himachal pradesh
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/ HIMACHAL PRADESH
Galerie Indian Heritage21 rue Guénégaud, 75006 ParisEmail: indian.heritage@yahoo.frTel. : 00 33 (0)1 42 77 58 48Website: www.indianheritage.biz
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Galerie Indian Heritage21 rue Guénégaud, 75006 ParisEmail: indian.heritage@yahoo.frTel. : 00 33 (0)1 42 77 58 48Website: www.indianheritage.biz
A mon arrière grand-père et grand-père paternels, guides de haute montagne To my paternal great grandfather and grandfather, mountain guides
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View from the Malauna pass, Himachal Pradesh, India.
Shamanic/ Shivaite ceremony in Chamba.
Himalayan Indiaand around.
Himachal Pradesh, India.
7
Loin des Himalayas, à Cuba terre de syncrétisme où la Santeria d'origine Yoruba a survécu sous le masque de la chrétienté, SaintPierre est Ogùn, puissant guerrier, esprit du métal, dieu forgeron.En Himachal Pradesh, c'est souvent la divinité la plus lisse de la Trinité hindoue, Vishnou "le sauveur", qui enveloppe les croyances archaïques locales: démons de l'hiver, esprits protecteurs, forces de la nature et jeunes villageoises à la beauté sans pareil.Shiva, plus sulfureux, est parfois présent lui aussi, sous forme de trisul (trident), de trois lignes horizontales ou encore de mantra sur le front de certains masques. Son nom est aussi associé au chamanisme. J'ai pu interroger en 2009 à Chamba, dans l'ouest de l'Himachal, un groupe de gens rassemblés autour de trois chamanes en transe. Lorsque je leur demandai quelle était la nature de cette cérémonie, ils me répondirent de concert que ces "chamanes, vénérant Shiva, allaient procéder à une bénédiction" (cf. photo cicontre).Cette dualité cultuelle primitive/classique donne aux masques de la région une aura toute particulière. Derrière une sculpture souvent maîtrisée, que les amateurs d'objets très sauvages qualifie parfois de "style indien", est tapie une présence énigmatique, héritage des cultes les plus anciens et mâtinée d'une âpreté propre aux pays où la nature est tantôt votre pire ennemi et tantôt votre meilleur ami. Ces masques captivent, leur beauté est habitée et leurs intentions sont indéchiffrables.
Far from the Himalayas, in Cuba, land of syncretism, where the Santeria (inherited from the Yoruba tradition) survived behind the mask of Christianity, Saint Peter is Ogun, powerful warrior, spirit of metal work and god of blacksmiths.In Himachal Pradesh, it is often the suave Vishnu "the Saviour", the most consensual divinity of the Hindu Trinity, who envelops archaic local beliefs: winter demons, guardian spirits, forces of Nature and young village womenfolk of unrivalled beauty.The fierier Shiva also steps in at times, in the form of a Trishul (trident), three horizontal lines or a mantra on the forehead of certain masks. His name is also associated to shamanism.In 2009, while travelling in Chamba in the western part of Himachal Pradesh, I had the chance to approach a group of people attending an interesting ritual in which three shamans had fallen into a trance. When I asked several spectators what it was all about, they answered in one voice that “these shamans were worshipping Shiva and that they were going to bless the audience" (see photo on the opposite page).This ritual primitive/classical duality provides a very special aura to Himachali masks.Behind an often skilful sculpture, that collectors of rough primitive artefacts occasionally consider as “Indian style”, lurks a very enigmatic presence, inherited from the most ancient beliefs and combined with a harshness typical of the places in which nature is at times your worst enemy and at times your best friend.These masks are fascinating, their beauty is inhabited and their intentions are inscrutable.
CLAIR /OBSCUR
Yor festival, Badgram village (Lahaul & Spiti)
The Yor festival celebrates the traditional New Year at the end of winter, in March, a fortnight after the Fagli Festival. Dancers disguised as spirits give offerings of a particular yellowish kind of grass called Youra to a local deity represented by a heap of snow. They then perform the ritual Shainee dance around the heap of snow.The purpose of Yor is to bring the villagers happiness and good luck in the approaching new year.
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CHEMIN DE TRAVERSE
Les masques de l'Himachal ne sont aujourd'hui que discrètement représentés dans les collections d'objets himalayens. Ceci tient probablement au fait qu'une grande partie d'entre eux n'est jamais passée par Kathmandu. En effet il n'était pas rare, une quinzaine d'années auparavant, de voir se côtoyer en abondance chez les antiquaires indiens, des objets Naga, des luths Santal et des masques de l'Himachal.Les importateurs de masques népalais n'avaient donc pas forcément accès, de façon significative, aux objets de l'Himachal et ne pouvaient de ce fait les proposer à leurs clients. Les liens historiques entre l'Inde et le RoyaumeUni expliquent que l'on a pu trouver nombre de ces masques à Londres alors que leurs homologues népalais y étaient quasi absents.Aujourd'hui la grande majorité des pièces les plus importantes se trouve en Occident.
Cet ouvrage présente des clichés insitu réalisés lors des festivals de Yor (Lahaul) et de Fagli (Kullu), tous deux célébrant la fin de l'hiver et les divinités tutélaires locales.Si d'autres rituels faisant intervenir des masques sont connus (Halda (Lahaul)...), comme au Népal, le contexte montagnard escarpé rend quasi impossible le tracé d'une cartographie précise et exhaustive des lieux de culte.
Himachali masks are, at present, discreetly represented in collections of Himalayan objects. This is probably due to the fact that most of them never transited by Kathmandu.It was not uncommon, some fifteen years ago, to have Naga artefacts and Santal sarangis rubbing shoulders with Himachali masks on the walls of antiques galleries in India.Importers of Nepalese masks therefore did not necessarily have significant access to Himachali artefacts and thus could not offer them for sale to their customers.The historical relationship between India and the United Kingdom explains why Himachali masks could easily be found in London compared to their Nepalese counterparts that were almost nonexistent in that part of the world.Today, the vast majority of the most important pieces can be found in the West.This catalogue presents in situ shots taken during the Yor (Lahaul) and the Fagli (Kullu) festivals, both celebrating the end of winter and local tutelary deities.Other festivals featuring masked rituals, like Halda (Lahaul), have been identified but, as in Nepal, the steep mountainous terrain renders it almost impossible to draw a precise and exhaustive map of the places of ritual worship.
HM01Diamondshaped mask worn in Lahaul & Spiti during the Yor Festival (see photo page 9)White clay patina on wood.
HM02Scarified wooden mask.The inside cut of this mask is much smoother than the usual faceted one found in most masks from the Kullu Valley or Nepal.
HM03Scarified wooden mask with remains of white clay. The repairs (metallic staples) are similar to the ones that can be found in Nepal.
HM04Triangleshaped "comb mask" with a smooth inside cut, similar to the one of HM03 and HM05.Wood & white clay patina.
Yor Festival (Badgram village, Lahaul).
16
"Shainee" dance, Yor Festival (Badgram village, Lahaul).
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HM05Male mask to be associated with its female counterpart previously in the Lequindre collection and now in the Lanfranchi collection. Their sizes are exactly the same, they have the same fixation holes. This mask has additional holes to tie a beard and moustache whilst the other one has a hole for a nose piercing, red lipstick and what appears to be vermillon on the center parting of its hair. See: Nepal, M.Petit & C.Lequindre, Infolio, 2009, pl.126 or Himalayan Masks, R. Freschi, L.Lanfranchi, Primedia, 2017, p.196.
18
HM06Couple of crocodile masks.Published in Masques de l'Himalaya, F.Pannier, Findakly, 2007, N°43.Wood and white clay.
20
HM07Mask showing both primitive features and a trisul, a Shaivite symbol, on its forehead. A perfect example of syncretism between local ancestral beliefs and the more recently introduced Hinduism.Wood, white clay, sindoor, pitch and remains of hair.Ex Marc Petit Collection.
21
HM08Another example of syncretism between local beliefs and Hinduism (see HM07).Wood, pitch and white clay.
Yor Festival (Badgram village, Lahaul).
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HM09 Rare example of a Himachal mask with short horns shaped like stupas or "barking deer" antlers.Wood & polychrome.
HM12Remarkably naturalisticand deeply carved mask.Wood, pitch & polychrome.
HM11Crowned mask from Lahaul.Wood, black pigments and white clay.
HM10 Similar type of mask from Lahaul as HM11 but carved in a much more primitive way. This mask has been kept in a smoky environment in order to protect it from insects and wood worms. It may come from a much poorer village than HM11.Wood and soot patina.
25
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HM13Black diamondshaped mask from Lahaul & Spiti (a black version of HM01)Wood & soot patina.
HM14Typical horned mask from Lahaul & Spiti, worn by dancers during rituals as illustrated in the above in situ photo.Wood, pigments and metal repairs.
Bhaga Valley, Lahaul & Spiti.
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HM15 (opposite page)A more classical interpretation of HM14.Wood, pigments and metal repairs.
Map of the Indian HimalayasBy F. St. J. Gore(London 1895).
31
HM16Very unusual and large horned mask, adorned with three faces in its hair and a Tilak or Third Eye on its forehead.Wood, pigments, white clay and metal repairs.
HM17Kakamukha (ravenfaced) Mahakala mask(Lahaul & Spiti).Polychrome clay over cloth.(See HM18 for additional details).
36
Kye monastery, Spiti
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HM18Lamaistic mask representing a wrathful deity. Polychrome clay over cloth.Shashur Gompa (Lahaul).
This mask and the previous one are related to a group of masks collected in Lahaul & Spiti by G.C.Emerson in the 1930's and donated to the Pitt Rivers Museum in 1967. Accession number: 1967.25.[128]. Webpage: http://objects.prm.ox.ac.uk/pages/PRMUID10197.html
(Thanks to JeanChristophe and Yvan Kovacs for the above information)
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HM19Small enigmatic mask with a typical crown and smooth inside cut.nWood, soot patina & polychrome.
HM20Small mask related to HM19.Its nine heads (eight on top plus the mask itself) may suggest that it represents Ravana, the villain from the Ramayana.Wood & soot patina.
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HM21Woman's mask, recognisable by its nose ring.Wood, soot patina, poychrome. Metal and cloth repairs.
HM22Demon's mask, recognisable by its hanging tongue.The inside cut and patina are similar to the ones of HM19 and HM20. The diameter of the two holes on top suggests that it was probably adorned with a pair of "barking deer" antlers previously.Wood, soot patina.
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HM23Fagli mask, originally decorated with feathers (see photo above).The most appreciated feathers for the decoration of masks are the ones of the "Himalayan monal", state bird of Himachal Pradesh but their use slowly declined after its hunting was banned in 1982.Wood, white clay and polychrome.
HM24Small mask with a very rare design on its forehead. Generally, vertical stripes are carved to represent hair. In the present case, the lines are horizontal and may represent wrinkles.The vertical rectangular sticks (teeth or stitches?), fitted into the mouth, are also very unusual.Wood & soot patina.
HM25 HM26
HM27 HM28
48
HM29The ghee (clarified butter) patina of this mask underlines the tree ring structure of the wood.Wood, pigments & ghee patina.
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HM30This mask has a rare symmetrical design on both sides of its forehead (see #34 for a variation on the same theme). Wood and polychrome.
HM31Wood, pigments, nails, remains of hair & white clay.Ex Marc Petit Collection.
HM32The nose piercing on this mask suggests that it represents a female character but its general features are quite masculine (square chin...). As there exist many more male than female masks, it can happen that some of the male ones get "transformed" into female masks (e.g. by piercing their nose). Thanks to Christophe Roustan Delatour for this information.
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LES MASQUES DE KULU...........................................................................................Dans la vallée de Kulu (Himalaya), haut dans les montagnes, vit un peuple shivaïte. Pour lui, les dieux n'ont point de corps. Il n'en représente que le visage sous la forme de masques de cuivre ou de bois[...].Et sur la porte des maisons un masque de bois rappelle que cellesci sont la demeure des dieux.............................................................
Extract from: R.Burnier & A.Danielou, L'Inde Traditionnelle, Fayard, 2002, p.80.
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HM33Small protective mask, hung on the house door (see opposite page).Wood and clay.
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HM34This mask was part ofthe major travelling exhibition"Facing the Gods" (SmithsonianInst., 198991), tagged then as Western Nepal, Gurung. We are nowconvinced that it is in fact a Himachali mask.In addition to several stylistic details (teeth, eyes, crown...) the smooth inside cut is identical to the one of #19, 20 and 22.
HM35The forehead of this mask is decorated with three horizontal lines and a "bindu" (dot) indicating that it is related to Shaivism.
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HM36
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HM37A large scarified mask.Ex Gustavo Gili & Rosa Amorros collection.
"Fagli" (from "Phalgun", a month of the Hindu calendar, see above) festival, mainly celebrated in the Kullu district at the end of winter (FebruaryMarch) has different interpretations depending on the village where it takes place and on one's interlocutor.For some villagers, it is a reconstruction of the encounter between the indigenous people and the Rajputs who took control of this region during the 11th century. Another interpretation is that Fagli celebrates the victory of the local tutelary deities over the demons incarnating the painful winters the populations have to face.The last known (to the author) interpretation, which is probably the most recent as well, is the Hindu adaptation of the previous one, in which Vishnu, "the Saviour", wakes up at the end of winter and delivers the village from the evil spirits.
Indan cycle of sixty years(Samuel Davis, Journal of the Asiatic Society, 1799)
Fagli festival, Banjar Valley, Kullu district
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Fagli dancer wearing a traditional costume "chola", a mask and holding a ritual wooden figure.
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HM38Very unique Fagli mask with tubular eyes.Wood, white clay and polychrome.
HM39 HM40
HM41 HM42
HM43Fagli mask with a handle, worn on the face or held in the hand by the dancer.Wood and polychrome.
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HM44
65
HM45
HM46 HM47
HM48 HM49
Fagli celebrationin Kullu district.
HM50Fagli mask with an unusual knot on top.Wood and polychrome.
HM51
70
HM52Fagli mask adorned with large earrings usually worn by women (see opposite page) and, at the same time, with a moustache. Probably a male mask replacing a female one (see HM32 for more details).Wood, metal, thread and polychrome.
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HM53Wooden stick used by Fagli dancers as a phallic substitute.
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HM54
HM55Fagli maskWood, white clay and polychromeEx. Marc Petit collection.
HM56
76
HM57
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Fagli celebration in Kullu district.
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HM58Fagli mask with feathers (see HM23)Wood, white clay, polychrome & feathers.
HM59
80
HM60
81
HM61
HM62
84
Ossip Zadkine (18881967), Bouddha (detail), 1919, gilded wood,.
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HM63
HM64
HM65
88
Kullu lady & her child, late 19th century
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HM66Female mask, previously adorned with a multitude of earrings and nose rings.Wood & soot patina
HM67Female mask, the flat back part on which the feathers were fixed is broken.Wood & white clay.
HM68Female mask, published in Masques de l'Himalaya, F.Pannier, 5 Continents, 2009, n°132.Wood & polychrome.
92
HM69
93
HM70Female mask, published in Masques de l'Himalaya, F.Pannier, 5 Continents, 2009, n°122.Wood & polychrome.
HM71
96
HM72Mohra ("face", "mask"), processional vaishnavite metal mask, fixed on a pole and presented to the crowd on the first day of the Fagli festival.
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Before the procession, the Mohra, are fixed on the pole (under the umbrella, right part of the photo).
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HM73
HM74
100
HM75
101
HM76
HM77
HM78
104
HM79
106
HM80
107
HM81
HM82
HM83
110
HM84
111
HM85
HM86
HM87
114
HM88Fagli monkey mask.The fact that the Fagli festival is related to Vishnu probably explains the fact that some monkey masks can be found in the Kullu valley, Hanuman being the most ardent devotee of Ram, seventh incarnation of Vishnu and hero of the Ramayana.
116
HM89
117
HM90
Thanks to:
Alain Bovis who encouraged me from the start in this project.
my wife, who corrected the English version
my parents for their precious advice in graphic design
my friends (collectors, dealers, scholars, ...), with whom I have the pleasure to spend hours at the gallery chatting about Himalayan masks
my Indian friends who introduced me to these masks and kindly shared their knowledge
PHOTO CREDITS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Frederic Rond
Except (author : pages) :
F. St. J. Gore: 6, 31, 53, 72, 84, 89, 98S.Kumar: 9, 16, 17, 24R.Khavadiya: 60, 61, 68A.Chatterjee: 37Unknown: 29
Frederic Rond
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