‘Srinivasa Kalyanam’ paintings a big draw at SJM
Salar Jung Museum opens exclusive enclosure
Tirupati,Jan13,The Hindu

In a rare gesture of cultural interface between the TTD and the Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad, a range of paintings drawn on the theme ‘Srinivasa Kalyanam’ are kept on display in a separate gallery at the museum. The exclusive enclosure put up at the museum synchronising with the onset of ‘Dhanurmasam’ has become a big draw, if the impressive response it has evoked from the visitors to the museum is any indication.

Important sequences

With barely four days to go for the end of ‘Dhanurmasam’ the month prescribed by the scriptures for spiritual activities, the show also would come to a grand finale. The oil-paintings and sketches deftly drawn by a TTD artist B. Anand have depicted all the important sequences of Srinivasa Kalyanam, the celestial wedding of Lord Srinivasa with the Goddess Padmavati.

Some of the sequences from the epic on display for instance are the conflict in the mind of the sage Narada as to who among the trinity should receive the fruit of ‘yagna’, The haughty sage Brighu kicking on Maha Vishnu’s sacred chest, the dwelling place Mahalakshmi, an insulted Lakshmi seething with rage over the Muni’s sacrilege quitting ‘Vaikuntham’ in a huff, a distraught Vishnu coming to ‘bhoo loka’ in search of Lakshmi, setting his holy foot on the ‘Seven Hills’ and so on culminating eventually in the sacred wedlock of the divine couple.

Rare sketches

Mr. Anand, who works in the TTD’s Sri Venkateswara Museum, Tirumala has sharp eyes and an instinct even for minute details. Besides the pictures on Srinivasa Kalyanam, there are also two other rare sketches one depicting the main deity of Lord Venkateswara as it is with all his precious ornaments right from tip to toe and the other highlighting the various ‘Vastrams’ adorned on the deity. Mr. Anand says the paintings were originally drawn for the 1982 Godavari Pushkaralu where the TTD put up a makeshift Tirumala temple with a mirror-image prototype idol of the Lord Venkateswara besides an exhibition and a special stall. It added to the spiritual ambience at the fete.