Rakhi Agarwal displays some of her creations. Picture by Manik Bose

A man seated in a yogic posture, a woman dancing majestically, Durga in all her fury and Ardhnareshwar (half Shiv and half Parvati) in a serene posture — paintings depicting this and much more is what one can see at the Morabadi Road apartment of Rakhi Agarwal.

Rakhi, who shifted to Ranchi only two months ago and excels in what she calls “temple art”. She defines it as a collaboration between god and man. It is the result of a unique temperament, she says.

“Temple art, as the name suggests, pertains to art in ancient temples. It was originally done on temple walls and its uniqueness lies in the fact that it is never fades and is made from natural colours,” says Rakhi, who learnt the form from Kerala.

However, temple art primarily consists of murals depicting Hindu gods and goddesses in various postures. The art, a speciality of Keralite tradition, is exclusively taught at a temple in a remote village of Kerala. “Not everybody shall find it easy to learn temple art. The form requires certain innate skills. In the first stage, we learn to paint on an acrylic base. After this the real work begins,” explains Rakhi.

A cement sheet is taken to which at least 25 coats of a solution made from coconut water and lime powder is applied. This has to be done in both a horizontal and vertical direction. After each coat dries the process is continued for around 30 days. Next, carving is done with a material made by locals. Finally, one has to paint using natural colours. “The paintbrush is also indigenously made from a special kind of grass. The colours are extracted from tiny stones which are got from Trissur, a small village near Trivandrum,” says Rakhi, a diploma holder in mural painting from Vastu Vidhya Gurukulam in Kerala.

The cost of each painting, which takes around three months to complete, is between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000. “The value of art is limitless. It all depends on the buyer. This January, at an art exhibition near Kovalam beach, a woman from Denmark purchased one of my paintings for Rs 1 lakh,” says Rakhi.

Rakhi is planning to teach the form in Ranchi. “I want more people to learn about this form and hence I wish to propagate this unique art form,” she says.