Coimbatore: Reading the Mahabharata is a usual thing. Imagine the experience of the epic being depicted in the form of Kerala mural painting. The images could be made a reality at Kasturi Sreenivasan Art Gallery in the city where 113 paintings on display give the story of the epic.
After Thiruvananthapuram and Chennai, the “Mural Mahabhratam Exhibit”, put together by Thiruvananthapuram-based mural painter and artist Prince Thonnakkal and his students, has come to Coimbatore.
Of the 113 paintings, 112 are 2.5ft x 3.5ft and the vishwaroopam alone is 6.5ft x 4ft. Each depicts an episode or incident in the Mahabharata, like Bheeshma falling into the lake or Gandhari giving birth to 100 sons. “The paintings are the result of a three-and-half year project by our guru Prince Thonnakkal, who drew the sketches of the 112 paintings and 35 of students painted them. He drew and painted the vishwaroopam,” said one of the students, Vijaya Nirmala. “It is a result of our guru Thonnakkal’s passion and fascination for the great epic,” she said.
While the paintings on display are not for immediate sale, patrons interested could inform the artist and a replica will be made. “We cannot remove a painting as it would affect the flow of the story. But we will make a replica for people interested in buying a painting,” said Nirmala. Visitors could, however, get a book with pictures of all the 113 paintings and their explanations at Rs 2,000.
