions or sections on the exterior of such architectures. There are Gajurs at the top of every type. They are broader at the curb component and turn narrower on the high. Krishna Mandir of Patan and Mahabouddha are fine examples. Krishna Mandir was built with the aid of the Malla king, Siddhi Narsingh Malla. There are buildings and religious shrines developed in the Gumbaz variety, Mughal form, etc., in Nepal. Janaki Mandir of Janakpur is its illustration. There are some great Gumbaz form architectures, especially within the Terai. The Malla period palace of 55 Windows in Bhaktapur, the Rana interval palace of Singha Durbar, Kesar Mahal, Thapathali Durbar, Sri Mahal, Rani Mahal and so on are additionally some high-quality examples of Nepalese architecture. We can see one of the crucial European-type structures in these palaces.

Pagoda style

The oldest Pagoda temple built in Nepal was the Lord Pashupatinath Temple, built around first century A.D. Other records also have proved that many pagodas-like structures were present in Nepal by the 7th century; however, the pagoda's actual origin is still controversial. There are many stories stating the origin of the pagoda in different countries. According to one of the stories in Nepal, when Chinese commissions led by Wang-Huen visited Kathmandu in the seventh century, the pagoda style did not exist in China, and they were impressed with pagodas in Kathmandu. Later, one of the greatest designers of that time, Araniko, was taken to China to develop and spread pagoda-style architecture. Later, it spread to other Eastern countries. Although the pagoda was introduced to Nepal much earlier, it was primarily developed and flourished during the Malla dynasty.

Pagodas were most commonly built in Kathmandu in keeping with the necessity for better structures. Even though they don’t look like excessive towers in today’s skyline, they have historically been tower-like buildings. Hindus believed that the gods lived up in heaven and that tall temples were needed to provide effortless passage between the heavens and the temples.