Kunst und Handwerk - meine Erlebnisse in Indien

Collected metallic art from the South - and related art objects.


As a total layman with regard to Indian antiques I arrived in India in May 1965 and lived in Ernakulam (Kerala) for 17 months as a marine scientist. I then got introduced by friends into south Indian traditional culture and was presented with a few beautiful pieces.

A few days ago I came across Krishnamurthy Yenugu´s site and finally understood how precious in the sense of cultural traditions my photographs and pieces are.

Saraswati (copper),

hight 14 cm,
an aspect of Shakti.

Saraswati from behind

 Saraswati from the bottom

 Shiva in the dancing aspect Nataraja, bronze,

height 7 cm, obtained 1986 in Thiruvananthapuram (then Trivandrum).
See Johannes Beltz, 2008: „Shiva Nataraja“,
Museum Rietberg, Zürich.
The book containes a DVD wherein the casting 

and finishing of bronze figures is shown.
Big collections of South Indian bronze sculptures 

are shown in the Governmental Museum in 

Chennai (Madras) and in the National Museum 

of India New Delhi.
See the book by C. Sivaramamurti, 

1963: „South Indian Bronzes“, Lalit Kalā Academi, 

New Delhi.

Deepalakshmi, oil lamp, Kerala

little bird (silver), from my sister Barbara

ceremonial oil lamp (with tea light)

backside 

from underneath

Inscription of the intitials 

of Mr.P.S.Radhakrishnan Nair,

the colleague who presented 

the lamp to me in 1986 when 

I worked in the Marine Biological 

Institute (C.A.S.M.B., in Parangipettai/

Porto Novo) of Anamalai University

(Chidambaram) TamilNadu.

Still many thanks.

oil lamp (bronze) for five wicks,

upper story, diameter 14 cm,

hight 14 cm;

chain (bronze) for oil lamps, length 70 cm.

from underneath, see the bayonet catch

 to connect with broader levels of 

a long set of lamps, forming a pyramid of lamps.

the chain and hook

oil lamp "Diya", bronze, tea light, 

background painting by Judith Horvat.
see also about the collection of Krishnamurthy Yenugu: 

http://ykantiques.com/2012/03/antique-brass-oil-lamps-diya.html

view on the back

rice pot, Kerala (obtained 1965), bronze,

hight ca. 40 cm.

from Orissa 1965, 

purchased in Bhubaneshvar -
weaving technique: "ikat"

bronze bowl, Adivasi-art,

Koraput area, South Orissa,

purchased from Ganesh Bredeka,

an Adivasi man, now in St. Gallen (Switzerland),

see internet.

Diameter of the margin 9 cm, height 7 cm.

 inscription - Oriya-letters -
what does it mean?

the bottom, diameter 8.5 cm

Ceremonial oil lamp, bronze, 

seen in Tripunithura (Kerala), 

 during the Poornathrayeesha Temple-
festival 1965,  

such a lamp was carried in front 
of eleven elephants on a procession,

see internet

two-winged house door, 

seen in a Nambudiri-estate-house, 

Travancore (Kerala), iron-plate.

candleholder, found in Europe,
but perhaps made in India

"Uruli", a cooking bowl
from Kerala,
diameter of the margin 10 cm

in internet is written:

Hello guys, naga worship is found heavily throughout India, especially south India, and one place in particular is Kerala, and another in Kanyakumari(TN). There is a pilgrimage temple in Kerala for the deity called Nagarajan, the temple is called Mandarasalla snake temple, and it is managaged by a priestess or called in Malayalam, "Valia Amma". This priestess is of high caste brahmin family, when her time is up, another "antarjanam" or woman from the same family, takes over. Thousands come to Mandarasalla in despair over their childlessness. There is implicit belief in Nagarajan's power to bestow fertility. The childless couple comes with an uruli and requests the Valia Amma to overturn it before the snake deity. She grants their wish, and the uruli remains overturned, till the couple is blessed with a child, at which point they must return in thanksgiving and the uruli is turned upright again. Also the other high caste Malayalees, keep a small snake shrine called the "sarpa kavu". The legend story of Parasuraman's creating of Kerala, elaborates about snake worship in Kerala, it is also known that he was the one who built the Mandarassala temple, but one question, is snake worship was originally Dravidian type ritual or Aryans type??? Please respond.....thanks.....

some malayalam writing underneath -
please inform us about the transcription and the meaning

Grass matt from Kerala 1965,
total length 180 cm,
- still in perfect condition

author: Aryaman Stefan Wellershaus
D-23966 OLGASHOF(Germany)
Ma.Aryafrau@gmx.de

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