The Roerich Estate, unveiled!

A view of the Roerichs’ house in Tataguni Estate and the graves of Svetoslav Roerich and Devika Rani. The estate is open for the public for ten days from Sunday as part of the state’s Roerich centenary celebrations.

Take peep into glorious Roerichs’ life at Bangalore estate
Times of India

Bangalore: For decades, celebrated painter Svetoslav Roerich and his actress wife Devika Rani lived a legendary life outside Bangalore. From Sunday, citizens can have a glimpse into it.

The famed couple’s estate and residence at Tataguni (about 20 km from Bangalore) will be open to the public for 10 days from Sunday morning as part of the state’s Roerich centenary celebrations. On display will be some of the things used by the couple in their daily lives, including the famous painter’s tools which aided his craft.

Spread over 460 acres, the estate is known to be home to an amazing variety of birds, insects and animals, apart from flora. More than 60,000 bursera trees, which led to the setting up of an aromatic oil extraction unit, are a major part of the foliage. Peacocks, rabbits, jackals, sometimes even elephants can be found on the grounds.

There are not too many structures on the premises. A Mangalore-tiled house, the artist’s studio adjoining the house, the graves of the two in front of the studio and the factory unit along with a drying shed are the only built areas, and anybody can walk through these.

A collection of rare books, including many from Roerich’s own press on Buddhism line the studio walls. The brushes he used, paints and coloured stones, believed to have been powdered and used to make the paint, are scattered around the studio. Some 30 digital prints of his works form part of the display in the studio area.

The house is unusually bereft of any glamourous touches. Some of the furniture used by the couple, complete with cushions, mattresses and coverlets, is on display. Of special interest are an old radio and a vintage refrigerator made by General Motors, both definitely of antique value. And there’s also some exquisite crockery on display in two wooden cabinets in the dining room.

For avid motorists, the Roerichs’ vintage Chevvy, now restored to its original glory, is also on display.
Down a path from the house is the factory with a crusher and boiler where the bursera pods were boiled, oil extracted and exported. The factory was abandoned in 1993 with the death of Roerich but has been painstakingly revived and made functional.

But the most breathtaking aspect of the entire estate is the lake, which has also been revived by the Lake Development Authority, and made picturesque by introducing six large ducks. When alive, the Roerichs reportedly took a walk each morning around the entire lake. Stone benches along a pathway skirt the lake. For the sake of posterity, the stone bench used by former PM Jawaharlal Nehru, on his visits to Tataguni estate, has also been preserved.

Thanks to litigation and controversy, the estate and the Roerichs’ personal belongings have been under lock and key for over a decade. This is too good an opportunity to pass up.

Rare unity

State government departments working in splendid isolation, or worse still, openly working against each other is the norm. On the rare occasions when they come together, they can certainly make things happen. The sheer number of departments or wings working on the Roerich Estate is mindboggling — revenue, public works, forest, Lake Development Authority, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, tourism, rural development, zilla panchayat, police and many others have worked in tandem to present the place to the public from Sunday.