Every breath a prayer, every step a retreat into a sublime past and every landscape a timeless text into the hearts and souls of the people we have come to know in Jon Ortner's enlightening and engaging odyssey. Nepal: Ortner's photographic pilgrimage begins in the birthplace of the Gautama Buddha (Siddhartha)--Nepal. Capturing some of the most brilliant images of the abode of the gods--the mountains, streams and rustic sanctuaries--Ortner reveals a truly imaginative and gifted eye for the simple yet deeply religious veins that have come to define this ancient civilisation. But he does not stop there. Rather, he continues to illustrate and question his viewers/readers commitment to the wistful and endearing images that reveal Ortner's uncanny understanding of the landscape. India: From Nepal, the viewer/reader is taken to the very heart of timelessness--mother India herself. The images of individual ascetics and reverential crowds gathered for the Kartika Purnima on the Ganges helps us to remember that India is indeed both the centrepiece and perhaps even the masterpiece of the gods, reigning supreme in the hearts and minds of the faithful and continuing to define and hone the canon unabated even in this nuclear age. Pages 102 and 103 show a rare and important image--that of corpses being readied for cremation and others already engulfed in flames. The image is doubly important as we get an even rarer glimpse of the Dom, untouchables who are consigned to perform the least illustrious occupations. Cambodia: Angkor Wat (wat means temple) in Cambodia is up next and Ortner vividly captures what must be some of the more intricate and memorable representations. Built as a sacred devotion to Vishnu, and occupying a central thematic in the lives of a majority of Cambodians, Angkor Wat represents the ever-present influence of South Asian Hindu/Buddhist architecture and cultural/religious ambience. Pages 110 and 111 aptly show how central Angkot Wat is becoming again after a brief hiatus in the latter part of the twentieth century, rising majestically to claim its true palce in the universe of the sacred. Ortner's careful and deliberate eye once again extends its panoptic in Cambodia when he includes images of Angkor Thom and Ta Phrom, equally important although less articulated monuments in the pantheon of wats in Cambodia. Banteay Srei concludes the section on Cambodia, with richly detailed stone motifs that depict the feminine essence of much of Southeast Asian belief systems. Java: The lessons of Angkor were learnt from as far away as Java in the middle period of the Angkor period that stretched from 810 A.D. to 1431. Indonesia, the fourth most populous nation in the world and although largely Muslim today, still holds its cultural treasures as a measure of its eminent civilisation and the world is privileged to have one of the most exquisite monuments of Buddhism (and its largest) standing in Central Java. Borobudur, which was restored by UNESCO in partnership with the Indonesian government, reminds the viewer/reader of the central importance of mutual respect in cultures that have evolved into and practice religions that are largely different from the time of the Borobudur. Ortner's focus on the images of the Buddha and the contemporary dances of the Ramayana performed in Candi Sari and Candi Sewu in Prambanan reflect the ongoing cultural and religious negotiations that continue to shape perceptions in Indonesia even at the close of the twentieth century and the beginning of a new millenium. Thailand: Ortner includes sonme of the most stunning Buddhist architecture in the section on Thailand. The unmistakable reverence and tribute paid to the Buddha in this land of freedom (hence the name Thailand, as it has never been ruled by any colonial power) is remarkable. Ortner's juxtaposing of the contemporary and the ancient complements the emotions and state of mind of a people readily willing to modernise yet clinging tenaciously to a cherished cultural and religious heritage few, if any, can match. Once again, Ortner does not fail to remind the viewer/reader of the important pre-Buddhist past of this majestic land with the images of the lingams in Wat Pho and Wat Phra Kaeo. Myanmar (Shwedagon): If nothing else, Ortner's 'pilgrimage' to Shwedagon alone is worth any viewer's/reader's time. Myanmar today has come to symbolise the struggle of many for freedom and peace. Myanmar's many shrines hold for its constituents perhaps the last refuge of tranquility. Myanmar's temples have always acted as sanctuaries for both the rich and powerful and the poor and destitute and it is this extremely important role that it continues to play today, shielding and protecting against the vagaries of a military junta. Ortner is to be commended for showing the world the intricate balance between politics and religion in a land scarred by factionalism and repression. Ladakh: Sparse yet elegant, Ladakh reminds the viewer/reader of the true Buddhist value of personal sacrifice. Ortner's depictions arrest the readers/viewers attention and we begin to wrestle with the stark reality of confronting a former kingdom decimated by political forces yet exuding a genuine warmth and friendship. Equally important is the fact that Ortner has captured the image of the Maitreya, the last and final Buddha. Bali: While the island of the Gods needs no introduction,
Bali is more than merely the tourist paradise we like to think
it is. Bali remains today the only Hindu enclave in Indonesia,
thoroughly in step with the rest of the modern world while providing
a window back to the time of old kingdoms built and destroyed
by successive waves of foreign and local invasions. Bali's immense
cultural and religious history lends itself to the stuff that
myths are made of. It is at once refined and elegant and allows
any discerning visitor a peep into the constant renewal of its
spiritual essence through its many festivals and highly accomplished
artisans, sculptors, musicians and world-renowned artists. The
reader/viewer will notice that its elegant temples possess an
architectural presence that is conspicuously different from that
of the other locations in this book--the images of carved stone
are decidedly local in its flavour and the unique juxtaposition
of demons or raksasas and gods within the same frescoes. Jon Ortner's brings to both the lay and informed viewer/reader the rich tapestry of culture and spiritualism from a very important region of the world. Ortner has captured and brought together some of the more memorable images of the Hindu and Buddhist pantheon, although Sri Lanka, a highly important seat of Buddhism, is conspicuously absent. The book is a sensitive and contemplative work, and one that can withstand even its most rigorous critics. Ortner's seamless erudition, especially of the Hindu/Buddhist diaspora, is quite remarkable and the book as a whole deserves to be carefully considered. |