Revival Of Art & Culture at Our Native Village - One Of The Top Resorts Near Bangalore

Arts at the retreat -
We are reviving six forms of Indian art at Our Native Village - Eco Resort Near Bangalore. Every room in the resort has a large hand-painted mural. The murals are painted directly on the walls. A team of tribal/rural artists was invited for painting these artworks.

• Madhubani, Bihar – This style of painting is particular to Mithila region of Bihar. Painters use hands, brushes and natural colors to create patterns and pictures. The paintings are a means of celebrating holy festivals and joyous occasions.
• Chitara, Karnataka – Nestled deep in the forests of Western Ghats are the villages of Hasuvanthe and Manjina Kaanu. The exquisite mural art "Chittara" is practised by members of the Deewaru community in these villages. The pictures reflect important aspects of life such as agriculture, marriage and festivals.
• Warli, Maharashtra – Warli comes from ‘warla’ meaning ‘a piece of land or a field’. Painted on walls reddened with earth and cow dung, these white stick figure compositions in fluid, rhythmic patterns instantly charm the viewer with their innate simplicity.
• Par, Rajasthan – Even at a distance, a Par (also Phad) artwork is unmistakable. Its immodest hues of yellow, red, orange, grey and green – harmoniously blend to create a regal masterpiece. The Pars are often dedicated to mythological deities and riders on caparisoned horses and elephants along with birds, animals, trees and flowers.
• Ghond, Madhya Pradesh– The Gond paintings in their singular, “two-dimensional” style cover numerous themes – folk stories, religion, nature etc. They may be bursting with flamboyant hues or in simple contrasts of black and white. Though similar in style, they are individual in expression and interpretation.
• Pata, West Bengal – Its bold images and colours, makes a Pata artwork sparkle with distinctive energy. Pata (or Pot) means "cloth" and the painters, commonly called "Patuas". This art form native to West Bengal consists of a sequence of paintings, like a storyboard or comic strip with no text. The artist employs the exuberance of bright colours to arrest the interest of the spectator and the themes are extremely varied.

Culture at the retreat -
We are also involved in reviving interest in veera kallus at the 10th century Aivarkandapura temple close by Our Native Village. Veera kallus or memory stones have been part of Indian history since the 4th century. Very few people are aware of them; even fewer have studied them in detail. Such memorial stones with or without inscriptions honour the death of a hero.  At Our Native Village - Eco Resort Near Bangalore we have replicated five major hero stones in the veera kallu garden.

• Halmidi Inscription– This is a replica of the inscription found at Halmidi, a village in Belur taluk of Hasan district and now preserved in the State Archaeological Museum of Bangalore. This inscription is the first Kannada inscription found in Karnataka. The inscription in Kannada script and language is dated to A.D. 450. It registers a gift of two villages named Palmadi and Mulivalli to Vijarasa, for having fought bravely for the Kadambas and defeated the Pallavas in a battle.
• Begur Hero Stone of Buttanasetti–This is a replica of a hero stone found at Begur in South Bangalore. It’s now kept in front of the Nageshwara temple at Begur. The date of the inscription is c.890 A.D. (9th century). The inscription clearly mentions the name of the place as ‘Benguluru’. The inscription records the death of Buttana Setti, a mane maga (house-son), in the war of Benguluru during King Nagattara’s rule.
• Abbalur Memorial Stone – This is a replica of the Abbalur Memorial which is now kept in the Basavanna temple at Abbalur of Hirekerur taluk of Haveri District. Its origin has been traced to the 12th century. The sculpture itself depicts the fight for women and cows. The details of Penbuyyal (cry of women) and Gograhana (Stealing of cows) are depicted on this memory stone.
• Shikaripur Hero-stone of Hariyakka – This hero-stone laid in memory of Hariyakka was originally in the tank-bed of Shikaripur is now preserved in Shivappanayaka museum of Shivamogga. The date on the inscription is 15th November, 1445. The memorial stone records the death of brave Hariyakka, who fought and died fighting her father Madigavuda’s enemies. This memorial stone was installed by her uncle Chenna.
• A Mahasati Stone– This is a replica of the Mahasati kallu preserved in the Shivappanayaka museum of Shivamogga. It’s a memorial stone from the 15th century. The stone was erected in the memory of a lady who sacrificed her life along with her dead husband. The stone depicts her last procession.