The ruins of Vikramshila university

The ruins of Vikramshila university, an ancient seat of Buddhist learning located in Bihar’s Bhagalpur district, are set to be conserved, like its older contemporary, Nalanda university, so that current and future generations would get to know about the rich tradition of scholarship in the state.

The Archaeological Survey of India’s Patna circle has decided to launch a mega plan for conservation of the university ruins, located near Antichak village in the Kahalgaon sub-division of Bhagalpur district, about 150km from Patna, officials said.

The excavated ruins of Vikramshila university, set up in the 8th century by the Pala dynasty king Dharmapala, are awaiting conservation. “The ASI is serious about conservation of the entire excavated structure of Vikramshila like of Nalanda university,” ASI Patna’s superintending archaeologist Sanjay K Manjul said. He said conservation of the ruins would help to protect it for future generations.

“We have sent the conservation plan to the director general of ASI for approval. After receiving approval, we will launch the conservation plan,” he said.

According to ASI officials here, conservation of 52 shells or reading room-like structures adjoining the main stupa and a major portion of the excavated structure will be taken up.

The ASI’s conservation plan comes in the wake of the Bihar government’s move to develop Vikramshila’s ruins as a tourist destination like Nalanda, situated around 90km from the state capital.

Vikramshila university, set up by the Pala dynasty (750-1174 A.D) king Dharmapala in the late 8th or early 9th century, was intended to complement the existing world-class universities at Nalanda and Takshila.

The Last Harvest : Tagore Exhibitions Abroad

“I know not who paints the pictures on memory’s canvas; but whoever he may be, what he is painting are pictures; by which I mean that he is not there with his brush simply to make a faithful copy of all that is happening. He takes in and leaves out according to his taste. He makes many a big thing small and small thing big. He has no compunction in putting into the background that which was to the fore, or bringing to the front that which was behind. In short he is painting pictures, and not writing history. Thus, over Life’s outward aspect passes the series of events, and within is being painted a set of pictures. The two correspond but are not one. We do not get the leisure to view thoroughly this studio within us. Portions of it now and then catch our eye, but the greater part remains out of sight in the darkness. Why theever-busy painter is painting; when he will have done; for what gallery his pictures are destined—who can tell?” (From My Reminiscences published in 1917)


Tagore wrote the above passage as the opening lines of his autobiography many years before he took to painting. However, the metaphors he chose to write about his life bear a close connection with the international exhibition of his paintings The Last Harvest which has been planned by the Government of India as a part of the poet’s 150th birth anniversary celebrations. Tagore started painting after the age of 60, without ever having shown any inclination to formal painting unlike his other illustrious relatives Abanindranath Tagore or Gaganendranath Tagore. And yet when Rabindranath did start painting it was an outpouring like that of a “volcanic eruption” - the simile that his artist nephew Abanindranath used for this sudden burst of creativity. Rabindranath Tagore’s paintings could not be compared to what was prevalent amongst Indian artists of his time. When shown in India for the first time the paintings evoked perplexity, and were termed incomprehensible even by the modern Indian artists of that time. Tagore was the first Indian artist to exhibit his works in 1930 across Europe, Russia and the United States of America. His paintings and drawings even today remain fresh and thought provoking while they continue to elude any kind of categorization under the narrow boundaries of “isms” that other experiments in modern art have been labelled under.
 

Though Tagore came to drawing and painting towards the end of his life span, in many ways these spontaneous creations could be considered as abstract expressions of his philosophy that may be witnessed in the huge body of his works which span poetry, music, literature, theatre and critical essays. While Tagore’s writings have remained relevant till date with a universal appeal that has spread across continents, he was unequivocal in stating that his understanding and inspiration came from the country and land of his birth, which was India and Bengal of late 19th CE to early 20th CE. Tagore may be considered a “Modernist” as gleaned through his writings and especially witnessed in his non-conformist paintings and drawings. Through his paintings, like in his poems, songs and literature he searched for a unifying theme or universal “truth” that ran as a common thread through all his creations. This may be witnessed in what Tagore wrote about his paintings, “But one thing which is common to all arts is the principle of rhythm which transforms inert materials into living creations. My instinct for it and my training in its use led me to know that lines and colours in art are no carriers of information; they seek their rhythmic incarnation in pictures. Their ultimate purpose is not to illustrate or to copy some outer fact or inner vision, but to evolve a harmonious wholeness which finds its passage through our eyesight into imagination. It neither questions our mind for meaning nor burdens it with unmeaningness, for it is, above all, meaning.” (From Chitralipi 1930)



The Government of India are commemorating the 150th Birth Anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore and have constituted a National Committee under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to plan and take up a number of programmes and projects at the national and international level. To oversee and monitor the programmes the Government has created a National Implementation Committee under the Finance Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee. As a part of these commemorative programmes planned, is the exhibition of Rabindranath Tagore’s paintings slated to be showcased under the title ‘The Last Harvest’ at select museums across the world during 2011-2012. Tagore Exhibitions Abroad have been divided in three Circuits. Circuit -1 of 98 Works would have four Exhibitions at Asian Art Museum, Berlin, Germany from September 1st to October 30th, 2011, Museum Jan van der Togt, Amstelveen, Netherlands from November 18, 2011 to January 15th, 2012, Petit Palais, Paris, France from February 1st 2012 to March 11th, 2012 and National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art Rome, Italy from March 25th, 2012 to May 27th, 2012. Circuit -2 of 61 works would have three Exhibitions. While the dates for Asia Society, New York, USA has been finalized from 15th September 2011 to January 2,2012, The Exhibitions programme at Art institute ,Chicago USA and in Argentina are under discussion. The inauguration of the International Exhibition of Tagore’s Original Paintings at Asia Society, New York would witness one of the most major international exhibitions of Tagore’s original paintings in 80 years. Circuit-3 of 49 works would have two exhibitions at National Museum of Korea, Seoul, Korea from 19th September, 2011 to 27th November 2011 and Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK from10th December, 2011 to 4th March 2011. This high profile series of exhibitions will add to the glory of Rabinranath Tagore.