SidhSen_Rajan
Raja Sidh
Sen of Mandi
Mandi,
c1700-25, Western Himalayas
Size: 292 *
178 mm
Philadelphia
Museum of Art
Artist:
Unknown
“They say that the king is a human
being; but I consider you to be a God, whose behaviour, if it in accordance
with Dharma and Artha is superhuman”
These words of wisdom from the great epic Mahabharat lead us to that
ruler of Mandi, Sidh Sen, a Rajan,
who gave swarna yuga1 to
his tribe. This yuga2 comes when the king brings to any anarchical
society that essence of life which is called Purshartha Chaturshtaya – Dharma
(virtue), Artha (political utility), Kama (pleasure) and then moving to Moksha (salvation). The question posed
to that great old noble man Bhishma in Mahabharat was whether it is the age or
the era that determines how the king will be, or if the King determines how
good the age will be. “Raja Kalasya
Karanam3...” Sidh Sen determined the state of nature of the
period in which he lived by being the embodiment of kingship as defined in the
ancient Indian thought.
In Purushartha Chaturshtaya,
Dharma is the foremost and does not mean religion because it circumscribes much
more than what religion can hold. It means virtue, wisdom, righteousness,
merit, duty, law, social responsibility and so on. It is a way of living life,
the path of completeness, the means to regulate the society. According to the
ancient Indian philosophy, Rajdharma4 is not an authority but a
unique individual possession that has to be achieved by the king for the governance
and welfare of his society. This good governance opens the door to swarna yuga.
Sidh Sen looks majestic in this painting standing tall and large covering
the entire canvas as if the master painter is not only drawing the enormity of
his physical being but also conveying that message of the complete sway and
influence which he had on his people. He wears a red jamma (long coat) with a gold embroidered Banarasi crape flowing
down his shoulders, his right hand carrying a big sword with a gold hilt
signifying that courage and strength of a warrior which he always displayed for the expansion of his territory.
This sword had its own belief and which lived many many years even after the
death of the great soul. This very sword was used by his people to scare away the
demons believed to obstruct child birth in cases of a prolonged labour. Water
touched with the sword was given to a pregnant woman to drink for relief. And
behold she was soon a happy mother! Devotion and faith has no boundaries.
The king wears a flamboyant turban with feather tassels and a golden
jigha5 decked with pearls adorn his regal face. He wears his famous
gutka or the magical amulet which hangs at the centre of his chest. The garland
of white flowers brings a contrast to the rich dress worn by the ruler. The
sharp features with large eyes, moustache and stubble give a look of a strong
and a well chiselled man. The shakta6 tilak mark on his forehead and
the rudraksha7 necklace are so usual part of the king’s formation.
But here he is a monarch in full glory and not in that divine world in which he
has so often been displayed.
Sidh Sen’s reign was marked not only with political supremacy in the
immediate region but also with thriving of culture and art in the form of
paintings, construction of temples in
honour of Shiva-Shakti and introduction of Tantra through worship of Dasa
Mahavidya8. Every manifestation of life of his subjects reached a
peak of excellence and stability and for which he was much loved by them. But
what was also remarkable of Sidh Sen was that he created Mathas9
across the four corners of his capital taking cue from the great Shankara.
Albeit the scale may have been small, the Mathas amidst his tribe represented
that idea of creation of scholarship and debate.
Sidh Sen remains embedded in the memory of this world not through his
portraits but for the luminous mind he had and which created that absolute
being. His moment of kindness with Gobind Singh, the 10th Sikh guru,
shore up that image of greatness. What has been said by that ancient text of
law - the ‘Manusmriti’ for kings may hold true for Sidh Sen. He embodied the
eternal particles of Indra, of the Vayu, of yama, of the sun, of fire, of the
moon and of Kubera in its true sense – the particles of the Gods10
in the form of their wisdom.
Sidh Sen was a Rajan, the word has its philosophical Sanskrit root in
‘Ranj’ meaning “to please”. Many ages ago King Prithu pleased his subjects by
re-establishing Dharma into this world and received the title Rajan. Sidh Sen
symbolises that Puranic King. He may not have been a Samudra Gupta, the ‘Adhipati’11
of the Gupta Empire, in scale but his thought was equal to the best and which
made him ‘Isvarkoti’ –of the degree of God for his tribe.
1.Golden Age 2. Age or Era
3. King is the cause of era 4.Duty
of a Ruler 5.Brooch 6. Shaktism; From worship of Hindu Goddess.
Ornamental spot worn on the forehead
7.Elaeocarpus ganitrus; Symbol of Shaivisim 8.The 10 Wisdom forms of the Goddess 9.Monastic establishment 10.Vedic Gods
11.Lord
Continued from Part 1 where
Sidh Sen appears as an embodiment of Shiva,,,,,,,,,,,
The Missing Link in Pahari
Paintings – Lokinder Bisht
Brilliantly written. Well researched.
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