Bhopal: Deepa Rani of Bankura on display at Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Deepa Rani, a big brass lamp of Bankura (West Bengal) is the fourth ‘Exhibit of the Week,’ of January at social media pages of Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (IGRMS), Bhopal.

The Karmakar community of Bankura, West Bengal, owns Deepa Rani, a dokra lamp. It is an impressive lamp with a profusion of intricate elements that explains their mastery over the craftsmanship. The lamp has an oval-shaped flat base where a standing elephant is depicted.

A woman in an elegant gesture stands on this elephant by holding five wicked lamps while the sides of the vertical pole depict two musicians in niches with projected elephant heads. The feminine figure that impressively adorns three peacocks on the head, allows balancing the structure and its composition.

Director, IGRMS, Praveen Kumar Mishra says that Deepa Rani means ‘queen of the lamp’, and the craft truly reflects the inner essence of being reckoned by this inscription. It is lit during rituals and celebrations to bring prosperity and fortune.

He further says that the museum collected the dokra lamp from the Karmakar community of Bankura in 2008. Its height and width are 92.5 cm and 41.5 cm,

The exhibition began on Monday. Visitors can see this object from home through the Official site (https://igrms.com/wordpress/?page_id=8243) and Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/NationalMuseumMankind), Instagram and twitter page of the IGRMS till January 30.