Photographic Prints at the Kern Institute, Leiden
The Bhandars of Sarahan
In our huge photo collection on the art and archaeology of South and Southeast Asia are 157 photos taken by the Indian photographer Babu Pindi Lal. During his work for the Archaeological Survey, Lal was given the adventurous but difficult task to accompany Dr A.H. Francke on the very first scientific exploration into 'Indian Tibet', starting from Simla in 1909. His photographs are a unique testimony to the antiquities and people of the former hill state of Basharh and the frontier districts of Jammu and Kashmir. We will focus on two photographs which, once seen, immediately 'stick to the mind': the Bhima Kali Temple complex at Sarahan (Himachal Pradesh, India) and a group photo showing Raja Shamsher Singh, royal resident of that complex.
* By GERDA THEUNSDE BOER
On 14 June 1909, Francke's small but well-equipped caravan left Simla to travel up the Sutlej Valley through the princely hill-state of Bashahr. Only two months before, the Director-General of Archaeology, Dr J. H. Marshall, had asked Francke, then attached to the Moravian mission in the Ladakh and Lahul area, to enter the service for an eighteen-month period. Francke's knowledge of both the history (A history of Western Tibet, London, 1907) and the art history of western Tibet made him the ideal expedition leader. In addition, he was acquainted with the required languages.
Francke planned to proceed with his tour from Bashahr state into Spiti (visiting a Tabo monastery) and to enter into Ladakh by crossing the Pharang Pass (an altitude of 5,600m!), the Phologongkha Pass, and the Thaglang Pass. At Leh he turned westwards in the direction of Srinagar. This breathtakingly beautiful route, once more traversing three passes, is very well-known to tourists nowadays. In fact, they walk in Francke's footsteps without knowing it when they are visiting the monasteries in Basgo, Likir, Alchi, and Lamayuru, the Maitreya rock-cut in Mulbekh, and proceeding in towards Srinagar by passing Kargil, Dras, and Sonamargh. On 16 October, Francke finally reached Srinagar. A detailed personal and scientific account of the exploration may be found in Francke's Antiquities of Indian Tibet.
An 'out of India' feeling
Let us turn back to 23 June, the tenth day of the expedition. The caravan left Gaura village after a sleepless night because of the villagers who 'sang without a break through the whole of the night', as the festival of prayers for a good harvest was taking place then. Walking was still pleasant, as the mountains were wooded and the views charming. They gradually climbed up to 2000 metres leaving Simla 184 kilometres behind them. In the afternoon, they reached Sarahan, the old capital of Bashahr state. There, Raja Shamsher Singh expressed his wish to have tea with the expedition team at their bungalow. The raja, then at the age of seventy, was carried in a litter by several of his subjects. He 'asked us first to take a photo of himself, and then to go to the other side of his palace and take a general view of it from there' (see both photos). Although Francke mentions the presence of an ancient Kali temple inside the compound, he consequently refers to the Bhima Kali residential complex as a palace and qualifies it as 'one of the finest specimens of hill architecture'. In fact, this complex is so special, so totally different from the 'classical' North Indian temple style that, looking at it, we experience an 'out of India' feeling.
There is a strong sense of unity in the complex. All its buildings are constructed with layers of timber -often from the cedrus deodara- alternated with terra pise: a filling material composed of rocks and pounded earth. The slightly concave roofs of slate or wooden shingles and the harmony in the succession of high and low within the subsidiary buildings give the complex an idea of springing, but still with perfect balance. Two impressive towers are its greatest eye-catchers! In Sarahan especially they are multi-functional. These so-called bhandars combine the functions of observation post, 'protected area', tiered temple and storage house for ritual implements and temple materials. The towers' parapets are adorned with carved balconies. If we take a closer look at the towers we will see that they are connected. This connection could be a buttress for their mutual strengthening, or a bridge creating a 'shortcut' or an additional way in or out.
The 'interior
'
What did Francke have to say about both everyday and ritual life inside the enclosure wall? As a matter of fact, virtually nothing, as he was not allowed to enter the premises! This may well have been the reason that the raja paid a visit to the expedition team, as opposed to vice versa. For a relatively accurate account of the 'interior' and the altered exterior, we can turn to R.M. Bernier's chapter on 'The Building Arts of Himachal Pradesh' (1997). But even then, we need to construct a visualization ourselves as photography is still strongly prohibited. Let us try this by entering the door on the street side, which is completely covered with brass plates showing Siva and Durga.
The compound is split up into three courts, each with its own enclosure. There are slight differences in level, so going from one court to another means taking a few steps up or down, thereby passing through a beautifully decorated door, either painted or covered with repousse silver panels, each time. Several sets of doors are inscribed with the name of Raja Sahib Padam Singh (most probably the successor of Shamsher Singh) and the year 1927. This proves that alterations have still been applied, even up to a fairly recent date. There are several smaller 'sacred structures', the blue-painted one of which seems very frightful as it shelters a deep pit... at the same time being a good source for story-telling. It is named after the local devata Lankara Baro.
Finally, we come to the terrace upon which both bhandars rest. The tower to the spectator's left is the oldest and has not been altered in the approximate eighty-eight years in between Francke's and Bernier's visits. It has very fine silver doors with Ganesha on top. The tower is no longer used and tilts towards the
right tower, which, by contrast has been greatly altered. There are
two possibilities. Either it is a new bhandar dating from the post-Francke
period or the tower itself is old, but has been provided with a new roof
and enlarged with a huge balcony. There is no photographic proof of a
buttress or bridge connecting both towers now. It may be for this reason
that the left tower tilts to the right. 
The Bhima Kali shrine, housed on the third floor of the right tower, can be circumambulated, probably by way of the balcony. The shrine is regarded as a wedding chamber in which Kali's marriage to Siva is consummated over and over again. Absent, therefore, is the demonic appearance of the bloodthirsty female incarnation of Siva. Three-and-a-half feet in height, the statue is completely cloaked with decorations and resting on a silver, carpeted dais with four pillars. According to Bernier, 'her lovely expression is calm and gentle'. As the goddess has not yet featured in publications and has probably never been photographed, we need only imagine.
The Bhima Kali residential temple complex at Sarahan (23 June 1909)
References
A.H. Francke, Antiquities of Indian Tibet, 2 vols., Delhi (1914, reprint 1972).
R.M. Bernier, Himalayan Architecture, Cranbury (1997).
Drs Gerda Theuns-de Boer is an art historian and Project Manager of the Photographic Database on Asian Art and Archaeology, Kern Institute, Leiden University.
E-mail: Theuns@let.leidenuniv.nl