Revelations in Jodhpur

We didn’t really know what to expect from this trip to India.  My wife Menchu and I thought of making the journey for our 39th wedding anniversary and to be with our dear friend Katherine Virgils who put up an exhibit of her enhanced versions of yogi images painted on the walls of an ancient temple in Jodhpur.

Last year, Katherine’s husband Peter Camp celebrated his 60th birthday in Udaipur and we had planned to join them. But we couldn’t because of work commitments. This was our chance to finally hook up with them in India. Katherine and Peter actually live in London with their sons Louie and Emile. They often go to India which is a country they’ve fallen in love with because of its rich history, art, culture and tradition.

Katherine is a renowned American multi-mixed media artist who specializes in producing themed works using a collage of paper as her unique form of expression. She has been commissioned to do murals by a diverse group of collectors, including Unilever, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and her works have been exhibited in English galleries. She lived in Manila for two years in the 1970s and studied at Maryknoll (now Miriam College). Her father Russell Virgils was an engineering consultant with Meralco. Their family lived next door to our home in Bel-Air, Makati, where I grew up. Menchu and Katherine were schoolmates while Katherine and I were neighbors. For over 40 years, our friendship has remained strong.

Five years ago, Katherine was brought to an almost derelict temple built in the early 19th century deep in the heart of Jodhpur, a Rajasthan city whose origins date back to 1459. Jodhpur was formerly a princely state and is a popular tourist destination with several historic palaces, forts and temples. Lonely Planet put Jodhpur at the top of its list as the most extraordinary place to stay in the world in 2013. There are heritage hotels to stay in and rooms to board in homes all over what is alternatively called the Sun City for its year-round sunny weather and Blue City for the slew of blue-painted houses surrounding the iconic Fort Mehrangarh.

What caught Katherine’s discerning eye were the 84 paintings of yogis in various poses or asanas on the walls of the temple called Mahamandir which was erected by Maharaja Man Singh in honor of Nath saint Jalandhar Nath and guru Devnathji. The temple’s condition has deteriorated through the years although its 84 pillars still stand proudly on sacred grounds. Most of the gold leaf that used to adorn the yogi paintings has been stripped off. Some images on the walls are badly scratched. But Katherine saw through the wear and tear a wonderful opportunity to pay tribute to a nearly abandoned wonder and reintroduce it as a Rajasthan treasure.

Katherine took over 100 photographs of the 84 miniature images, enhanced and enlarged the pictures then with her stroke of genius, embellished 20 selected yogis to restore the radiance of the original paintings. She used gold leaf, colored paper and paints to resurrect the 20 yogis.

Katherine’s project wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Maharaja Gaj Singh who provided accommodations, research material, publicity and a venue for the exhibit on “The Infinite Lightness of Being” that opened at Fort Mehrangarh last Friday. The exhibit shows Katherine’s 20 enlarged pictures of the yogis. An audio-visual relating the story of how the images were enhanced was produced by Conor Ackhurst in London and is showing at the exhibit as an added attraction.

Katherine’s creativity and love for Indian culture are evident in the exhibit which is drawing rave reviews from visitors. A story on the exhibit was on the front page of a Jodhpur newspaper last weekend. The principal of the school within the temple compound plans to bring 140 students to the Fort for an excursion and a viewing of the exhibit as a learning experience. From a cultural and educational standpoint, it would certainly make sense to bring the exhibit on tour all over India.  Surely, mounting the exhibit in countries where there is interest in Indian art and culture should be explored. Katherine took five years to produce 20 images and she’s now in the process of finishing 10 more. Her work should be rewarded by an extensive tour where the public is given a chance to appreciate the history behind the yogi images.

Katherine called the Mahamandir temple “a lost cultural icon of Jodhpur.” For almost 200 years, the yogi images on the temple walls were virtually forgotten. Now, she has opened the doors for a rebirth. “In bringing the yogis back to life, I have employed both ancient techniques and new technology,” said Katherine. “I have blended earth pigments and used traditional miniature painting methods, also applying gold leaf in unconventional ways. Radically altering the scale of the miniatures to resonate with their 21st century audience.”

His Highness Maharaja Gaj Singh said, “As Indian philosophy believes when it is destined to happen, it will happen ... I have a strong feeling Mahamandir’s time has come and Katherine’s exhibition, I hope, will be the conduit to bring the required awareness among scholars, art historians, conservationists, philanthropists and course the local people to discover and save the treasures of Mahamandir.”

Art historian Dr. Alka Pande said Katherine re-imagined the yogis, employing digital magic along with traditional techniques in cleaning then embellishing them. “Under her deft and attentive fingers, the yogis come back to life as she meticulously erases the dust of the ages to reveal their true forms once more and burnishes them with gold leaf, adding a regal stature,” said Dr. Pande. “Ultimately, what Katherine has achieved as an artist is an interrogation of India and through the 20 images, pays homage to the great masters who have left their indelible stamp on India’s artistic legacy.”