The Enduring Legacy of Stone Sculpture in Indian Tribal Art

Stone Sculpture is an important constituent of Indian tribal art. Stone sculpture is symbolic and
has been given a different meaning by the Indian tribes. The combination of form and content
has given this traditional representational art an emotional value and a pure formal aesthetic
effect. It is completely different to the classical stone sculpture of South India that represents
figures of popular Indian deities chiselled into stone. Tribes, almost all of them, have
wooden or stone memorial boards on which the carved horse and its rider are similar to those
painted by their predecessors in the past on the walls of their huts and shelters. They call these
memorial boards Gathas or Gatalas. The Gatalas are decorated with intricate designs carved on
stone and the typical motifs highlight the difference between Caste Hindu art and tribal art. The
subjects carved into the stones are selected from a limited list of elements. These are usually
horse riders; groups of geometrical human figures holding hands, and representations of the
sun or moon and the name of the deceased. In carvings of the horse and its rider the Bhils do
not necessarily depict their ancestors, as they did not have horses, but the figures mounted on
horseback perhaps represent their conquerors or the likes and dislikes of the person in whose
memory it is made. For instance, the Gatala of a person who was fond of horse riding shows
him mounted on a horse. One who used a gun or was a swordsman or an archer is shown with
the gun or sword or bow and arrow in his hands. These days one can occasionally see
motorcycles and even jeeps and other motor vehicles instead of horses, in keeping with modern
trends. Traditionally the Gatalas were mainly made as a tribute to men.

Women are rarely featured in them though recently one can see a couple depicted in the more
colourful gatalas that are influenced by modern trends. One art expert in this connection has
written – “Such memorable tablets are seen scattered all over the Bhil and Gond country-side in
groups and at times in solitary solemnity by the roadside under mango and mahua and banyan
trees and near wells. These are highly individualistic people in character, living in solitary
homesteads instead of clustered villages. The facial memory is kept alive through numerous
collective rituals and the Gatha and the Sati serve as visual links between the living and the
dead.” quoted from Jyotindra Jain
The artists specializing in making Gatalas are found in all villages. Regretfully, however, this art
and the tradition associated with it is on its way out because of the scarcity of land and
indifference of artists practising this form of art. The Gatha artists are now mainly non-tribals. Of
course, they prepare the Gathas as per the wishes of the tribal family concerned but are
indifferent to the vocation and their prices are exorbitant. The cost of the ‘Gatala’ as well as its
artistic beauty depends upon not only the artiste but also on the paying capacity of the person
getting it made as well as on how respected the deceased was because the name of the
deceased person and his exploits is mentioned on the ‘Gatala’.

We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to Dr Sudha Anand Bhandari, Research
Consultant & Expert on the Tribes of Madhya Pradesh, for her invaluable assistance and
insightful notes that greatly contributed to our research.