"LONELY SHARIKA " A PAINTING BY MASOOD HUSSAIN WELL KNOWN KASHMIRI ARTIST

                                                                                          

LONELY SHARIKA ...BY MASOOD HUSSAIN..

Masood Hussain, a well-known artist from Kashmir, has long painted the ethnicity, culture, and traditions of his native land. But he could not remain untouched by the turbulent chapter that scarred Kashmir’s history, a period marked by pain, displacement, and the painful slicing of Kashmir’s soul. It was a time when the collective psyche of Kashmiris was subjected to unbearable trauma, tearing apart age-old bonds and rupturing the fabric of a composite culture that had thrived for centuries.

People who had lived together in harmony were forced to leave their homes to save their lives. Those who stayed back witnessed darkness, death, and destruction. In that turmoil, shrines of revered saints and places of social gathering slowly turned desolate.

One such visit deeply moved the artist, a visit to the Sharika Temple, also known as the Sri Chakreshwari Temple, located on the western flank of Hari Parbat in Srinagar.

Masood Hussain had been there before. He remembered seeing the noted painter G. R. Santosh at this shrine. He remembered the atmosphere once filled with devotees chanting sacred shlokas from the Panchastavi, hymns in praise of Mother Goddess Sharika.

“O Gracious Goddess,
Let my eyes always long to behold your divine face.
Let my ears remain eager to hear your eternal praise.”

The chant once resonated through the sacred space. Now, silence lingered. And a question arose in the artist’s heart:
Why should the presiding deity and protector of Kashmir be lonely?
Why has a once-lively shrine fallen into solitude? He poured this anguish onto canvas.

 The Painting: Symbolism and Colour

At the centre of the composition stands the Sharika Shila, painted in a vivid orange-red, the colour of sindhur traditionally applied to the sacred stone. The intensity of this hue conveys divine energy, spiritual continuity, and reverence. Yet, in the painting, it also appears isolated, glowing like an ember in a vast emptiness.

Behind it stretches an infinite, deep blue sky. The blue is expansive and overwhelming, suggesting both eternity and emotional void. It amplifies the sense of abandonment, a shrine suspended in silence. Breaking this expanse is a large white patch, a subtle yet powerful symbol of hope. Amid sorrow, the artist allows space for the possibility of peace. Engraved upon the Shila is the image of a Mynah (Haaer in Kashmiri), from which the name Hari Parbat is said to be derived. In certain Hindu texts, the Mynah symbolises love and peace. The bird’s presence becomes a reminder of the harmony that once existed.

The sacred Shat-kona (hexagram formed by two interlocking equilateral triangles) encases the image, a Shaivite symbol representing the union of Prakriti and Purusha, Shiva and Shakti. Cosmic balance. Divine unity. Yet, juxtaposed within this spiritual geometry appears a soldier’s helmet. Its presence is stark, contemporary, and unsettling, a reminder of conflict intruding upon sacred space. Nearby, thin strands of incense smoke rise, almost fragile against the vast blue, evoking memory, ritual, and fading presence. The mood is unmistakably one of stillness, but a heavy stillness.

The Larger Question

Masood Hussain’s closing reflection is simple yet profound:

“Kashmiris are searching for their lost culture.”

“Lonely Sharika” is not merely about a shrine. It is about cultural displacement, broken continuity, and the ache of spiritual solitude. It asks whether a land can feel abandoned — and whether its people can reclaim what was fractured. The painting stands as testimony, quiet, dignified, and deeply human.

( Avtar Mota )

CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.
Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.