Gently Falls the Bakula Read online

  Shashi, a science student, had been reluctant to come on this historical tour. He would have preferred to spend the day in Dharwad, watching the latest movie. He was bored and kept looking at his watch.

  They reached Badami, a sleepy little hamlet. It was no longer like Vatapi, the capital of the glorious Chalukya empire of the past. They parked the car at the bottom of the hills and went up to see the caves.

  There are three huge granite hills in the middle of the town. The cave temples are carved out of these hills. Probably, this is one of the places where the concept of cave temples originated. There are Jain and Hindu cave temples. The steps carved in the hill lead to all the temples.

  When seen from top, Badami looks like a village that will never ever wake up, shrivelled in its poverty, having forgotten, forever, its glorious past.

  Shrimati explained.

  ‘Sir, when you look at the caves, you can see the pillars and one assumes that the pillars take the weight of the temple. But in reality, that is not true. The pillars are all false pillars. This concept was later copied in many cave temples. You can see Lord Ganapati, the famous deity with a human body and elephant head. He is known as Vatapi Ganapati.’

  Professor Collins was observing everything keenly.

  Shrimati continued, ‘In the olden days, the ceilings of these caves were covered with beautiful paintings. But now they have disappeared due to the lack of protection and ignorance.’

  ‘Shrimati, tell me more about the paintings.’

  Shashi realized that if the conversation went on this way, they wouldn’t reach Dharwad before midnight. He could not understand why they were talking so much about some invisible paintings. He decided to go sit in a canteen and read a magazine. Saying he would be back in a minute, he slipped away.

  Shrimati and Professor Collins did not notice his absence.

  ‘Sir, the technique of this type of painting was unique. It must have been difficult to paint in these caves without proper ventilation and light. The artist really had to struggle to reach the ceiling and paint on it. They used natural vegetable colours, powdered coloured stones, molasses, lime and other material from nature. They would first prepare the surface of the wall using a mixture of earth, powdered stone, some husk like material, molasses and cow dung. They would then apply a coat of lime on it. After it dried they would use the colours and finally polish it smooth. The paintings of the Ajanta caves used the same technique. Among them, the Court of Parameshwara Pulakeshi, the Dark Princess and many other paintings remain as beautiful after all these centuries.’

  Shrimati pointed out the sculptures of the eighteen-handed dancing Shiva, the Caves of Mangalesha, and numerous yaksha-yakshinis, the Sleeping Vishnu, and many more artistic depictions.

  Before they knew it, lunchtime had long gone by. The sun was a little hotter but the enthusiasm of these two people was not dampened by the temperature or the time.

  In spite of his age and the hectic morning Professor Collins’s spirits were as high as a teenager’s.

  They had a late lunch and headed for Aihole and Pattadakal.

  Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal are known as the golden triangle of North Karnataka. They are also world heritage sites. The word Pattadakallu means a place where kings were crowned. These areas are known as the cradle of temples because different types of temple architecture were tried here. Even now, you can see the Nagara, Dravida and Chalukya style of temples in one place. Papanatha, Durga and Latsab temples are examples of it.

  They continued with their sightseeing until it became dark.

  By the time they returned, Shrimati had overcome her shyness and was able to speak to Professor Collins without any hesitation.

  ‘Sir, you must see the temple of Kailasanatha at Ellora. It is as beautiful as the Taj Mahal. Historians believe that to build such a temple, the Rashtrakutas would have probably spent a lot, more money than to fight a war. The fact that this lovely monument was carved out of a single rock, from the top downwards, makes it even more amazing. Sir, another thing one must not miss is the statue of the enigmatically smiling Bahubali at Shravanabelagola. That too is carved out of a single boulder. And then there are the temples of Belur and Halebeedu, with which the art of sculpture reached its pinnacle.

  ‘You need at least six months to see my country properly. You should visit us again, to comprehend the excellence my country has achieved in the creation of beauty in art and architecture.’

  When they finally reached Hubli it was ten at night. While Shrimati and Collins were tired, but extremely happy, they had upset all of Shashi’s plans.

  The next day Professor Collins was to leave and Shrimati came to see him off at Professor Rao’s house.

  ‘Sir, I’ve brought a small gift for you. I hope you enjoyed yesterday’s trip. To appreciate history, one need not be a historian. There was a famous mathematician in Pune who wrote about history. I have always admired his work. His name is Damodar Dharmapal Kosambi. I hope you will like the book.’

  Shrimati presented a copy of An Introduction to the Study of History.

  ‘Shrimati, students like you who are passionate about history must do research. If you wish, I can get you a scholarship at our university. You could either study archaeology or Asian history. You have no idea of the american system of education. It is heaven for students. You will find many facilities and excellent libraries. Students like you can do very well in that kind of atmosphere.’

  Shrimati was pleasantly surprised by this offer and shyly bowed her head.

  ‘Sir, thank you very much for your generous offer. It is very kind of you to make such an offer. But Sir, though I would like to come, I cannot accept it now. I am getting married this year.’

  ‘Congratulations. May I ask you a personal question? Who is the lucky man?’

  ‘He is a schoolmate of mine, Shrikant Deshpande.’

  ‘I don’t want to intrude in your personal life. But don’t you feel that if you don’t pursue your love of history, you will get frustrated and bored?’

  ‘Sir, I do love history but I love Shrikant as well. I can always continue my studies later. I believe that it is not necessary to have a doctorate to gain knowledge. For me, degrees do not matter.’

  ‘Very well, then, Shrimati. All the best for your future. I will send you photographs of our trip. Goodbye and goodluck.’

  Professor Mike Collins left Hubli, thinking about her . . . Research was not merely studying. It demanded many sacrifices and hard work. Would that be possible amidst the hundred responsibilities of a family life? That too in India? He suddenly thought of his wife Jane. How had she been able to continue with her research though she was married to him? Perhaps because they never had any financial constraints. Moreover, they were co-travellers on the same road, passionate about the same subject. Dorothy was their only child. She too followed in her parents’ footsteps, but disagreed with their views on marriage and family. She was living with her boyfriend Tony, who was her colleague. Although her mother had wanted them to get married, Dorothy had said a firm no.

  Her argument was, ‘Dad, why do we need to get married? Who says that the ultimate aim of a woman should be marriage? If marriage is only for togetherness, then aren’t we together now? As soon as you get married, expectations rise and it may or may not be possible to meet all the demands. It could result in a divorce . . . I am happier this way.’

  Of course, it did not mean that she had no respect or love for her parents. Only her values were different.

  Professor Collins felt that Shrimati had the potential to be an excellent research scholar, but she was so different from Dorothy. She was ready to sacrifice everything for marriage.

  Come to think of it, Shrimati was a better student than Dorothy, Professor Collins realized suddenly. From a very young age, Dorothy had had the advantage of a better environment and excellent training. She had toured the world with her parents and interacted with the best scholars in the subject, whereas Shrimati, who certainl