The is a 2001 oil canvas painting by Manipuri artists, ''M Betombi Singh'' and ''Gopal Sharma''. The painting shows the capture of powerful Kao bull by hero Khamba. It is one of the most well known museum series "Exhibit of the Month" of the ''

Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (IGRMS) or National Museum of Humankind or Museum of Man is an anthropology museum located in Bhopal, India, to present an integrated story of the evolution of man and culture with special reference ...

'' in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It was exhibited for a whole month of July, 2019.

Title and subject

The painting shows an epic legend of

Ancient Moirang Ancient Moirang, also known as Keke Moirang, was an ancient civilization that flourished in the southern plains of the present day Manipur, India. The Keke Kangla served as the capital city of the kingdom since time immemorial. The major body of a ...

Kingdom. Angom Nongban Kongyamba, the villain, was jealous of

Khuman Khamba Khuman Khamba or Moirang Khamba is a hero in Meitei folklore. He belongs to the Khuman clan ( mni, Khuman Salai). He is the hero as well as the protagonist of the Meitei epic poem ''Khamba Thoibi'' of the Moirang Shayon legends in the Moirang ...

, the hero. So, he set a death-trap of Khamba. The hero was asked to capture the giant bull. But Kongyamba's dream of Khamba being killed by the bull was not fulfilled. Khamba knew the secrecy of the bull. The bull was once the head of Khamba's father's cattle herd. During the capture, Khamba whispered his father's name to the bull's ear. He also showed a silk rope to the bull. The bull recognised Khamba. So, the wild beast was tamed.

History

The artwork was painted by late artist M Betombi Singh in the Sana Konung Palace in

Imphal Imphal ( Meitei pronunciation: /im.pʰal/; English pronunciation: ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Manipur. The metropolitan centre of the city contains the ruins of Kangla Palace (also known as Kangla Fort), the royal seat of the fo ...

Manipur Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of Myanm ...

. The artist was 93 years old when he completed the artwork. In 2001, the painting was registered into the permanent collection of the

Museum. After that, the artwork was visited by many well known people including RK Chaturvedi, AS&FA, Union Ministry of Culture of India. The painting was kept in Veeth Sankul indoor exhibitions and library of the museum.

Exhibition

In July 2019, the painting was introduced as the "Exhibit of the Month" of the

by RK Chaturvedi, AS&FA, Union Ministry of Culture of India. The exhibition was curated by Nongmaithem Sakamacha. Sakamacha was the Museum Associate of Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya,

Bhopal Bhopal (; ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of both Bhopal district and Bhopal division. It is known as the ''City of Lakes'' due to its various natural and artificial lakes. It i ...

Other paintings

File:Manmohan Singh being presented a memento by the Governor of Manipur, Dr. S.S. Sidhu at the foundation stone laying ceremony of three projects the National Academy of Sports.jpg,

Manmohan Singh Manmohan Singh (; born 26 September 1932) is an Indian politician, economist and statesman who served as the 13th prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He is also the third longest-serving prime minister after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indir ...

, the then

prime minister of India The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...

, being presented a memento of a painting depicting

capturing the ''"Kao"'' bull, by Dr.

Shivinder Singh Sidhu Shivinder Singh Sidhu (13 October 1929 – 25 October 2018)
PTI (''The Hindu''), 21 July 2008. was ...

, the then

Governor of Manipur The governor of Manipur is the nominal head and representative of the president of India in the state of Manipur. The governor is appointed by the president for a term of five years. The current and 17th governor of Manipur is La. Ganesan from A ...

and

Okram Ibobi Singh Okram Ibobi Singh (born 19 June 1948) is an Indian Politician who was the Chief Minister of Manipur from 2002 to 2017. In 2012, he helped his party win the state election for the third time with an absolute majority securing 42 out of the tota ...

, the then

Chief Minister of Manipur The chief minister of Manipur is the chief executive of the Indian state of Manipur. As per the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's ''de jure'' head, but ''de facto'' executive authority rests with the chief minister. Following ele ...

, on the occasion of the foundation stone laying ceremony of three projects, National Academy of Sports,

Convention Center A convention center (American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typica ...

and Manipur Institute of Technology, in the

Kangla The Kangla Palace ( mni, /kəŋ.la/), popularly as well as officially known as the Kangla Fort, is an old fortified palace at Imphal in the Manipur state of India. It was formerly situated on both sides (western and eastern) of the bank of the ...

on the 2nd of December, 2006 File:Khamba and Thoibi (The Capture of the Wild Bull).jpg, ''"Khamba and Thoibi (The Capture of the Wild Bull)"''

Notes

References

External links

* {{Cite web, url=http://www.manipur.org/news/2019/07/20/traditional-manipuri-painting-khambana-kao-phaba-on-display-times-of-india/, title=Traditional Manipuri painting 'Khambana Kao Phaba' on display, website=manipur.org, date=20 July 2019 Bullfighting in art Cattle in art Cattle in popular culture Epic cycles of incarnations Mammals in art Meitei culture Meitei folklore in popular culture Meitei mythology in popular culture 2000s paintings 21st-century paintings

Title and subject

History

Exhibition

Other paintings

See also

Notes

References

External links