The Chess Olympiad, which is now in full swing in Chennai, has sparked the imagination of people who are coming up with dance items, music bytes and pictures based on the game. Amidst all this there was mention of a temple in Tamil Nadu, whose presiding deity played chess with his wife. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mention of the Sri Chaturanga Vallabhnath Temple in Kumbakonam in his speech while inaugurating the Olympiad took it to a different level. Soon a beautiful work of art depicting a celestial couple attached to a board started doing the rounds on social media, linking it to the temple. While the association is not entirely wrong, the context is slightly different and has an interesting background.
First, about the painting. It is a work by renowned artist Maniam, who brought the characters to life through his paintings with serials in Tamil magazines. More specifically, his name and picture are inseparably linked to the novels of ‘Kalki’ Krishnamurthy. His pencil steps in with Kalki’s pen in immortalizing Vandiyathevan, Nandini, Sivakami, Ayana Sirpi and others. Annual special editions of Tamil magazines were never complete without Maniyam’s illustrations, themes often drawn from the Puranas and epics.
The painting now under discussion was published by Weekly Kalki about 60 years ago. The inspiration was a sculpture the artist saw at Ellora. His passion for art took Maniam to many parts of the country and his exquisite work in stone made an impact on him.
The artist’s son Maniam Selvan, who is also famous in the region, says, “It was a painting that the father made for Kalki’s Diwali special edition. It is based on a poem ‘Ganga Lahiri’ by the poet Jagannath Pandit.
Great artist Maniam. , photo credit: Maniyam Selvam
Story
In Gujarat, it is believed that Shiva and Parvati played a checkered game of dice the night before Diwali. The story goes that the goddess is on a winning spree and the lord loses everything he loses, bets, jewels, weapons, etc. He gets ready to offer himself and a mysterious smile plays on Devi’s lips. Watching the proceedings, an enraged Ganga breaks out of Shiva’s locks and stakes herself. Needless to say, it is game over as the couple are satisfied with the little play they have made.
Maniyam Selvan adds, “I was about 12 years old. Returning from his tour, the father prepared the scene for his drawing. He placed me in the form of Shiva. Having lost everything – notice the clipping of the moon is on the goddess’s hair – an unmoved Shiva points a finger at her matted hair, where Ganga is sheltered. My aunt posed as Parvati, and a child who used to come to our house was seated as a bootgun, which you can see with a worried expression, lamp in hand. After all his boss is giving up but doesn’t seem worried. The father photographed the scene and the painting was done and the cover of Kalki Deepavali Malar, 1965 was decorated. The title was ‘Chokanathan Aadiya Chokkatan’, Chokkatan is the Tamil name for the game and Chokkan is Shiva. I had enjoyed the distraction oblivious to the importance of practice.
“Much later, as I matured as an artist and began to understand the intricacies of my father’s work, this painting impressed me. The game of dice is set in a temple mandapam. The board doesn’t have the usual idols – Shiva plays with Nandi and it’s a lion for Parvati. The board is drawn from a vertex angle, while the sculpture on the pillar behind Shiva offers a look, and at a short distance, one can give the ceiling and the dark interior the depth of the painting, an illusion created by the artist with his brush. Stroke. It was not an easy feat in those days.
“The lighting effect is so delicate, the Shivaganas are dressed in a manner analogous to the oil lamp. ‘What now’, it seems, the goddess asks and the expressions on Shiva’s face are priceless. A subtle look on the face of the goddess’s attendant running the fan Proud. On the contrary, the chamaram (fly-whisk) Shivagan is immaculate. So many expressions packed into that one frame.”
Maniam Selvan paused. His admiration for his father’s talent doesn’t let him forget the invisible experts behind the production. “When multiple colors are involved, as in this painting, the work becomes a hard trick for the printer, as even a small slip can spoil the effect. Thanks to this painting reached millions of readers in 1965 and after so many decades it has touched a chord.”
The author is a Chennai based journalist.