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Two day-long seminar (4th & 5th August,2000)on 'Tiger through the ages' and exhibition (from 4th August to 13th August,2000) was held at the Museum Exhibition Hall, organised by Indian Museum in collaboration with the Geological Survey of India, Zoological Survey of India and Pugmarks, Calcutta. |
| The Indian tiger, Panthera tigris tigris is the most impressive, majestic and biggest of the cat family. The animal is known for its magnanimity, ferocity and agility. The tiger is believed to have entered India from Northern Asia after the last Ice age. |
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The oldest fossil remains of the tiger in India was discovered at Karnool cave deposits in Andhra Pradesh, probably in the terminal Pleistocene age (more than 10,000 years B.P.). |
| The earliest visual representation of tiger is found on the Indus seals and terracotta figurines. This big cat was associated with cult images from the day of the Indus valley civilisation. The so-called Pasupati seal of Mohenjodaro depicts the god flanked by a tiger. The tiger happens to be the mount of mother goddess who in one of her cruel aspects takes the form of a tigress |
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Indian artists captivated the animal in plastic art as also in painted delights. Folk and tribal people of India looked at the animal with awe and wonder which became manifest in their ritualistic art. The Gonds of Madhya Pradesh worship 'vaghai devi', the Bhils adore 'vaghaika kunwar '(tiger prince) whom fruit, wine and sheep are offered. Dakshin Ray is the folk deity presiding over the tiger cult in Sunderbans. |
| Displayed here are reconstructed figure of the animal from fossil remains, Indus seals depicting tigers; gold coins of the Gupta kings-Samudra Gupta and Kumara Gupta shooting at the tiger; stone panel showing the animal blowing a conch datable to 5th centure A.D., the seal of the copper plate grant Viraraiendra deva dated 1069 A.D; the shardulavyala --a grotesque animal from the temples of Khajuraho and Vyagravahini devi from Bihar |
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In the painting section represented by Rajasthani, Deccani and provincial Mughal school, tiger appears as prey for hunters or an associate of an ascetic and also a domesticated mount of Hindu goddesses. The decorative arts like silver bowls, lacquer box, arms and weapons, enamelled hubble-bubble provide a placeto the animal in late mediaeval art of India. Masks and toys of tribal and folk origin from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Orissa are also exhibited here to demonstrate the socio-religious context of the tiger in everyday life. |
| The majestic animal stuffed by the taxidermist and photographic documentation of the tiger of the prehistoric age and the present times are also some added attraction of this exhibition. The multi-disciplinary exhibition on tiger was organised by the Indian Museum in collaboration with the Geological Survey of India, Zoological Survey of India and Pugmarks, Calcutta. |
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