Dark musty caves and bat-infested temples in sleepy forgotten towns can hardly ever translate into poetry. But Vikramajit Ram makes it possible, so much so that you are ready to pack your bags and follow his trail and see the sights that have left such a profound impact on him.
This is mainly because in Dreaming Vishnus, he manages to bring a lyrical beauty to everything he sees. His eye for detail helps him capture the nuances of every piece of sculpture and monument he comes across. Myth and history are woven into his journey to give his stories an almost timeless appeal.
The book catalogues Ram?s journey through Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, when he was actually researching for his previous book Elephant Kingdom: Sculptures from Indian Architecture.
On the way he visits some famous interesting places such as Bhimbetka ? South Asia?s largest open-air gallery of prehistoric cave art ? and the completely off the map but interesting places such as Eran, where he finds the monolithic Varaha. And of course there is Deogarh, home to the Dreaming Vishnu or Vishnu Ananthashayana ? the inspiration for this book. And like much of his journey, his meeting with the Dreaming Vishnu is completely by chance. He goes to Deogarh looking for a Gupta period temple with a panel of Gajendra being drowned by the Naga king and queen. The Gajendra panel fails to impress him, but the Vishnu catcheshis eye.
Ram also highlights the desecration of monuments by modern day invaders whose sole aim in doing so is to make money. The vandalised temple in Deogarh and its ?sculpture shed? is just one such instance. Disfigured, damaged and dismembered pieces of sculpture exist alongside the dreaming Vishnus and playful elephants.
The myriad characters met during the journey ? co passengers, hotel owners, guides and drivers ? add colour. However every person the author encounters seems to have been caricatured in the book; either their English is not up to the mark; or their clothes are not stylish enough. Dreaming Vishnus is a perfect travelogue ? whether you want to just know a little more about architecture or whether you actually want to go visit them. The vivid descriptions can not only transport you to those places, but will actually come in handy if you go visiting.