Day 4 of the vacation was also a travel day, but due to long layovers (again!) we were able to get some sightseeing in as well. The decision was to visit the National Museum in New Delhi.
Before I leave Leh on the blog, there are few photos to share. First is the original fort in Leh, called Zorawar Fort. It was here the famed General Zorawar Singh, who was admired as a military genius and a master of mountain warfare, extended Ladakh’s boundaries between 1834 and 1841. He is referred to as the Napoleon of India. We didn’t have time to go into the fort, although we passed it many times on the way to our hotel.
Leaving Leh was bittersweet as such beauty is not found everywhere. I will miss seeing the plethora of stupas, large and small – fancy and simple – new and old, that dot the streets and countryside. Stupas, built for honor and good wishes, are tributes erected by family and friends. Along with the memorials, there were large and small prayer wheels seen everywhere. Faith and everyday life clearly intertwined in Leh.
New Stupas
Old Stupas
not all stupas are shaped the same
a few of the many prayer wheels
After I leave India and Asia, I will miss seeing bamboo supports for construction, but here I saw also strong wood holding up floors while cement dried.
With all the beauty of nature, as well as the stupas and prayer wheels, street art was not really evident in Leh other than these few murals.
Leaving Leh also afforded an interesting first: In this small airport, each airline had their own baggage screening machine…all in the same room, one right after the other! No photos allowed!
After the delay, we flew to New Delhi and visited the National Museum, focusing on the first floor exhibits. We didn’t have much time so a lot of the information I am going to write about was researched here on my balcony in NY! For those visiting this museum in the future, I recommend the 1.5-hour headphone tour (although I have no idea how you sign up for it). In addition, avoid the gift shop! It is tiny, far away, tucked into a corner with nothing interesting.
The first room we saw focused on the Harappan Civilization, also known as Indus or Indus Valley Civilization, which started 5000 years ago. This community gave us their system of writing, town planning and religious beliefs. The Harappan era is divided into three Phases: Early (3500 BC-2600 BC), Mature (2600 BC – 2000 BC), and Late (2000 BC-1200 BC). One interesting fact: Harappan populations developed from village life to big cities; but after the fall of this civilization, life returned to villages. During the Bronze Age, Harappan artefacts feature metals such as copper and bronze along with gems. Knowing there was a major civilization thriving at the same time as Egypt, Mesopotamia and China was eye opening to me: what other aspects of World History are not part of Western education?
Because the Harappans were a major civilization, there was much trade with Mesopotamia and the Middle East, as well as Afghanistan and other countries in that region. Excavation of the Harappan civilization has been limited to areas where some of the major cities were located. One excavated city is estimated to have housed over 5 million people.
Early Harappan pottery was impressive. Imagine – these were made 5,000 years ago (3000-2800 BCE)!
Similarly, the clay figurines had real character and presence.
I fell in love with this polished pillar base from 2000 BC, probably because it is such a beautiful stone.
Less intricate storage jars from the Mature Phase paled in comparison to the earlier pieces. However, during this time female figurines begin to appear in relation to religious rites. Also, copper items start showing up. (Photos below)
Weights and measures, similar to what is still in use today – a timeless design – have been found in archaeological sites.
Here is a depiction of how large and organized one of the Harappan cities was.
While pottery of the Mature Phase is not impressive, this period has wonderful toys, showing us their modes of transportation.
Some jewelry styles never go out of fashion!
This is a burial urn from 1000 BC. My hand in front gives you a sense of how large it was.
This is a bronze elephant. Artisans have expanded their work to use this medium.
The Indus Valley civilization preferred square or oblong seals depicting local objects.
Being an ancient civilization museum, a preserved skeleton is de rigueur. Here is a best-preserved, middle-aged female. She is wearing bangles on her left hand which means she was married. The pots arranged around the head suggest a belief in life after death.
The copper harpoons seen below were found in 1822 and led to the discovery of more piles of copper objects in other sites around India.
Now we move onto the Common Era with Buddhist and Hindu sculptures, and much more intricacy appearing in the artwork. The works in the photos below are from the 1st and 2nd century AD. This room focused on the Satavahana Dynasty (2 BCE-1 ACE) which ruled the Deccan plateau (South and Southwest India). This dynasty added a lot of great Buddhist art to our history. They used stone and terracotta, with the terracotta being made with a double mold technique and using Chinese clay at times. During this reign the human form was created with much improved perspective.
The god of wealth: rub the tummy for money!
The next section we visited focused on the late Middle Ages of India, which span the 11th to 16th centuries. Traditional Indian attire and female goddesses now appear regularly in the artwork, as does the formalized female beauty.
The next room focused on Bronze work from various parts of India. The artwork of the western region was mostly financed by the Jain community and focused on the icons of the Jina. The hoard in the photos below was found in 1951, in present day Gujarat. This iconography traces itself to the 6th and 10th centuries, however the 7th century work has the most sensitively carved work, while later pieces are more elaborate. Unfortunately I didn’t save any of those early period photos. There was some Hindu bronze work during this time as well.
Nepali bronze from 15th cent
While bronze work started fading from Indian culture in the 15th century, Nepal and Tibet kept the art alive.
South Indian bronzes focused on depicting movement.
I end my visit to the museum with the photo below. This sun god sculpture had so many interesting details.
Lunch was a lovely western restaurant where we feasted on hummus, then it was off to the airport. The photos below also show some of the New Delhi Airport artwork.
The flight to Rajkot (in the state of Gujarat) was smooth as was the long, late night drive to the hotel near the Lion reserve. I am posting some photos from the Rajkot airport artwork and the lovely hotel room. Included is the toad who greeted us upon arrival!
