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Les Antiques de Nepal

‘Samvat 107 sri paramadeva pka maharajesu jayavarmma'.

Shyam Sunder Rajbanshi of the Epigraphy division (Department of Archaeology) read the inscription at the base of the life-sized statue with a good deal of excitement. After painstaking effort and much debate between experts, the literal translation was finally deciphered as, ‘ The year 107. Among the Kings, the Fourth, Late Sri Jayavarmma.'

Thus a chapter in the ancient history of Nepal was unveiled. The material used in the making of this antique statue- sankhu type sandstone (sandstone without polish), as well as the use of an early script proved that this statue was from the first Lichchavi samvat (Saka Samvat), which meant that it was made in the 2nd century A.D. This statue, discovered in Maligaon in 1994, was the earliest of any found with Lichchavi inscriptions on it.

Today this life sized statue of the famous king stands tall and proud in the room displaying stone sculptures at the National Museum in Chauni. The Museum is a treasure trove of numerous other antiques that collectors would give their eyeteeth for. Connoisseurs of such ancient objects d'art should also know that the Kathmandu Valley itself is a museum of sorts, and that antiques can be seen in many old houses, courtyards, temples and monasteries.

Of course, if the connoisseur wishes to possess a few of such exquisite curios then there are quite a few reputable antique shops strewn about Kathmandu, mainly in Thamel, Basantpur and Durbar Marg, besides of course numerous shops in Bhaktapur and Patan.

According to Mr. Binod Khanal of ‘Antique Gallery' in Durbar Marg, ‘Although there are many curio shops with a wide range of interesting items, I think there are probably ten to fifteen genuine antique shops in town.' His father, Mr.Bhola Khanal has been in the business for the last thirty years and they have participated in handicraft exhibitions in Germany (2002) as well as in Italy (2003).Binod once exhibited 65 masks of the Tharu region in an exhibition, ‘ Le comours des manque' (the commerce of masks), in Paris in September 2004.

‘ The exhibition was in front of Versailles Museum,' he reveals, ‘ My partner, Monsieur Christophu Magal, a French antique dealer, organized the event. Masks from Guatemala, Sri Lanka and Mexico were also featured.'

Any particular reason for sending Tharu masks?

‘ Well, yes,' Binod replies, ‘Christophu and I visited Chitwan and Dang once and produced a documentary on Tharus. In the process we also collected Tharu masks and thought it would be appropriate for this exhibition since we can also show the film. Most of the masks are pretty ancient and all are colorful.' Binod also informed that the prices for the masks ranged from Rs.5000 to Rs. 35000 but were made available at lower prices at the exhibition.

Somewhat more expensive is an interesting copper Incense Stand in Curio Arts, Durbar Marg that is almost two feet tall. The cover has a Mahankal deity, while around the broad circular vessel are three dragon mouths that spout smoke when incense is burned. Samek Ratna Shaky, the owner, has priced it at Rs. 2,25,000.00. An intricately sculpted bronze statue of Meghsambar costs around Rs. 2,75,000.00.

As for Thankgkas (religion based paintings), according to K.B. Lama of Dharmapala Thangka Centre in Durbar Marg, one will be lucky to find genuinely antique Thangkas. ‘Nowadays very few old Thangkas come from Tibet,' says Lama. He exports Thangkas to Europe and has held a lot of exhibitions abroad. A 6x4ft. Thangka depicting the Gelungpa Sect Lineage is priced at Rs. 4,00,000.00. A twin set of Thangkas depicting Dharmapala Manadala and Amituyus Buddha based on Japanese style costs Rs. 4,00,000.00.

Birendra Shahi's ‘Thangka House' in Thamel Chowk, has some of the most artistic and beautiful Thangkas and is available in many different themes and sizes. One cannot but sigh in admiration at the artists' artistry when one looks at some of the paintings. Prices range from a low of Rs. 500 to a high of Rs. 60000.00. Each painting is a thing of exquisite beauty and will probably be a joy forever to anyone fortunate enough to own one.

Anil Bajracharya's ‘Fabulous Handicraft Centre' in Thamel literally glitters with numerous gilted bronze statues. Prices range from Rs. 7000.00 for a small intricately designed silver Buddha to Rs. 90000.00 and above for the larger gilt statues. ‘The statues are made by various artists of Patan,' informs Anil. All the idols are beautifully made and one can see that the artists have given great attention to detail. Truly an exhibition of Newari craftsmanship at its best.

Actually, most curio shops in the city are full of interesting stuff and Hari Bista's ‘Shiv and Parvati Handicrafts' in Thamel is specially filled to the brim with intriguing objects. In fact, according to Binod of Antique Gallery and Surya Khadga who has a curio shop in Thamel, Hari Bista is quite an expert on antiques.

‘ I have shifted shop five times already and am thinking of shifting again,' Bista says, ‘ My first shop was in Basantpur. Those days business was good but supplies were scanty. In the last 8-9 years however, there have been plenty of people from all over Nepal who have been selling ancient heirlooms. Obviously must be because of poor economic conditions. But business is so bad now that some days it is an achievement just to make one sale.'

Another old timer, Om Narayan Shrestha of ‘New Curio Shop' in Thamel says he has seen much better days and today his business is a dead loss. He has been in the business for almost three decades and also had his shop in Basantpur in the beginning.

Most shops have curios in wood, metal and fabric. Curios, whether antique or not, encompass a wide variety of objects ranging from musical instruments, masks and boxes to vessels, primitive figures, bells, manuscripts and clothes. Antique locks (‘bhote talchas'), ‘Mana Pathis' (set of 8 measuring vessels of Lichavi period), ‘Dhungro' (milking pails), ‘Shaman sets' (belt with lots of curious hardware worn by Tamang shamans), ‘Lisnus' (narrow wooden ladders of Trishuli), and many other intriguing items can be found in such shops.

The musical instruments available are indigenous ones like ‘narsimha', ‘dama', ‘dholke', ‘jhyali', ‘sehnai', ‘tempu' and ‘kernel' as well as ‘dhyangro', ‘bansuri', ‘tungna', ‘sarangi' etc… There are also lots of curios from Tibet, mostly red wooden chests (presumably brought from monasteries), leather boxes, thankas (paintings), and even old chairs and carpets. One can also find ancient carved doors, various kinds of weapons, old jewelry, and such things in the shops.

In fact, ‘such things' can be so many varied kinds of objects that one would really have to spend a few hours inside Hari Bista's shop to comprehend the variety.

How does one judge the antiquity of an object?

‘ It's almost impossible to know the age of an object,' Hari Bista says, ‘ Previously we used to go by its patina (the sheen on the object or its handle due to years of use), but that too is not a reliable criteria today as it can be manipulated. Anyway, most tourists don't care much about whether something they like is genuinely antique or not.'

Prices of curios vary widely. Musical instruments can cost anywhere from a few hundred to ten thousand rupees. A ‘kangring' (small trumpet made from femur bone of humans), costs Rs. 6000.00 at the Antique Gallery. A set of eight ‘Mana Pathi' measuring vessels can cost from Rs.6000 to Rs. 10000.00.

‘Bhote talchas' (locks) with single lever costs about Rs.2000.00 while double locks cost Rs.3500.00. A ‘kafi techya' (Newari tobacco box) costs Rs. 6000.00 and ‘thekis' (old vessels used in making curd) costs from Rs. 400 to Rs.5000.00 depending upon size. Tibetan chests and boxes are comparatively more expensive and can cost from Rs.10000 to Rs. 1,25,000.00, again depending upon size. Of course, there is no fixed price on curios.

According to Mr. Bista, ‘ People come with goods to sell and if I like something I name a price depending upon current trends. I can't sell with unreasonable margins as there are too many shops around nowadays and competition is stiff. Right now I am purchasing any ‘dhungros' (milking pails) that is on offer. ‘Dhungros' from eastern Nepal (especially Dhankuta) are quite old while those from Kavre are newer.'

Binod Khanal of Antique Gallery has his own views, ‘ It depends on the type of customer. Sometimes I get very good prices.' He has an antique gramophone, the use of which he demonstrated by cranking it up and playing on it an old Tara Devi LP. He has priced it at Rs.60000.00. Pointing to a two feet tall bronze Budha statue he revealed that it had been sold via the Net for Rs. 1,20,000.00, ‘ I haven't even seen the buyer. Business on the Internet could be a good way to increase sales.'

However, he is not so enamoured with metal statues, especially those of deities.Nor is Om Narayan Shrestha of New Curio House, ‘ Most curio shops are reluctant to deal in metal idols. There's too much hassle. One can unnecessarily get into trouble.' Hari Bista agrees, ‘ Yes, why take such risks? I have made wooden curios my specialty'

They are obviously referring to the hue and cry about stolen idols and so are wary of dealing in the same. They are right of course. In earlier years, news about precious idols stolen from temples and elsewhere used to be a regular item in newspapers. Even caretakers, including priests, were said to be involved. It was a fact that such misdeeds occurred under the protection of many high placed officials in government and law enforcement agencies.

The theft of a 5th century, 1.2 meters tall Gilded Head of ‘Dipankar Budha' on February 16th 2002, from its caretaker's house in Nag Bahal of Patan caused an international furore. It was later revealed that a German art collector had tried to sell it to the Ethnographic Museum in Vienna for $200,000. Due to its timely identification by scholars of the University of Vienna with help from the Buddhist community of Patan, the ‘Dipankar Budha' was returned in May 2002.

No wonder then, that a 122cm x 49cm bronze ‘Dipankar Budha'(1824 A.D.), of Nardevi, has been sent to the National Museum as a precautionary measure and is taken out only once a year, for a week, during the Gaijatra festival.

It would be worth mentioning here, that, before 1950, many antiques must have traveled abroad due to lack of definite legislation. In fact it was only in 1952 that the Department of Archaeology was established and it was not until 1956 that the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act was passed. The law made it mandatory to acquire permission from the Department of Archaeology before any statue and other artifacts could be taken out of the country and it made it illegal to export artifacts more than a century old.

Besides, idols that had been objects of worship, even if for a day, were no more permitted to be taken out of Nepal since they were now a part of living culture.

However, in the period between 1960 to 1980, the tourism boom in the country resulted in widespread smuggling of antiques. In the 1980's, due to more awareness, as well as efforts by international organizations like UNESCO, this was controlled to a large extent. In fact during this period some priceless antiques were even returned to Nepal.

Noteworthy among these was a statue of ‘Sarsawati' of Pharping and a statue of ‘Uma Mahesvara' that were returned from London and the United States respectively.

Obviously, nowadays most antiques can be found only in the museums. But it must be mentioned that such priceless artifacts are worth seeing because they date back thousands of years and speak of the rich cultural history of Nepal. The National Museum is a treasure trove of antiques having on display, in addition to other treasure, almost a hundred stone and terracota statues dating from the 1st to the 19th century.

The huge, rugged and headless ‘Yaksha' of Handigaun is the earliest stone sculpture discovered in Nepal and dates back to the 1st century A.D. Some other early stone sculptures are ‘Sri Laxmi'and ‘Vishnu' (both 2nd century A.D.), also unearthed in Handigaun.

‘Gajalakshmi' (2nd century A.D.) of Chyesol Tole, Patan, ‘Matrika' (2nd century A.D.) of Haaugal Bahal, Patan, ‘Shiv' (3-4 century A.D.) of Handigaun, ‘Purnakalash' (2nd century A.D.), and of course, ‘King Jayavarmma' (2nd century A.D.) are equally valuable relics in stone.

There are many more sculptures dating back to 2nd and 3rd centuries in places like Bagalmukhi Temple, (Patan), Bhagvati Temple, (Deo Patan), Ganesa Temple, (Kirtipur), Pasupatinath Temple, TunalDevi Temple in Bishalnagar.

All this proves beyond doubt that the history of Nepalese sculpture goes back two thousand years. There has also been a discovery of an early terracota figure of ‘Sri Laxmi' (or Padma Shri), from Tilarkot in the Terai, datable to 1st century B.C.

As far as metalwork is concerned, Nepal has numerous artifacts in bronze and copper dating back to10th century A.D. Most of the statues were made by using the Cira Perdua (Lost Wax) method. The selected object was first modeled in wax, then coated with clay leaving only a small opening. After the clay mold had dried, the wax was melted and poured out. Then the wax was replaced by molten metal. After sufficient cooling, the clay mold was broken to reveal the cast image.

Among the earliest metal antiques in the country are statues of ‘Ganesh', ‘Yaksani', and ‘Narayan' (all from 10th century A.D.). The impressively sculpted bronze statue of Queen Lalit Tripura Sundari is almost life size and is from the 20th century A.D.

Nepal also boasts of a woodcarving culture dating back to 15th century A.D. ‘Naitya Devi' (15th century A.D.) is one of the earliest discovered. As for antique paintings, ‘Krishna Lila', ‘Dasamvidya', ‘Shiv Pariwar' are from the 18th century A.D. while a painting of ‘ Mahisasura Mardini' has been dated to 16th century A.D.

While most of the early antiques were depictions of Hindu Deities, Budhist sculpture only started to appear in the valley from 5th century A.D. Among the earliest are the ‘Budha head' (7th century A.D.), measuring 16cmx11cmx10cm and a 74cmx32cmx8cm ‘Budha', (9th century A.D.). Among early Budhist literature, the ‘Arya Asthasahasrika prajnaparamite', a manuscript written in Nilpatre with golden letters in Tibetan Uchhen script, dates back to the 13th century A.D.

Among antique coins in Nepal, the ‘punch marked coins' (5-6 B.C.), the ‘Kushan coins' (1st century A.D.) and the ‘Lichchavi coins' (5th century AD) are among the most ancient. The first stamps were introduced in Nepal in 1881 AD and ‘One Anna', ‘Two Anna' and ‘Four Anna' stamps are the earliest.

There is no doubt that Nepal is a country with a history rich in art and culture and the presence of so many antiques proves the point. Many people have devoted themselves to the preservation of such priceless antiquities. One example that comes to mind is the late Dwarika Das Shrestha who actively searched for, collected, and saved ancient carved windows which he later incorporated into the world renowned Dwarika's Hotel.

Another name that must be mentioned is that of the late Lain S. Bangdel, noted painter and art historian, whose single-minded devotion resulted in the return of many antiques that were in foreign lands.

Efforts of such people must be all the more appreciated if we are to realize that not many countries can boast of such ancient civilizations. Therefore the preservation of this precious heritage is a matter of utmost importance and everyone should take pride in such a cultural history.

Besides the museums, it would be worthwhile to see for oneself the plethora of intriguing and varied curios in the many shops in the valley. And the variety is diverse all right, as befitting a country with such diversity in culture, language, religion and ethnicity, besides of course, antiquity of civilization. Curios can arouse interest in the curious. Who knows, interest could lead to a fascinating hobby, that of curio collection.

It must be said that this can not only be an interesting pastime but a beneficial one too. Such a hobby could reap rich rewards, if not immediately, then years later. A particular object d'art could well turn out to be a treasure international collectors would, as said before, give their eyeteeth for! Right now, for obvious reasons, prices are low, and exquisite curios can be had for a few hundred rupees. So, for the curious, now is the perfect time to start this intriguing hobby.

All right then, let's go curio hunting.

 

About the Author

THE DARK MERMAID - author

Manager, Editorial & Marketing  – healthy life (ECS Media)

Editor – living Preview and healthy life (ECS Media)

Contributing Writer – ECSNEPAL, living, Friday

Copy Writer / Editor – Power Communications Pvt. Ltd.

 

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