It has been well observed that all the people who visit this beautiful land of Kashmir are not merely interested in its scenic or climatic beauty. There are many people who take with them a taste of intellectual nature. They are more interested in this land's art and cultural beauty. They are interested in its works of art and always want to know more and more about the cultural past of this land. For them this mountain walled land is a living Museum for its centuries old works of art and culture. Millions of people, who arrive here every year as tourists, do not miss to see the monumental glory of Kashmir. They visit Kashmir monuments and its museums where the works of the Kashmir art and craft are showcased. They also do not miss to see the archaeological ruins of Avantipura, Martand, Mamaleshwar and Parishpura They also prefer to visit the old city where the wooden pyramids have become great source of attraction for them. However things have changed rapidly, the olden traditions have been forgotten while as the new trends are being welcomed everywhere.
This mountain locked land which once had been preserving its indigenous art and culture has also fallen prey to the newly flourishing external trends. The magic of Kashmeri hands has to large extent stopped to work with its handicrafts. The glorious arts and crafts of this land have almost disappeared from its markets. What has been left of it? Those are few remains of its monuments and artifacts which are showcased in the maps and cabins of state museums and art galleries. The book Masterpieces of Kashmir is an attempt where in are described those forgotten arts and crafts which these days have become the zenith of prestigious museums and art galleries. In other words the book provides its readers a chronology of kashmiri arts and crafts right from the earliest stone art up to the Paper Machie and handlooms. It gives its readers in-depth picture of evolution and development of those forgotten arts with elaborate reasons which are behind the downfall of those arts. Although we could not carry forward all those glorious traditions of this land and its people but still we can document them and preserve that documentation for the generations to come. My book titled the master pieces of Kashmir is a sort of documentation where in I have attempted to make a documentation of master arts and crafts of this land. I hope the forth coming readers interested in lands art and cultural history would definitely find this book useful. |
