One cannot really fathom the adversity that comes along with eroded images of sculptures of women as murals. As much as we delve deeper into the ‘mitochondria’ of Women in Indian Sculpture, we find a vast section in the images of Indian women as icons of fertility, bounty and fruition, daintily adorning Bengaluru’s walls.
Over the passage of time, with a lost trail of its cosmetic restoration needs, images on Dhanwantri walls faced some lost identities as well.
Our diligent teammates were shrewd enough to make sense of this puzzle presented to us over the course of dust, rain, soot and heat blazes.
Salabhanjika or shalabhanjika is the sculpture of a woman, displaying stylized feminine features, standing near a tree and grasping a branch. The name of these figures comes from the Sanskrit śālabhañjikā meaning ‘breaking a branch of a sala tree’.
Out of raving enigmas and art historic influences, was reborn, the lady holding the creeper.