Page 80 - Scientech 2014-15

Mural Painting in Ancient India
Mural Painting in Ancient India

Assisted by Mr. K.U.Krishna Kumar
Principal, The Institute of Mural Paintings
Guruvayur Devasom, Kerala

“A painting cleanses and curbs anxiety, augments future good causes unequalled and pure delight;
banishes the evils of bad dreams and pleases the household-deity.
The place decorated by a picture never looks dull or empty.”
From Chithrasutra

ndian art has a very long and an illustrious history. The artists of Ajanta were inspired and guided by
IPainting as an art form has flourished in India the principles and techniques described in texts
from very early periods as is evident from various *Chitrasutra of the Vishnudharmottarra Purana.
epics and other literary sources; and also from the The artist got his colours from the simple materials
remnants that have somehow survived the test of that were available in the surrounding hills. For
time, vagaries of nature and vandalism- wanton or yellow and red colors they used ochre, for black
otherwise – caused by humans. Despite climatic they used lamp soot, for white they used lime. Only
conditions that tend to work against the survival for blue they used lapis lazuli from Afghanistan.
of older paintings, in total there are known more These simple colors were blended to provide the
than 20 locations in India with paintings and traces numerous colors and subtle hues, which are seen
of former paintings of ancient and early medieval in the Ajanta paintings.
times (up to the 8 to 10 centuries CE), although
th
th
these are just a tiny fraction of what would have Ajanta is known to be the fountainhead and
once existed. The most significant frescoes of the inspiration of Buddhist paintings across the whole
ancient and early medieval period are found in the of Asia.
Ajanta, Bagh, Ellora, and Sittanavasal caves, the
last being Jain of the 7 -10 centuries. Chola (Tanjore) Painting
th
th
Ajanta Cave Arts
The earliest surviving paintings in the Indian
subcontinent are those of Ajanta. The paintings
here were made in two phases. The oldest date to
around the 2 century B.C. The marvelous latter
nd
phase was around the 5 century A.D., under the
th
patronage of the Vakatakas who ruled the Deccan.
The subjects are scenes from the life of the Buddha
and the Jatakas, stories of his previous births.

Tanjore painting have a very rich heritage. This
style of painting has been followed in the southern
parts of Tamil Nadu for the past 2 centuries. Tanjore
paintings had originated in Tanjavur in Chennai
during the reign of the powerful Chola dynasty.
These paintings have been elaborated in the ancient
text of Chithrasutra.

78 Scientech 2014-15 www.sifbahrain.com