Jay Joshi
The beautiful art of Kaavi murals in Goan temples is dying, and there is an urgent need to revive it, say archeologists
The battle of old and new is on constantly in different spheres of life. It is important to understand where to give room to new ideas and where to preserve the old. While welcoming certain social and technological reforms to improve the society, we must not forget to preserve our heritage because it serves to remind us who we are and where we come from. Unfortunately, the art of Kaavi painting which has been practiced in Goa for centuries has lost out to new trends, depriving us of a crucial piece of heritage.
Kaavi art is a form of murals which are made by etching the red laterite stone material against white lime. These murals were painted in a number of temples in the Konkan region. The art makes use of locally available material, i.e. lime and laterite stone, to produce art that can endure the hot and humid conditions of Goa. However, over the years, the art declined and has now nearly died out.
“One of the major reasons why this art declined is because the artisans who practices it gave it up owing to the rise of new architectural styles and no new artisans were trained in this form,” informs history researcher Dr Rohit Phalgaonkar while elaborating on decline of Kaavi art. “Secondly, it entails very tedious work, and that too could be one of the reasons for its decline. Temples around Pernem, Sattari, Ponda and Canacona still display Kaavi art, but over the years, many temples were renovated in new styles of architecture and Kaavi samples were wiped out,” Dr Phalgaonkar adds.
Shockingly, no efforts have been made to revive the art, says the historian. “No government body or private organisation has come forward to make serious efforts at reviving this art. There is an urgent need to spread awareness about this art tradition so that initiatives are taken for its revival,” says Dr Phalgaonkar.
Archeologist Sawani Shetye also points out that lack of awareness about the art has caused great harm. “One of the reasons for decline of Kaavi art is that is does not come from a centralised school of art like Tanjore school or Mathura school etc, which have a definite style, body of knowledge, and tradition which has been passed down over generations. With Kaavi, artisans and masons have experimented independently, and the knowledge has not been passed down consistently from generation to generation. Also, there is no significant documentation this art form” Shetye states.
Shetye, through her venture named Bhoomij Heritage strives to create awareness about Kaavi art, and will be conducting a Kaavi art trail of North Goan temples on April 21. This is her second such tour. Kaavi art in Goa and regions such as Karnataka differs in style. While temples in Karnataka show stories from epics such as Ramayana or Mahabharata, Goan artisans focus mainly on various patterns of floral designs. “Kaavi art is now kept alive mainly by students of fine-arts and other art enthusiasts who draw Kaavi designs with red paint. So, the designs have survived, but the methods have not,” notes the archeologist.
It is estimated that Kaavi art reached its peak in the 17th century, and began declining during the Portuguese era in late 19th and early 20th century. Apart from temples, Kaavi art is also seen in many old homes, but here too, it has been lost as people renovated their homes in new styles. “People took it for granted. In my own interaction with many villagers, I found that they knew of Kaavi art but were not interested in preserving it. This has to change”, says Shetye.
