Jamnalal Kumhar terracotta plaques
A master temple sculptor made terracotta plaques showing the evolution of the Indian Naga into the Aboriginal Rainbow Serpent.
Jamnalal Kumhar is a master sculptor and traditional terracotta artist from Molela, a village in Rajasthan known for its rich pottery heritage. He is a 17th-generation potter, carrying on a family tradition that spans centuries.
For over three decades, Jamnalal has been actively designing a wide variety of terracotta and art pottery. His work is deeply rooted in the traditional techniques of Molela, which involve using mud from the Beas River and dawrigund gum from local trees. Donkey dung is used to bind the clay and local jala to varnish the finished piece. All these ingredients are used to make traditional votives from coils of 1.5” thick mud “ropes” that are kneaded into shape.
Jumnalal at work.
Jamnalal’s local temple is Naag Mandir (snake temple). He is often commissioned by tribals to make plaques featuring the nagas with one, five, seven or nine heads. They come to his village on pilgrimage and often stay at his house.
The snake temple in Molela.
Naaga Devata are serpent deities who protect waterways. There are prominent naga. Shesha (Ananta) is the eldest serpent king, a devotee and mount of Vishnu, who supports the Vasuki. Vasuki is the second serpent king, a devotee of Shiva, often depicted around Shiva’s neck.
In collaboration with Ishan Khosla, Jamna Lal made a series of plaques that depicted the evolution of Naaga Dev into the Aboriginal rainbow serpent. This was shown in the exhibition Jugabandi: Designed and Made in Australia and India, which was presented as part of the conference Make it New Again, National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, India, 2012.
Jumna Lal at the Make it New Again conference with Liz Williamson, Ishan Khosla, Lucy Simpson and Jenuarrie.
Two Australian Aboriginal participants, Jenuarrie and Lucy Simpson, expressed reservations about the use of the rainbow serpent without permission from the appropriate First Nations. The requirement for permission is foreign in India, where Hinduism is relatively “open source”. Jamna was invited to visit Australia and make contact with the appropriate group.
The meeting of the Naag Dev and the rainbow serpent is still yet to happen. This is unfinished business.
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