INTRODUCTION:

Among the various elements in Indian culture, arts are also an important element of culture, art has a great importance in Indian culture. The diversity of art lies in the cultural diversity of India. Along with the development of human culture, various art styles emerged, in which murals hold an important place. Murals are an ancient and powerful medium of human expression, which brings history, culture and emotions alive through the combination of architecture and visual arts.

From ancient times to the modern era, murals have reflected the tastes, beliefs and religion of society. Murals represent the lifestyle and cultural traditions of different levels of society. Murals are not only for decoration, but are a powerful art for keeping history alive and awakening society. For art lovers, it is a work of art, while from a social and cultural point of view, it is an important document. This art helps in understanding cultural traditions to future generations and helps in unifying and evaluating human society.

Murals are painted by women of the Kharak caste. These murals are usually painted in summer, regardless of any social status, because since the Kharak people are mainly involved in agriculture, there is no special work in the fields in summer and weddings are also held during this season. Hence, Kharak women paint murals during this period. Thus, through the present research article, a humble attempt has been made to obtain information about the murals of the Kharak caste living in Bhavnagar district.

OBJECTIVES OF RESEARCH:

The objectives of the present research are as follows...

1) To obtain information about the murals.

2) To obtain information about the murals of the Kharak caste.

3) To understand the cultural and religious significance of the murals of the Kharak caste.

Meaning of Art:

The word art is derived from the Sanskrit root ‘कल’ – to acquire, to attain, to know. In Sanskrit dictionary it is ‘कलपती कलते कल्पेते जनते या रति कला’ which means that which knows, that which can be known. While in Indian tradition the word art means ‘knowledge’ or ‘means of acquiring knowledge’. In English the word used for art is ‘ART’ which also means ‘to cultivate’, ‘to acquire knowledge’, ‘to acquire education’.

Meaning of Murals:

The word "Mural" is made up of two words - "Mural" means wall and "Picture" means drawn or painted scene. Hence, it can be said that a picture drawn on a wall or other surface is "Mural".

Murals are an ancient art form, which is used to convey religious, cultural and social messages. Murals are paintings made on walls or ceilings. In short, the special art of making rice bloom through art and creative painting on the wall is 'Mural'.

Meaning of Kharak:

According to Bhagavadgomandal, 'a type of farming people towards Ghoghabara.'

'Khar' means a mule or donkey, 'Hunk' means a person who drives or drives a mule or donkey. Kharak is a person who drives or drives a mule or donkey. Kharak people used to carry goods and goods on mules or donkeys. Thus, the word “Kharak” started being used from the word ‘Kharhank’.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND TECHNIQUE:

Qualitative research method has been used in the present research. Research work has been done through descriptive research design (plan). Secondary information has been used as a source of information for this research. In which books, magazines, published literature and other research articles and websites have been used by visiting the library.

Murals of Kharak caste:

Any country, religion, society or community has its own unique culture and it is identified by that culture. Folk culture is formed from the customs of the people’s life. Murals are mostly painted in summer by women of Kharak caste, regardless of any social status. Since the Kharak people are mainly engaged in agriculture, there is no special work in the fields during the summer and weddings are also held during this season. Therefore, Kharak women paint murals during this period.

The method of mural paintings of the Kharak caste is very simple and easy and its materials are also easily available. The murals of Kharak women and their methods reflect the intimacy with nature. In which harmony with nature is felt. Although many shapes of these murals have a geometric effect, a kind of liveliness of nature is reflected in them. Murals are painted in many other castes apart from the Kharak caste, but in other castes, religious and symbolic drawings are drawn, while in the Kharak caste, white drawings are drawn on walls smeared with yellow clay and colored drawings are drawn on walls whitewashed with white paint. Therefore, the motifs of the Kharak caste murals are different and distinctive from those of other castes. Their murals can generally be divided into three main parts.

1. Simple religious symbolic drawings:

These symbols are drawn by Kharak women as part of the celebration of religious occasions. Kharak people also draw such symbols on them when they buy new tools or implements. Lakshmiji's footsteps, swastika and pyramid shaped Kanku chandeliers and the farming tool 'Khampali' are also drawn on the threshold of the house. These symbolic drawings are drawn with the belief that they bring prosperity to the house and a better harvest. Apart from this, symbols, signs and words like Trishul, Om, Labh, Shubh and Shri1| are drawn with red oxide. Such drawings are drawn on both sides of the door or on the wall next to the main door, on the inside or in the lobby. Such drawings are also found on copper-brass metal utensils. It is also used to decorate bajoth, paranas, ma-matlu (a vessel given by the bride and groom on the occasion of marriage), papad and coconut which is considered auspicious and is used on the occasion of marriage.

In addition, Kharak women draw figures of snakes on the water on the day of Nagpancham (Shravan Vada Pancham). On the day of Chaitra Vada Teras (Dhokla Teras), they draw a drawing of Baliyadeva which is known as ‘Kakabaliya’. When the elders of this caste go on a pilgrimage, the women draw symbols like swastika, steps and ladder (ladder), which are drawn from departure to arrival.

2. White drawings:

White drawings are drawn on the walls with a color like yellow. This type of drawings of Kharak people are found popular in the coastal areas. Other castes have also imitated these drawings. The white drawings seem to be decorated with their subject matter and also seem imaginative. Compared to the religious symbolic drawings, these pictures seem decorative. These drawings are drawn with great enthusiasm by young women, married women and old women. In Rajasthan, such drawings are called ‘Mandana’. In the past, these people lived in the Bhinnamal region of Rajasthan. Therefore, they may have brought some cultural features of drawing with them from that region. Women decorate their houses on auspicious occasions with such drawings.

These people usually build houses with bricks, stones etc. and plaster them with clay and mortar. Due to this, the walls of clay and mortar become more rough and pitted due to rain. Therefore, plastering is done in the beginning of summer. When this plaster dries, it is decorated with drawings. Such drawings are also done on the inside and outside walls of the osari. Apart from this, these drawings are also done on the cow-buffalo-oxen stable and the walls behind the house.

In these drawings of the Kharak people, many types of animal patterns are seen. These drawings are mainly of two types. Curved and rectangular. Horizontal rectangles show the body of the animal and the shape attached to the small square or rectangle becomes the mouth of the animal. Long, thin geometric shapes drawn at the bottom show the legs. Apart from this, animals are also drawn in numerous natural shapes. Deer are found in the villages around Mahuva, such as Datha, Longdi, etc., so the Kharak women of this rural area love to draw deer. Kharak women draw patterns on the bodies of large animals like tigers and elephants with great skill and skill using thin white lines. The figures of leopards are made like cats. The tiger is depicted with a long curved shape. The drawings are painted on the outer walls especially on wedding occasions. The walls are adorned with figures of flowers, plants, vines, animals and birds etc.

3. Coloured drawings:

Coloured drawings are done by women on white walls. Which are known as ‘Chitar’. Such ‘Chitar’ are specially drawn on the corridor, water tank. Sometimes on the walls of the kitchen and sometimes on the large earthenware pot, kothala used to store grains. For this, the raw colours are soaked in water in brass or earthenware vessels and sugar, milk etc. are mixed to increase durability and brightness. A special method of drawing rice symbols is seen in ‘Chitar’. In which a blue colour like a swallow is used to draw the outline (border) and then green, yellow, pink, saffron and other less dark colours are uniformly filled in the drawn part. Tigers, leopards, elephants and chickens are drawn in this ‘Chitar’. But cows and camels are also seen in coloured drawings. Which are not seen in white drawings. Apart from this, birds like peacocks, parrots, and sparrows are depicted sitting on tree branches on the doors and walls. Various types of rice are drawn around Ganesha placed in a gokhla. Railway drawings are especially seen in these colorful paintings. Men are seen to be less enthusiastic than Kharak women in drawing these drawings.

CONCLUSION:

At present, the new generation of Kharak caste is not particularly interested in all these traditions. The prosperous Kharak people have started building brick-cement houses. They have started applying their favorite colors on the walls, in which these traditional drawings have no place. However, some families still give such drawings a place on their walls in modern houses. In them, drawings of traditional rice symbols with the effect of a modern ‘drawing book’ or ‘illustration’ are seen. Apart from this, if these various samples are not preserved in any way, they will disappear with the change.

REFERENCES:

1. Pandit Narayandas. 1980. Indian Art and Culture. Naresh Prakashan.

2. Patel, R. B. 2011. Indian Murals: Cultural and Religious Perspective. Kaladwar.

3. Sheth Suresh and Sheth Renu. 2014. The Arts of the KHARAK and Crafts of their region- Saurashtra.

4. Sheth Suresh, Translated by Trivedi Gayatri. 2017. Kharak Caste Art and Culture. Gujarat Kalapratishthan, Surat.

5. Sedani Hasutaben Shashikant. 2017. Gujarat’s Folk Culture. University of Gujarat Publication Board, Ahmedabad.

6. Dinesh Chaudhary. 2019. Tradition of Mural Paintings. Vedvyas Publishers- Junagadh

Received on 10.11.2024 Revised on 28.12.2024

Accepted on 18.01.2025 Published on 25.03.2025

Available online from March 27, 2025

Int. J. Ad. Social Sciences. 2025; 13(1):1-4.

DOI: 10.52711/2454-2679.2025.00001

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Creative Commons License.