New Insights into Sikh Art

Edited by Kavita Singh

Sikh art is usually identified with the glittering court of Ranjit Singh at Lahore. This book looks further afield, at other courts and non-courtly settings for art, seeking out fascinating and important aspects of Sikh art and heritage that have not often been studied before.

A major focus of this volume is on sacred objects and sites developed under the direction of the Gurus, or through the collective patronage of a community looking to fulfil its sacred needs. Beginning with an essay that explains important theological developments within Sikhism, the book moves on to study the building projects commissioned by the saintly Guru Arjan, and his warrior son Guru Hargobind. Their personalities encapsulate the saint-soldier ideal within Sikhism, and their building projects reflect the changing character of the Guruship. Another important paper studies a range of manuscripts of the holy book. Here, the evolving format and style of decoration of Adi Granth manuscripts is explained in terms of major cultural shifts in the Panjab from the 17th-19th centuries.

The two essays that deal with courtly arts both focus on painting at Patiala. One looks at the grand royal frescos in the palace, the other looks at unusual and unnoticed "bazaar portraits" made by the same painters. The murals and the sketches are hardly known, suggesting other wonders waiting to be discovered at other Sikh courts.

Finally, the book looks toward the present and the future with essays on images of and by Sikh photography, early-modern art, and the grandiose project for the Khalsa Heritage Complex at Anandpur Sahib which when complete, will probably form the Sikh community's definitive image of itself.

Kavita Singh is Associate Professor at the School of Arts and Aesthetics, JNU, New Delhi. Her many research interests include Sikh art.

Price: US$66.00