<p>Recently, I visited Mysuru with my family. My passion for Ravi Varma’s paintings led me straight to Jagan Mohan Palace. Among the many unparalleled paintings of the Raja, quietly stands the masterpiece Jatayu Vadha, which depicts Ravana slashing off a wing of Jatayu, who tries to prevent the abduction of Sita. The depth of emotion in the painting grips the viewer’s heart, who feels the agony of Sita and Jatayu and the arrogance of Ravana.</p>.<p>I have been fortunate to travel to many countries around the globe, on business and later as a tourist. Comparable to the beauty of the above painting is the one in the Vatican, The Last Judgement by Michelangelo, where God, gloriously in the centre, sends human souls to heaven or hell. Closer to home, the Ajanta paintings in Aurangabad, which tell the story of The Buddha, are extraordinarily charming.</p>.<p>Very close to Ajanta, there is a group of incredible rock-cut caves, sculptures, and places of worship, collectively called the Ellora Caves, which have been created over a period of hundreds of years by different sects: Buddhists, Jains, and Hindus. The pinnacle of these monuments is the Kailasa temple. It is not a normal temple that is “built” from bottom to top but carved top-down out of a large rock—an awesome colossus. Further closer to home is the 1,000-year-old architectural wonder of the Brihadeeswara temple in Thanjavur.</p>.<p>A bit more on architecture: when you visit the city of the seven hills, this time Istanbul in Turkey, the magnificence of Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque, which stand atop the first hill, is stunning. Far away from this place, you have another world wonder, the Florence Cathedral in Italy, where the entry corridor is sky-high, carrying us mentally to the lofty heavens. It also has the incredible octagonal dome with another mind-boggling painting of the Last Judgement on the inside.</p>.<p>Literature like the Mahabharata, Ramayana, and similar works in all countries has enriched human civilisation over centuries. In music again, the inspiration and devotion of poet-composers like Saint Thyagaraja and Syama Sastry have resulted in hundreds of Carnatic compositions, moving a million hearts. </p>.<p>What is the force that brought out such great genius in very different fields in very different places? It is easy to deduce that the deep faith in the mind of each of the creators has resulted in these superhuman outputs in painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, poetry, or music. Whether the creators belonged to Buddhist, Jain, Islamic, Hindu, or Christian faiths, they have given expression to their deepest devotion through their field of art. </p>.<p>I should confess that I am not a seriously religious person. Also, the suffering and injustice meted out to common people by religious conflicts are well documented and known. However, the immortal contribution of religions to elevate the human mind and spirit, from the beginning of civilisation, should not be ignored. </p>
<p>Recently, I visited Mysuru with my family. My passion for Ravi Varma’s paintings led me straight to Jagan Mohan Palace. Among the many unparalleled paintings of the Raja, quietly stands the masterpiece Jatayu Vadha, which depicts Ravana slashing off a wing of Jatayu, who tries to prevent the abduction of Sita. The depth of emotion in the painting grips the viewer’s heart, who feels the agony of Sita and Jatayu and the arrogance of Ravana.</p>.<p>I have been fortunate to travel to many countries around the globe, on business and later as a tourist. Comparable to the beauty of the above painting is the one in the Vatican, The Last Judgement by Michelangelo, where God, gloriously in the centre, sends human souls to heaven or hell. Closer to home, the Ajanta paintings in Aurangabad, which tell the story of The Buddha, are extraordinarily charming.</p>.<p>Very close to Ajanta, there is a group of incredible rock-cut caves, sculptures, and places of worship, collectively called the Ellora Caves, which have been created over a period of hundreds of years by different sects: Buddhists, Jains, and Hindus. The pinnacle of these monuments is the Kailasa temple. It is not a normal temple that is “built” from bottom to top but carved top-down out of a large rock—an awesome colossus. Further closer to home is the 1,000-year-old architectural wonder of the Brihadeeswara temple in Thanjavur.</p>.<p>A bit more on architecture: when you visit the city of the seven hills, this time Istanbul in Turkey, the magnificence of Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque, which stand atop the first hill, is stunning. Far away from this place, you have another world wonder, the Florence Cathedral in Italy, where the entry corridor is sky-high, carrying us mentally to the lofty heavens. It also has the incredible octagonal dome with another mind-boggling painting of the Last Judgement on the inside.</p>.<p>Literature like the Mahabharata, Ramayana, and similar works in all countries has enriched human civilisation over centuries. In music again, the inspiration and devotion of poet-composers like Saint Thyagaraja and Syama Sastry have resulted in hundreds of Carnatic compositions, moving a million hearts. </p>.<p>What is the force that brought out such great genius in very different fields in very different places? It is easy to deduce that the deep faith in the mind of each of the creators has resulted in these superhuman outputs in painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, poetry, or music. Whether the creators belonged to Buddhist, Jain, Islamic, Hindu, or Christian faiths, they have given expression to their deepest devotion through their field of art. </p>.<p>I should confess that I am not a seriously religious person. Also, the suffering and injustice meted out to common people by religious conflicts are well documented and known. However, the immortal contribution of religions to elevate the human mind and spirit, from the beginning of civilisation, should not be ignored. </p>
