KaravanPakistan - Karavan Heritage Murals
Karavan Heritage Mural - Taxila Canvas
The Timeless Ruins of JaulianGandhara – the very word sets of images of a culture unparalleled in its aesthetic expression. The centre of Gandhara Culture was Taxila. Jaulian, a historically significant site is famous for the ruins of a monastery at the summit of a hill. The Gandhara Heritage Fest PSO-Karavan Heritage Mural Painting Initiative was held by KaravanPakistan in collaboration with Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Taxila, Risalpur and Wah Cantt Schools.
Children painted beautiful murals utilizing not just the physical heritage site but its spiritual, cultural and aesthetic components.
The Taxila Heritage Murals form part of a larger canvas that includes Heritage Murals from Karachi, Lahore and Bahawalpur: all depicting in the beautiful language of art the silent majesty and significance of the Heritage Sites of Pakistan.
The Heritage Mural also allows students to form a close bond with these sites and observe them minutely with the added knowledge of their historical significance.
The Gandhara belt in Pakistan extended on a wide area with Taxila as its main centre and represents this invaluable chapter from our history. It was to celebrate this portion of our history and a physical vestige of this great civilization in the form of the Buddhist monastery of Jaulian that the PSO-Karavan Heritage Mural Painting Initiative was held at Jaulian.
The children have made beautiful portraits that are poignant reminders of our emotional and spiritual heritage ensconced in these heritage sites. One of the most magnificent murals painted in this stretch of the Heritage Mural Initiative by schools shows Buddha serenely sitting under a tree as a halo of light surrounds the scene and the tree becomes the source of all blessings. Other murals depict the feeling and concept that this site sets off in the minds of the children.
These murals not only show the knowledge that the children acquired about the Buddhist civilization but also that they realized the true spirit of the message of the Buddha, which is peace and caring, a message increasingly of great importance in a world ravaged by disputes.
Karavan Heritage Mural - Bahawalpur Canvas
PSO-Karavan Rohi-Cholistan Heritage Mural
On the 1st of October, 2004 KaravanPakistan held the PSO-Karavan Heritage Mural Initiative as part of the three day Rohi-Cholistan Heritage Fest at the Nur Mahal State Palace. School children from government and private schools from all over Bahawalpur and the adjoining areas took part in this Initiative. Their colourful and brilliant depiction of the Heritage Sites of Rohi-Cholistan; the Derawar Fort, Nur Mahal Palace and Durbar Mahal Palace was truly a sight to behold.
Karavan Heritage Mural - Karachi Wall Painting
PSO-Karavan Heritage Wall MuralJanuary 15-16, 2005
The I.I.Chundrigar Road Heritage Wall Mural Painting Event was a multifaceted programme developed by KaravanPakistan. It not only made the participating students aware of their civic responsibility but also inculcated in them care and concern for their heritage. It was an opportunity for them to showcase their paintings on a permanent basis in one of the busiest sections of Karachi.
Over 140 students belonging to 16 Karavan Mera Pakistan Compact Partner Schools (both private and government) gathered on Sunday 16th January from 2:00p.m to 5:00p.m. to portray the city’s heritage as seen through the eyes of the youth of this great metropolis. The drawings were made in preparation of the painting session on 15th January morning.
This programme was part of a concerted effort by the City District Government to improve the environmental conditions of I.I.Chundrigar Road by means of tasks directed towards road and pavement construction, lighting, cleanliness and improved traffic management. The Mural Painting Event was designed to discourage graffiti and chalking on walls which disfigure public property and in consequence the city’s environment.
KaravanPakistan joined hands with the Chundrigar Road Outreach Subcommittee to encourage a partnership between heritage, art and commerce and to develop a stake in the city through the involvement of young people.
Thus various schools were invited by KaravanPakistan to create murals on the Pakistan Railways boundary wall located on I.I.Chundrigar Road. The size of each mural being 10’x7’. The murals portray the cultural and natural heritage of Karachi and the dynamism and diversity of its people. The murals attracted a lot of attention from passers by as the hectic and frantic commercial activity on Chundrigar Road was pleasantly interrupted by this colourful event.
The young artists who participated in this Event showed their creativity as is evident in the pictures of the Murals drawn. The murals were much appreciated by the general public and the institutions whose offices are on I.I.Chundrigar Road. The murals present an enduring portrayal of the city and its culture and reflect the creativity and dynamism of the people of this country.
Karavan Heritage Mural - Karachi Canvas
The Karavan Heritage Mural began in January 2004 at the Shahi Qila, painted by school children of Lahore. In 2004 it was approximately 400 feet long and today in 2008 it is approximately 1700 feet long and increasing.This is an ever increasing mural which will continue to grow as more and more children paint various heritage structures. Not only have students contributed to this mural but also the children and women from the earthquake area have added to this amazing canvas and this has helped them to overcome that traumatic time. All the murals painted at these events will be added to the earlier sections and displayed at each venue where children’s assembly takes place. The painting of murals will be a continuing activity by Schools Heritage Wallay Societies in various cities. The Karavan Heritage Mural represents the culture and heritage of Pakistan as seen through the eyes of young people.
The series of Karachi Mural painting Events are:
State Bank Annexe September 5, 2004
Quaid-e-Azam House April 23, 2005
Frere Hall January 28, 2006
KMC Building: May 20, 2006
Sindh Assembly Buiding April 12, 2007
Karavan Heritage Mural - Lahore Canvas
Shahi Qila Mural Painting EventThe Shahi Qila Mural Painting Event which was part of the Shahi Qila Heritage Fest was the starting point of the KaravanPakistan Heritage Mural Painting Event
Young students from different schools of Lahore indulged in viewing the Badshahi Mosque and the Shahi Qila from the perspective of art and creativity hence giving birth to a colourful and vibrant perspective on the heritage sites of present day Pakistan.
The primary objective of the Mural Painting activity in Lahore, as elsewhere, was for the future generation to get familiar with Pakistan's heritage and to enhance their sense of belonging with their country. The beauty and defined architecture of these historical buildings portray a culture rich in art, aesthetics and successful administration which allows an individual to develop a sense of spiritual and peaceful awareness through the surroundings.
Pakistan's heritage provides hope for the present and future generations to feel pride for their nation and to be a proud Pakistani. The Mughal Emperors of the sub continent have bequeathed a unique legacy unsurpassed and unparalelled in the history of mankind. Amongst the forts, palaces, mausoleums and mosques built by the Mughals the most memorable are the Agra Fort and its counterpart in present day Pakistan, the Shahi Qila. The construction of the citadel was taken up in earnest by Akbar perching it on high ground, on the banks of a branch of the river Ravi that commanded an all-encompassing view of the Walled City lying below.
The citadel is divided into different sections, each creating its own world within its quadrangle. The main sections of the Shahi Qila are the Diwaan-e-Aam Quadrangle ,the Moti Masjid Quadrangle, Jahangir's Quandrangle, ShahJahan's Quandrangle, Paien Bagh and Khilwat Khana Quadrangle and the Shahburj Quadrangle.
Built by the last of Great Moghuls, Aurangzeb, the Badshahi Mosque is among the largest mosques in the world and sports almost 145' tall minarets, assuring the mosque's visibility from great distances. The whole masjid is placed on a raised platform, in the tradition of mosques built during Shahjahan’s period, lending an immense scale to the monument. Today tastefully lit up at night, it presents a mystical appearance of deep alcoves and bulbous white domes allowing 60,000 worshippers to pray at any one time.
The breathtaking grandeur of the Shahi Qila was enhanced on colorful murals painted by young students bringing the awe inspiring citadel back to life with vibrant splashes of colors and a vivid imagination evoking a sense of belonging within the new generation and a respect for their nation's heritage.
The Shahi Qila was beautified and its existence was given a new and energetic meaning from the perspective of the young artists. The arches of the building were defined with strong, curved lines giving it depth with dark colours. Texture was added on the brick walls with strong tones of earth shades, and form combined with colour brought back life to the monument.
Men and women painted in elegant attire portrayed prosperity, and good living. The bond and love shared between a mother and a child was enhanced on one of the murals of the Shahi Qila and the figures of men as warriors were painted as forms of protection and strength. Bright coloured kites, the blue skies, beautiful flowers created in the paintings depict hope and freedom. The grace and exoticness of a painted peacock signifies the royalty that once existed at the Shahi Qila. Similarly, murals of the Badshahi Mosque are rich with delicate motifs of petals and leaves and Moghul miniatures that were carved through the imagination of a child and made vivid on canvas. The portrayal of birds around the dome of the Badshahi Mosque is a reminder of peace and spirituality which the young artists felt within themselves amidst the surroundings.
Our present and future generation are our pride and it is through the creativity and efforts of these young individuals that the cultural heritage of Pakistan can be restored and preserved to eventually create a truly Cultural Pakistan.