Ganga Avataran – Sanjaye Maurya

Ganga (Ganges) is India’s longest and most sacred river worshiped by Hindus. Originating at ‘Gangotri’ in Uttarakhand, the Ganges flows for 2525 km before meeting the sea in Bay of Bengal. Ganges waters are believed to possess supernatural powers that purifies soul.

In Hinduism, river Ganges is seen as the physical embodiment of goddess Ganga. It is believed to be the only river to follow the three worlds of Swarga (Heaven), Prithvi (Earth) and Patala (netherworld or hell). Hindus worship river Ganga as they believe that bathing in the river causes remission of their sins and facilitates Moksha (liberation from the cycle of life and death). Pilgrims from all over the country come to Ganga to get themselves cleansed of their sufferings and sins. Many families immerse ashes of their kin in the holy waters to take the spirits of their beloved ones closer to moksha.

As per Indian mythology Ganga was brought down to earth from heaven. Brahma (the God of creation) on request of Bhagiratha, an ancient Indian King, orders Ganga, to go down to the Earth and to the nether regions so that the souls of Bhagiratha’s 60,000 ancestors, who were reduced to mere heaps of impure ash, could attain salvation and go to heaven. Ganga takes this as an insult and decides to sweep the whole Earth away as she falls from the heavens. But Shiva who alone could withstand her tempestuous force, calmly traps her in his hair and lets her out in small streams. The touch of Shiva further sanctifies Ganga. As Ganga travels to the nether-worlds, she creates a different stream to remain on Earth and help purify unfortunate souls.

About the contributor: A childhood filled with drawing and painting, winning numerous awards, including prestigious President and Prime Minister of India’s awards, I graduated from Sir J. J. Institute of Applied Art. Bringing imaginations alive on canvas has always been a consummating passion. My constant companion for as long as I, can remember have been art in various forms. Lost in day to day hustle bustle of life this companionship was rekindled three year back and thus started a new journey.

I am a self-taught artist. My work resonates his appreciation of the different aspects of life. Inspired by the vast hues of the universe, my paintings reflect a wide variety of themes and concepts. Use of vibrant colors, stylization and technics make my work interesting and exciting. It breaks away from the monotony of single minded subject or technique. For each painting that I create, I draw motivation from his dreams and thoughts.

I enjoy combining and experimenting with different mediums and technics, be it gouache, water colour, ink, acrylic, crayons, pastels, graphite powder and pencil. Tools of painting is not only limited to brushes but knives, blades, fingers and thumb, etc. is used in innovative ways. Each material, technic used and applied adds its own element of interest to my art and makes it unique in its own way.

For me, pursuing art is an enriching and a fulfilling experience as it allows me to unite the elements of art, nature, artist and the viewer. It has led to self-realisation and to the core of my very existence.

Apart from painting, I enjoy reading, writing, photography and travelling. The travels give me a platform to observe various things endlessly.