இலண்டன் சைவ மாநாடு (சிறப்புமலர்)
7வது சைவ மாநாடு
field of Indian Philosophy. He seems to be a
combination of Marco Polo, Iben Batuta and Fa Hien
in his scholarly wanderings across Asia in search
of research.
There seems to be hardly any subject worth
while connected with any corner of Asia that he has
not studied, mastered and expounded. He is as
much an expert in philosophy as he is an adept in
religion; as much a master of metaphysics as he
is an authority on mythology or geology. But these
subjects are merely sidelines in his absorbing
erudition.
It is in the realm of Oriental Art that he reigns
supreme. There are other scholars, great in their
own way, who have studied particular aspects or
periods of development of Oriental Art in India or
elsewhere. But Coomaraswamy is the only stalwart
who takes in his stride the whole of Asia. His mind
had probed, his fingers have caressed, or his eyes
have examined and appreciated the arts and crafts,
sculpture and music, dance and drama of most
countries in the East. India itself he has covered
almost province by province, period by period, piece
by piece. He has gone straight to the original
sources and given first hand, straight from the
horse's mouth as it were, the vision he has
witnessed. He has the temperament, the training
the talent to put forward in clear-cut and
uncompromising terms what he has seen and
learnt first hand so that it sounds true as a theorem
in geometry and as inspiring as a revelation of a
prophet.
From that year in 1900 when as a young man
of 23 he saw with a thrill his first paper on "Ceylon
Rocks and Graphite" in print in the Quarterly Journal
of the Geological Society, to 1947, his seventieth
year, he has written most profusely. His writing in
itself is nothing very remarkable. What is really
astounding in Coomaraswamy is the quality that
accompanies this quantity. Extraordinary profundity
of study, originality in research and brilliant insight
into the heart of things combined to make anything
written in his yet marvellously firm and beautiful
handwriting a deep influence on both scholars and
spiritually awakened laymen all over the world.
His books, memoirs (in the learned sense of
the word), articles and monographs have been
published not only in India, Ceylon, England and
America but also in France, Germany, Finland,
Holland and Rumania in translation. In whatever
country in the world, whenever the subject of Indian
Art comes up, scholar and student, expert and
layman, all have one name in mind as an authority:
Dr. Ananda Coomaraswamy.
இலண்டன் 2004
Mulk Raj Anand and Coomaraswamy
As Spenser was the Poet of Poets,
Coomaraswamy is the Critic of Critics. He is the
model, the authority for half a hundred other top-rank
critics of Oriental Art. Most of his books, expensive
in production, have been published in small editions
at very high prices and are found mostly in public
libraries. It is from these beautifully produced books
that other famous connoisseurs seek inspiration
and instruction and learn the rudiments of art and
the philosophy and theory of Oriental beauty and
broadcast them to a waiting world. Show me the art
connoisseur or critic who does not acknowledge his
debt to Coomaraswamy and I shall look upon the
specimen with pity. His precise language is so
concise, packed with matter and condensed to
such an extent that Mulk Raj Anand had expanded
one chapter from the Dance of Siva to a respectable
book entitled The Hindu View of Art.
He is firstly a scholar; secondly a scholar;
thirdly a scholar. He deals with questions of Asian
aesthetics invariably in the particular, focussing
undivided attention to bring the special characteristics
of a type of Art into sharp relief. Never does he
present personal ideas or novel theories. The task
he sets himself is discovering the truth and stating
the principles he discovers by which particular
cultures rise, decline, fall and rise once again or
remain for ever fallen. He gives the philosophy of the
beautiful as conceived by artists in different countries
and different times from sources none may question
with the accuracy of the trained scientist.
"To know Indian Art in India alone is to know
but half its history", writes Sir John Marshall. To tell
a story in the round, as it were, Coomaraswamy, in
his History of Indian and Indonesian Art, follows its
trial over the great passes to Central Asia; he
watches it assuming new forms and breaking into
new beauties as it spreads over Tibet, China,
Burma and Siam; he gazes in awe at the unexpected
grandeur of its creations in Cambodia, Java and
Sumatra; he sees it encountering a different racial
genius, a different environment in Japan and under
its influence taking on a unique garb. In each country
he delves deep into the limbo of forgotten ages, as
he does in India itself, giving examples of each style,
age and country in reproductions.
156
In this 400 page volume with 100 full page
illustrations Coomaraswamy proves the living spiritual
unity of Asia in all its myriad diversities first
proclaimed by Okakura in 1904. Here for the first
time the curtain that had long hidden her is lifted and
Asia is revealed in all her majesty decked with
resplendent riches.
7
வது
சைவ
மாநாடு
field
of
Indian
Philosophy
.
He
seems
to
be
a
combination
of
Marco
Polo
Iben
Batuta
and
Fa
Hien
in
his
scholarly
wanderings
across
Asia
in
search
of
research
.
There
seems
to
be
hardly
any
subject
worth
while
connected
with
any
corner
of
Asia
that
he
has
not
studied
mastered
and
expounded
.
He
is
as
much
an
expert
in
philosophy
as
he
is
an
adept
in
religion
;
as
much
a
master
of
metaphysics
as
he
is
an
authority
on
mythology
or
geology
.
But
these
subjects
are
merely
sidelines
in
his
absorbing
erudition
.
It
is
in
the
realm
of
Oriental
Art
that
he
reigns
supreme
.
There
are
other
scholars
great
in
their
own
way
who
have
studied
particular
aspects
or
periods
of
development
of
Oriental
Art
in
India
or
elsewhere
.
But
Coomaraswamy
is
the
only
stalwart
who
takes
in
his
stride
the
whole
of
Asia
.
His
mind
had
probed
his
fingers
have
caressed
or
his
eyes
have
examined
and
appreciated
the
arts
and
crafts
sculpture
and
music
dance
and
drama
of
most
countries
in
the
East
.
India
itself
he
has
covered
almost
province
by
province
period
by
period
piece
by
piece
.
He
has
gone
straight
to
the
original
sources
and
given
first
hand
straight
from
the
horse's
mouth
as
it
were
the
vision
he
has
witnessed
.
He
has
the
temperament
the
training
the
talent
to
put
forward
in
clear
-
cut
and
uncompromising
terms
what
he
has
seen
and
learnt
first
hand
so
that
it
sounds
true
as
a
theorem
in
geometry
and
as
inspiring
as
a
revelation
of
a
prophet
.
From
that
year
in
1900
when
as
a
young
man
of
23
he
saw
with
a
thrill
his
first
paper
on
Ceylon
Rocks
and
Graphite
in
print
in
the
Quarterly
Journal
of
the
Geological
Society
to
1947
his
seventieth
year
he
has
written
most
profusely
.
His
writing
in
itself
is
nothing
very
remarkable
.
What
is
really
astounding
in
Coomaraswamy
is
the
quality
that
accompanies
this
quantity
.
Extraordinary
profundity
of
study
originality
in
research
and
brilliant
insight
into
the
heart
of
things
combined
to
make
anything
written
in
his
yet
marvellously
firm
and
beautiful
handwriting
a
deep
influence
on
both
scholars
and
spiritually
awakened
laymen
all
over
the
world
.
His
books
memoirs
(
in
the
learned
sense
of
the
word
)
articles
and
monographs
have
been
published
not
only
in
India
Ceylon
England
and
America
but
also
in
France
Germany
Finland
Holland
and
Rumania
in
translation
.
In
whatever
country
in
the
world
whenever
the
subject
of
Indian
Art
comes
up
scholar
and
student
expert
and
layman
all
have
one
name
in
mind
as
an
authority
:
Dr.
Ananda
Coomaraswamy
.
இலண்டன்
2004
Mulk
Raj
Anand
and
Coomaraswamy
As
Spenser
was
the
Poet
of
Poets
Coomaraswamy
is
the
Critic
of
Critics
.
He
is
the
model
the
authority
for
half
a
hundred
other
top
-
rank
critics
of
Oriental
Art
.
Most
of
his
books
expensive
in
production
have
been
published
in
small
editions
at
very
high
prices
and
are
found
mostly
in
public
libraries
.
It
is
from
these
beautifully
produced
books
that
other
famous
connoisseurs
seek
inspiration
and
instruction
and
learn
the
rudiments
of
art
and
the
philosophy
and
theory
of
Oriental
beauty
and
broadcast
them
to
a
waiting
world
.
Show
me
the
art
connoisseur
or
critic
who
does
not
acknowledge
his
debt
to
Coomaraswamy
and
I
shall
look
upon
the
specimen
with
pity
.
His
precise
language
is
so
concise
packed
with
matter
and
condensed
to
such
an
extent
that
Mulk
Raj
Anand
had
expanded
one
chapter
from
the
Dance
of
Siva
to
a
respectable
book
entitled
The
Hindu
View
of
Art
.
He
is
firstly
a
scholar
;
secondly
a
scholar
;
thirdly
a
scholar
.
He
deals
with
questions
of
Asian
aesthetics
invariably
in
the
particular
focussing
undivided
attention
to
bring
the
special
characteristics
of
a
type
of
Art
into
sharp
relief
.
Never
does
he
present
personal
ideas
or
novel
theories
.
The
task
he
sets
himself
is
discovering
the
truth
and
stating
the
principles
he
discovers
by
which
particular
cultures
rise
decline
fall
and
rise
once
again
or
remain
for
ever
fallen
.
He
gives
the
philosophy
of
the
beautiful
as
conceived
by
artists
in
different
countries
and
different
times
from
sources
none
may
question
with
the
accuracy
of
the
trained
scientist
.
To
know
Indian
Art
in
India
alone
is
to
know
but
half
its
history
writes
Sir
John
Marshall
.
To
tell
a
story
in
the
round
as
it
were
Coomaraswamy
in
his
History
of
Indian
and
Indonesian
Art
follows
its
trial
over
the
great
passes
to
Central
Asia
;
he
watches
it
assuming
new
forms
and
breaking
into
new
beauties
as
it
spreads
over
Tibet
China
Burma
and
Siam
;
he
gazes
in
awe
at
the
unexpected
grandeur
of
its
creations
in
Cambodia
Java
and
Sumatra
;
he
sees
it
encountering
a
different
racial
genius
a
different
environment
in
Japan
and
under
its
influence
taking
on
a
unique
garb
.
In
each
country
he
delves
deep
into
the
limbo
of
forgotten
ages
as
he
does
in
India
itself
giving
examples
of
each
style
age
and
country
in
reproductions
.
156
In
this
400
page
volume
with
100
full
page
illustrations
Coomaraswamy
proves
the
living
spiritual
unity
of
Asia
in
all
its
myriad
diversities
first
proclaimed
by
Okakura
in
1904.
Here
for
the
first
time
the
curtain
that
had
long
hidden
her
is
lifted
and
Asia
is
revealed
in
all
her
majesty
decked
with
resplendent
riches
.