Reading the Sculpture at Tālā

in Image Gallery
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Ajeya Vajpayee and Anzaar Nabi

Ajeya is pursuing her PhD from the Department of History, University of Delhi. Her research interests lie in the art historical traditions of India.

Anzaar Nabi has been involved in the photography industry for 18 years and active in video documentation for the past 2 years.

Tālā is a historical site in the Bilaspur distirct of Chhattisgarh. It is well-known for a distinct sculpture standing beside the Devarani temple. The sculpture is a pot-bellied figure standing equipoised on a broken platform. The body parts of the sculpture are made out of various animals, birds and reptiles, which lend it a unique character. A lot has been written about the Tala sculpture and its possible meaning, however, the exercise has only propelled multiple reading of the sculpture. Its rationale and, relationship with the site and the temples- Devarani and Jethani are two questions often raised. This image gallery provides a detailed reading of the Tālā sculpture. It does not attempt to identify the sculpture or associate it to a particular religious sect.

 

This content has been created as part of a project commissioned by the Directorate of Culture and Archaeology, Government of Chhattisgarh, to document the cultural and natural heritage of the state of Chhattisgarh.