January 17, 2019
We were traveling from Bangalore to Dharwad. Plan for the journey was to visit Bati Siddappa Devastana near Davangere and then the much spoken about Utsav Rock Garden - generally known as the garden of life-size sculptures. However, as the creators say it is a combination of art, architecture and nature. The garden has a huge vehicle parking ground, so parking is not an issue. Entry fee is ₹200 per head and parking is ₹20 per car. This is the rock formation like front of the garden. The little cave like openings are the ticket counters. Welcome to the land of imagination and creativity.
This is the entry gate, as seen from inside. There's art in all directions right from the entrance. There are guides here to show you around, no fee for that however one could tip them. I'd allotted an hour and half for this stop, but our guide said that one needs about 2½ hours to see the place completely.
The garden was designed by the renowned artist Prof. T.B.Solabakkanavar along with his family members and several other artists. The first thing one see is circular pond with a garden around it dedicated to the great cine star Dr. Rajkumar. The garden has a dozen or so idols depicting different roles played by Dr. Raj. At the center of the pond is Bedara Kannappa's idol, Dr. Raj's maiden cinema.
This scene here shows Dr. Raj practicing Yoga. The scene is from the movie Kamanabillu. On the left hand side is the idol of the historic poet Kalidasa. Dr. Raj played the lead role in Kaviratna Kalidasa.
Besides the circular garden, there's also an avenue with idols depicting Satya Harishchandra, Bhakta Kumbara, Raghavendra Swami, Sanadhi Appanna, and few other I can't recall.
This idol depicts Mayura Varma and in the background is the scene from the super hit song Huttidare Kannadanadalli Huttabeku. A befitting memorial for Dr. Raj's unparalleled talent to play legendary characters. By now you must've noticed the greenery of this place.
From the green outdoors we move indoors, into another world. We step into the area dedicated to the Aalda Mara, the great Banyan tree. This tree is a tribute to three great artists from Karnataka - Dr. M V Minajigi, D V Halabhavi & T P Akki. These artists established the Fine Arts Colleges for the development of artists and art teachers. A Banyan tree symbolizes eternity.. art and artists forever!
It's a psychedelic treat. Lot of effort gone into creating this realistic monument. A guided path takes visitors through the place, no straying around or getting lost.
The Banyan tree is home to several creatures. Here, in the roots are serpents and human like creatures including a woman with two children. At the middle is an idol depicting Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara as one.
The roots entwine pillars of art. The roof is one massive painting.. I can't really remember the details though.
As we take a tour of Aaladamara, we get to see the Sculptural Fountain.
As we step out from the world of Aladamara we get to see scenes from an art school. This scene is dedicated to artist T P Akki, I think. The teacher is practicing art along with his students. There are semi clad models posing for students practice. In the foreground is a pillar with modern art showing kitchenware.
Shri T P Akki's office.. a discussion of artists. On the left is a pillar depicting a woman warrior, I think.
Then we step into the Modern Art Gallery. Being honest, I can't really understand some of the art. Also, here I find some of the art forms too strong, too loud for my taste. Nevertheless, I understand the effort behind each of the artworks here.
These ceiling panels here are dedicated to wildlife. Art is not just sketching, painting or sculpting. One has to possess knowledge about different types of material used for the artwork. I think, these are paintings over glass. The artists would have spent a great deal of time and effort to get the right effect.
Of the several dozen artworks, a pair of oxen and farmers was the one that appealed to be most. Its created in honor of the most noble profession.. the farmer.. one who toils day and night to feed the populace. As the famous quote goes "The farmer is the only man in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale, and pays the freight both ways" the farming community has been taken for granted. God bless them with courage and strength.
The other items shown here is a mermaid and a cricketer holding a bat and trophy. Besides sculptures there are also paintings in the background. My visits to art exhibitions have been a different experience. I'd artworks displayed individually, in a hall with plain walls and floors. Some cases I remember seeing a set of paintings or sculptures. But here the experience is completely different. Its just artwork except the path we walked on.
On one side of this hall are two life size sculptures of elderly couple flanking a door way to another hall.. the Marriage Hall. I think it should be called The Wedding Hall. Coming back to the sculptures, they depict a couple from a well off landlord family. Attired in traditional garments, in a posture considered graceful for the status.
Stepping into the wedding hall, the main item here is the set of life size idols showing group posing fr a photograph with the couple at a typical Indian reception. There are idols of a photographer and a videographer as well.
Done with the Modern Art, we step out, ready to move into the rural life gallery which is an outdoor setting. Pushpa shoots something that catches her imagination.
My thought, if you are in a large group, break yourself into groups of 5 or 6 so that t doesn't feel too crowded and makes it easier to take pictures.
..will continue in Utsav Rock Garden - part 2.
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