swaminathan ajanta rhapsody

8/12/2019 SWAMINATHAN Ajanta Rhapsody

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AJANTA

Foreward

I was fascinated by Ajanta from my school days. I entered that world through the then available literature. What

was on offer, for the most part, were scholarly works; there was a paucity of information for the lay, interested

reader. This is so even today. This and my continued passionate interest in it are the only two reasons for my

essay into this enchanting world of sublime beauty.

My contact with the glory of Ajanta, though not erudite, original or scholarly, has been long and

continuous; what I have managed to put together here is all the information that was not available to me from

any single source. This effort merely attempts to share my pleasure with you who, in turn, may find it limited or

endless.

There is considerable literature on Ajanta paintings. These are mostly authored by experts in the field of

art and art history. I am not connected with art, but a teacher in engineering. Then what prompted me to attempt

a venture of writing this book?

I wanted to reach common people, who would not find the available literature on Ajanta easy to follow.

My engineering orientation helped me looking at certain aspects of Ajanta from a different angle,

different from that of the artists and art historians.

I approached the subject as a teacher would. First I decided on the sequence in which the material is to

be presented. Thus I have attempted to answer the FAQ, the frequently asked questions: where is Ajanta, who

were the painters, what are the themes, what pigments were used, how the wall were prepared, etc. There is also

a short chapter on the phases of Ajanta art, starting from the early period to classical period, and, finally, to the

decadent phase. I felt this would be necessary to appreciate the paintings.

It is then the description of the important caves and the paintings that they contain are taken up.

First I had given a brief description of the cave and its importance. For example, cave 19 and cave 26

do not contain any painting worth mentioning; but there are some superb relief sculptures, absolutely

breathtaking. Though multi-storied caves are common in Ellora, Cave 6 is the only double storied cave of

Ajanta.

Then I had proceeded to explain in some detail the important scenes in each cave. The explanations

avoid technical terms as far as possible. An effort is also made to maintain easy flow to retain interest. In these

discussions the focus had been to follow the story, and understand the artistic significance of the panel. While

doing this I have attempted to highlight certain special features, if they are found. For example, short description

is given about the musical traditions of the day, when musicians and musical instruments are depicted in a panel.

Further cross-reference to other panels depicting musicians is also provided.

For example, the opinion that stitched dress was introduced into India by foreigners is countered by

pointing out tailored dresses portrayed in Ajanta. Similarly in the West it is held that side-flutes were used first in

the West and that too in the 14thcentury onwards. But the 4

th-5

thcentury paintings prove this wrong.

Even the bibliography is presented in popular language.

In short I have attempted to rouse the interest in the minds of the youth on Indian heritage. I am not

certain to what extent I have succeeded. But the pleasure I had experienced is substantial. And I hope it

infectious.

.SWAMINATHAN

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INTRODUCTION

Ajanta is a great art treasure. The 29 caves here are a fine example of rock-cut architecture. They contain

some exquisite sculptures, and more importantly, paintings of unrivalled beauty. It is surprising that such a

major artistic activity of Ajanta was executed by Buddhist monks without any royal patronage. The caves,

the excavation, sculpturing and painting, were completed in two phases: the first during 2nd

-1stcenturies BC

and the next covering a period of two and a half centuries starting from the 4thcentury AD. In these caves

one can see the progress from the early phase of paintings of the pre-Christian era of caves 9 and 10,

reaching classical perfection by the 4th-5

thcenturies, then the falling off into mannerism and then to baroque

ornamentation and, finally, lapsing into artistic decline before the caves were ultimately abandoned by the

6thcentury AD.

The paintings and sculptures of Ajanta are a storehouse of information about the period: the

costumes, textile design, the jewellery, the musical instruments then in use, the social order, court etiquette,

ideas of beauty and morality, categories of taste, customs and mores of the people of the time, and their

sense of levity and wit.

The paintings themselves, or what survive of them, tell us about the technical aspects of their art,

such as the preparation of the ground, the execution of the painting itself with the sense of perspective, line,

space division, colour-overlay, the material used in preparation of the pigmentation and the harnessing of

the visual and tactile senses to the pacing of the narrative to be depicted. Mysteries abound: the yoking of

the sacred and the profane; the adjacency of the naked and the robed, the division of the art activity

between the ceilings and wall murals into geometric design and figurative narration, and so on.

The Ajanta paintings are the earliest surviving paintings of India, religious or secular, barring the

primitive rock paintings. This spirit of Ajanta influenced the religious art of the whole of Asia: Sri Lanka,

China, Japan and the countries of the Far East and South East Asia.

In fact the Ajanta painting tradition is truly an indigenous religious art tradition. This is true of

other Indian religious art forms like Hindu and Jaina. The Buddha and His disciples were Indians. The

Indian artist did not feel the need to make a translation from foreign to familiar terms, as did the medieval

artists of Europe and the Buddhist Asian countries. They painted and sculpted a world they were at home

in; they painted, in a word, the life around them.

LOCATION

The caves of Ajanta are situated in the district of Aurangabad in the state of Maharashtra. Ajanta is about

100 km by road from Aurangabad and about 60 km from Jalgaon; both are connected by rail with Mumbai

and Delhi. There are air services to Aurangabad from Mumbai and Delhi. An extended stay at Aurangabad

would be rewarding, as the equally important Ellora caves are only about 30 km away.

(***Note: map of the region to be given***)

The possible explanation for the monastic establishment at Ajanta is its proximity to the ancient

trade routes. (****Do we need to explain what is known as trade route?***)

When one approaches the site the unexpected sighting of the caves around the horseshoe shaped

gorge is breathtaking. The Waghora river springs from its source at one end, to flow in a series of waterfalls


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dropping as much as thirty meters and passing through seven peculiar bowls of rock called Sat Kund,

before entering the gorge.

The caves extend along a concave line running from east to west for about six hundred meters. A

narrow pathway will take you to the entrance of Cave 1, to start the pilgrimage to the highest achievement

of Indian Buddhist art - a beginning to the end of a great tradition and a glorious chapter in the world

history of wall painting.

One can have no doubt about the suitability of the location for uninterrupted meditation and

contemplation.

LAYOUT OF THE CAVES

The caves are aligned in a horseshoe form. There are a total of

twenty-nine caves. The caves are numbered not on the basis of

chronology (or period of excavation?), but on the basis of their

physical location. The first cave in the outer-most extremity serves

as an entry point and is numbered one, and then the other caves

follow sequentially. The general arrangement was not pre-planned,

as they sprang up sporadically in different periods.

The caves are of two types: Buddhist temples called chaitya-s and Buddhist monasteries called

vihara-s. There are five chaitya-s and the remaining are vihara-s. Some of the caves are unfinished. The

caves belong to two distinct phases of Buddhist rock-cut architecture, separated from each other by an

interval of about four centuries. The earlier group of caves is 8, 9, 10, 12, 13 & 15A belonging to the pre-

Christian era and belongs to the Hinayana sect of Buddhism. The earliest is Cave 10, which was excavated,

in the 2nd century BC. After a gap of about four centuries, excavation was revived on a much more

ambitious scale, resulting in the remaining twenty-two caves that now stand as testimony to the Mahayana

sect of Buddhism.

(Note: The line diagram may be redone)

PERIOD OF EXCAVATION AND POLITICAL SITUATION AND PATRONAGE

The beginning of the Ajanta chapter is a tribute to the religious tolerance of Indian rulers. The earliest caves

in Ajanta were excavated during the rule of the Satavahana-s, who had their capital at Pratishthana (called

Paithan to day). During their rule there was brisk trade and commerce within the land and with the

Mediterranean world, which brought in enormous riches.The second phase was of greater artistic activity at Ajanta during the rule of the Vakataka and

Chalukya dynasties from the 4th to the 6th centuries AD. These rulers, like the Satavahana-s, were

themselves Hindus but all these kings actively allowed Buddhism to flourish in their territory.

But there was no direct royal patronage during almost the entire period of Ajanta's artistic activity.

But the rich mercantile community, organising itself into guilds, had provided the requisite patronage.


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\RE-DISCOVERY

The precious caves remained abandoned till

1817 when the caves were discovered by a

company of British soldiers. Soon pioneer

archaeologists were attracted to the caves that

were lost to civilisation for more than twelve

centuries. James Burgess and Major William

Gill made copies of some of the paintings and

exhibited the first copies of the Ajanta paintings

at the Crystal Palace in London in 1866.

Unfortunately almost all of these replicas of the pictures in their original state perished in a

disastrous fire. Later some copies were made by Griffiths and Lady Herringham, to be published in 1896

and 1915. Before Indian independence, Ajanta was a part of Hyderabad state. Under the patronage of the

Nizam, the then ruler of Hyderabad, Yazdani, who was the director of archaeology, edited and published

two volumes on the paintings of Ajanta in 1933.

ROCK-CUT ARCHITECTURE OF AJANTA

Before taking up the paintings of Ajanta let us have quick look at the architecture and sculptures of Ajanta.

The caves of Ajanta offer an instructive field for the study of the evolution of rock-cut architecture

or cave architecture. Cave architecture is unique in the sense that it can be viewed as an enterprise of a

sculptor. The cave architecture, at Ajanta and elsewhere, betrays the strong influence of wooden

construction. Probably drawn from the profession of carpenters, with goldsmiths and ivory-carvers joining

hands with the sculptors.

The evolution of rock-architecture can be made to fall into two periods: the Hinayana period of the

pre-Christian era and the later Mahayana period. During the first phase, that is, the Hinayana period of 2nd

century BC to 2nd Century AD the sculptural activity was limited. The second phase began in the 4th

century AD. Sculptural compositions filled the facade, shrines, pillars, etc. Side by side with the excavation

of new caves the existing Hinayana ones were suitably modified.

Original Cave 1Copy by LadyHerringham


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VIHARA-S AND CHAITYA-S

The caves of Ajanta are divided into chaitya-s (monasteries) and vihara-s (temples).

The entrance to a chaitya has a prominent arched window, called chaitya-window, to light the

interior. On entering one steps into a long vaulted nave with pillared aisles on either side. At the far end is

semicircular, with a stupaat its centre. Originally stupa-swere grave mounds, which were replicated within

chaitya-s. Simple domical structure of the Hinayana time changed to cylindrical form with elaborate

carving and sculptures in the later period.

Plan of a Chaitya Front View Inside View

Stupa

Entrance


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The vihara-s are rectangular congregation halls with cells for the monks on the inner sides, leading out to

verandas. The oldest vihara-s at Ajanta were the monasteries attached to the earliest Hinayana chaitya-s.

Later the viharaincluded the function of the chaitya. This was done by adding a shrine with an imposing

statue of the Buddha. The pillars, carved with greater zeal, surrounded the main hall and lined a narrow

passage between the monks' cells on two sides of the hall.

SCULPTURE OF AJANTA

Sculptural activities during the two periods were different in certain respects. During the first phase, that is,

the Hinayana phase, the Buddha was not shown in the human form, but only in symbols, such as the

Wheel, the Bodhi Tree and the Feet of the Buddha. But during the Mahayana period sculptures and

paintings of the Buddha and the Bodhi-sattva-s, important divinities in the Buddhist faith, were added.

The figure-sculpture of Ajanta belongs to the great art-tradition

of contemporary India. Sculpture, mostly dating from the 4th and 6th

centuries AD, is remarkable for its classicism marked by qualities like

grace, elegance, restraint and serenity. The spiritual luminosity of the

contemporary images of the Buddha is, however, wanting as the

general character of the sculpture tends towards a certain heaviness of

form, and is considered inferior to the Gupta images.

Every one of the sculptures was plastered and painted, but

most of this protective layer is now lost.

Plan of a vihara Inside View

Naga Couple Cave 19

Shrine

CongregationHall

CellsforMonks

CellsforMonks

Entrance


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THEMES OF PAINTINGS

The subjects of the pictures are chosen mostly from the jataka-s, Buddhist mythological stories of the

previous lives of the Master. Episodes from the life of the Buddha form the next important theme in Ajanta.

Some of these are mostly self-contained, whereas some are narrative, moving from scene to scene. A few

of the solo-pictures do not seem to have any religious import.

The paintings in the last category are the decorative in character. Floral decorations, geometrical

design, birds, animals, mythical nymphs and monsters fill up every square inch of available space - on the

ceilings, pillars, etc. The ceilings contain paintings mostly of secular themes.

COMPOSITIONEarlier Phase (2nd-1st centuries BC)

There are very few surviving paintings of the earlier period. From what is left and from the copies made by

the pioneers in Caves 9 and 10, we find that the narrative paintings are arranged in the form of a long

canvas, at eye level, progressing from episode to episode. The scenes unfold on a ribbon-like space on the

walls, but are not subdivided as in the later period except for an occasional tree, or a building or a group of

rocks, which vaguely defines the end of one scene and the beginning of another.

Shad-danta Jataka Cave 10


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OMPOSITIONLater Phase (4th century AD onwards)

In later centuries the paintings overspread the entire surface

of the wall. In these paintings narratives proceed from scene

to scene and from act to act harmoniously. The scenes are

not separated into frames that might disturb the

concentration of the viewing devotees.

Many panels suggest that the Ajanta artists used

specific conventions for separating scenes and acts from each

other using suggestive punctuation marks. Thus in a palace

scene pillars may separate the scenes and gateways, rocks,etc. may mark the end of one act and the beginning of the

next one.

An interesting feature of the Ajanta narration, both

during this period as well as the earlier period, is that a strict

chronology of events was not followed. In many panels one

can see that scenes are grouped according to the location of

the scenes rather than the chronological sequence.

Birth of the Buddha Cave 2

Maha-janaka-jataka Cave 1

Scene 1

Scene 2

Scene 3

Scene 4

Scene 5


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PAINTING TECHNIQUE

The technique of Indian wall painting, which was followed with little change in all later examples of mural

decoration in Asia, murals were painted on an almost dry wall, called fresco secco. On the other hand in

technique followed in the West, called fresco buono, the painting is done on a moist wall.

It might have taken centuries for the Indian artist to develop the technique of preparing the wall for

painting, and also to select suitable pigments with an appropriate binder, though no trace of such

experimentation has been found. The importance of these may be seen from the fact that the Ajanta

paintings have withstood the ravages of time with remarkable resilience.

However, from the outlines of some incomplete paintings in certain caves we get to know the

painting sequence followed by the Ajanta artist.

Preparation of the Wall

We have actually no clue to the technique of preparing the wall. But the treatises which were written later

based on the Ajanta experience give us an idea. For example, Vishnu-dharmottara, a 7thcentury treatise

says: "A buffalo-skin was boiled in water until it became soft. Sticks were then made of the paste and dried

in the sunshine. It is stated that if colour is mixed with this hard plaster, called vajralepa, it makes it fast,

and if white mud is mixed with it, it serves as perfect medium for coating walls. Vajralepacoating was

usually done in three layers over a plaster which consisted of powdered brick, burnt conches and sand,

mixed with a liquid preparation of molasses and drops of a decoction of mudga(Phaseolus munga). To

this a quantity of mashed ripe bananas or tree resins and the pulp of bilvafruit (Aegle marmelos) were also

added. After the mixture had dried it was again ground down and mixed with molasses and water until

became soft. The wall surface was washed down with water until it was thoroughly clean and then the

plaster was applied with a spoon. This was the two-fold process by which the wall was prepared for

painting."

Pigments used

The artists of Ajanta used a wide variety of pigments. Most of them are minerals available locally as

residual products of volcanic rock. Red ochre, vivid red, yellow ochre, indigo blue, lamp-black, chalk

white, terra verte, green and blue (lapis lazuli) have been identified the pigments used. Lapis lazuli, used

for blue, alone was imported, as it has not been found in the neighbourhood.

Mixed colours were used on rare occasions. Not all colours were used everywhere, nor with the

same consistency. They were determined by the theme. Classical Indian painting does not aim at contrasts

of a medley of colours, but attempts at saturating the surface with highly charged and dense colours.

PAINTING SEQUENCE

We can infer the sequence the artists followed from some of the unfinished paintings. A preliminary sketch

in iron ore was drawn on the surface while it was still slightly wet followed by an under-painting in grey or

white. On this surface the outline was filled in with various colours, proceeding from under-painting as the


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base to the appropriate colours of the subject. Finally, when dry, the semi-fresco was finished off with a

dark outline for final definition and a burnishing process to give lustre to the surface.

AJANTA PAINTING ART TRADITION

The paintings of Ajanta are the earliest representation of Indian painting tradition available to us. Even the

very earliest paintings at Ajanta, of the second century BC, demonstrate a sophisticated technique,

achievable only after centuries of experimentation. Unfortunately we have no trace of such

experimentation. To get to know this great tradition one may turn to the treatises written based on the

Ajanta experiment.

For example, the Kama-sutraof Vatsyayana, the well-known treatise on eroticism, enumerates the

following Six Limbs of Painting:Rupa-bheda(differentiation),pramanam (proportion), bhava

(suggestion of action/mood), lavanya-yojanam(infusion of grace), sadrisham (resemblance) and varnika-

bhangam (application of colour). Samarangana-sutra-dhara, a 11th century treatise on architecture

prescribes Eight Limbs of Painting: bhumi-bandhana (preparation of surface), varnika(crayon work),

rekha-karma (outline work), lakshana (features of face), varna-karma (colouring), vartana-karma (reliefby shading), lekha-karma (correction) and dvika-karma (final outline).Brihat Samhita(6th century AD)

and Vishnu-dharmottara(7th century AD) also set forth the rules for painting.

It is in these that we find classifications of the types of painting suitable for temples, palaces, and

private dwellings and a distinction among 'true, lyrical and secular' paintings.

PRODUCING DEPTH AND RELIEF

There is a common misconception that traditional Indian painting lacks depth and relief. True, in the later

paintings, like miniature paintings of later mediaeval period, this aspect was not highlighted. But from very

early times, Indian artists have been using a variety of techniques to produce the illusion of the third

dimension.

Perspective was one of them. Relief and plasticity is also realised suggesting a third dimension in

terms of the distances through a technique called kshaya-vriddhi(loss-and-gain) meaning fore-shortening

of the limbs.

More elaborate was the use of shading techniques, of which there were two main variations, called

animnonnata (flat) style and nimnonnata(high-relief) style. The later, also called vartana(shading), had at

least three variations. A totally different approach was ujjotana(adding-highlights).

All these are represented in the Ajanta paintings, and conclusively prove the high level of

sophistication reached by the Ajanta artist.


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Perspective

The paintings of Ajanta conclusively prove that the Ajanta

painter was proficient in perspective drawing. Further, the

surviving paintings in Ajanta make it amply clear that the

Ajanta artists also employed such advanced techniques like

reverse perspective and even multiple-vision that the

present-day movie-makers use. The choice of the technique

depended on the theme and the space available.

The scene on the left is from Shibi Jataka painted in Cave

17, and rendering in perspective is brought out expertly.

Relief through use of colours

The artists have also employed, as mentioned before, a variety of techniques to bring out depth and relief

using colours. Ajanta artists have employed basically two different methods to bring out depth and relief.

Animnonnata

One was a conventional flattened perspective called animnonnata

(flat style), that is, using dark colours for the subjects in the

foreground against a background of lighter shades, or vice versa.

The scene on the left is an example of this technique. The woman

in the foreground is painted in light colour without nuances, the

one behind in slightly darker shade and finally the being the

darkest of all.

An elaborate method for bringing out relief is called nimnonnata(high relief style). In this, relief and depth

were expressed by a judicious choice of tones and colours, known as vartana (shading) and ujjotana

(adding highlights).


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Vartana (shading) Techniques

Vartana was a high-relief technique to produce an illusion of the third dimension. The three kinds of

vartana(shading) techniques are employed in Indian paintings.

Patraja(shading like the lines of a leaf), following the contours of the body to

create an illusion of depth,

binduja,a dot and stipple method, in which an illusion of depth is achieved

by painting dots with variations in concentration of dots, can be seen on the

belly, below the breasts, etc, and

Airika, meaning softening hard lines, where an illusion of depth is achievedby executing tonal variation and avoiding hard-lines.

All these methods have been employed at Ajanta to a greater or lesser degree.

Ujjotana (adding-highlights) Technique

Ujjotanarefers to the method of specifically adding lighter and brighter

pigments to produce an optical effect. Highlights in the form of white

patches added on the cheeks, the chin, nose, etc to get a three

dimensional effect of the characters.

Chaya-tapa (shade-and-shine) Technique

Towards the end of the classical period was introduced a new technique of

luminosity called chaya-tapa(shade-and- shine). This creates a kind of soft

chiaroscuro effect, which makes the sacred countenances of the Buddha and

Bodhi-sattva-s radiate with a mysterious glow.


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Use of Lapis Lazuli, a blue Colour

It was with the discovery of the use of lapis lazuli, a blue coloured

mineral, during 4th-5th centuries that the Ajanta artist added another

dimension to his paintings. Its cool transparent blue was an effective

medium for creating visual depth, by contrasting it with the warmth of

the red and brown tones.


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PAINTING AND DANCE -AUNIQUE RELATION

The relationship between painting and dance and between dance and sculpture are remarkable Indian

traditions not found elsewhere in the history of world art. Vishnu-dharmottara(7th century AD) stresses

the impossibility of attaining a proper expression of feeling in painting without the knowledge of the art of

dance. In the old days mastery in the art of dancing was invariably considered essential for personal

perfection.

There are paintings from the earliest as well as the

latest periods of Ajanta art, which depict dance scenes. The

vibrant grace of pose and gesture of these dancers invests

them with a swaying, flower-like rhythm and movement.

A very important feature in the depiction of the human form,

particularly of women is the emphasis on her gait, and the whole figure

structured round three main axes in order to conform to this tribhangapose. It

gives the body an S-shaped rhythm, a fluency of line, which, together with the

appropriate gestures of hands, conveys a wide range of expressions. It is

practised by dancers even today, particularly in odissi, a classical dance form

from the Eastern part of India.

A Dancing GirlMaha-janaka Jataka Cave 1

Maras Daughter Cave 1


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SCULPTURE AND PAINTING ANOTHER UNIQUE RELATION

The kinship we find between sculpture and painting, as that between

painting and dance, in India is something altogether unique in the history

of world-art. Most impressive is the way the two art-forms co-exist at

Ajanta, complementing each other.

In the Ajanta compositions sculpture blends with the murals,

colours with the colour-scheme, flower-studded door-panels with the

glowing wallscape and the decoratively-painted ceiling. A yearning for

mutual exchange and unity that we find here permeates the walls of

Ajanta, resounding with the story of this unity bonded in faith.

In Ajanta and elsewhere even the sculptures were fully painted,

though most of the paint has disappeared. The blending achieved must

have been astonishing when the stone carvings were bedecked in

colours, falling in line with the hue and colour-scheme of the murals.

One can only imagine the riot of colours of the original!

A Divotee (painting)worshipping the Buddha

Cave 6


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MUSICIANS &MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

Ajanta offers scope for study of development of musical heritage of India. We can see both the continuity

and change over the period as presented in Ajanta itself.

A variety of musical instruments - flutes, double-sided drums closely resembling

mridangam, vertical drum now extinct, stringed instruments very similar to mandolin, conch-shell - have

been depicted, both in paintings and in sculpture. These cover the period from the 2nd century BC to the

about 6th century AD.

On the left we can see the court dancer is supported by a orchestra

consisting of flautists, cymbal players and drummers. This scene is

from Maha-janaka-jataka painted in Cave 1.

In the same cave, when Maha-janaka, the king, abdicates to become

a monk, he is givena royal send off, the procession includes

musicians playing mridangam, flute and cymbal.

Again in Cave 1 in the famous composition of Bodhisattva

Padmapani we find a kinnara playing a kachchapa-vina.

The entrance to Cave 17 contains a painting of Indra alongwith divinities coming down to the earth to worship the

Buddha. His entourage include a number of musicians like

drummers and flute players.


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RENDERING PARTS OF THE BODY -Symbolism based on Animals and Plants

The traditional rendering of the parts of the body should resemble, and be based on, similes drawn from

plant or animal-life. This has parallel in Indian literature.

We come across with symbolism of the Indian kind where sensuous lips are ripe and full like the bimba-

fruit (Momorda monadelpha), fingers likened to lotus-petals, etc. Accordingly in paintings, the eyes

suggest lotus petals and arching brows the curve of the Indian bow. Here the allusion is not to the form but

to the content, to the mood. It is a suggestion and not realistic likeness.

Feet like lotus flowers (charana-kamala) in another metaphor met with

frequently in both art and literature.

Male torso is very often compared to the head of a cow (go-mukha-khanda).

Instances of application of such similitude abound in Ajanta. The following are some examples.

Go-mukha-khanda meaning torso like the head of a cow is illustrated in

number of panels, of which the portrayal of King Sanjaya in the narration of

Visvantara Jataka in Cave 17 is one.

Divine faces are ovoid (shape of the egg), shoulders of the gods are likened to

the massive domed head of the elephant, and arms to its tapered trunk.

In the same composition we see the hands painted supple like a rose-bud, and trying to bring out the bone-and-muscle structure.


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Further the thigh and leg-line should be analogous to the trunk of a

banana-tree drawn in tapering lines, the feet to the leaves (pada-pallava).

Both these metaphors can be deduced from the famous solo picture,

popularly known as Lady at her Toilet.

This way of representation ignores the anatomy of muscles and has been later termed artistic anatomy'.


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BODY POSTURES (sthaana-s)

In Indian tradition the postures were identified and distinct terms to denote various positions of the body

were used to cover the entire range. This systemising and adopting a whole range of postures was

complete, perhaps, by the 4th century AD. It is possible that the same was greatly influenced by the

contemporary dance traditions, which by that time had reached a very high level of sophistication.

Thus the postures covering the range from rijva-gata(frontal) toparshva-gata(strict profile) are,

anriju(back view), sachikrita-sharira(a bent position in profile), ardha-vilochana(the face in full profile but the body in three-quarter profile), paraa-vritta(head and one shoulder turned backwards), prishtha-gata(back view with upper half of the body partly visible in profile), pari-vritta(the body sharply turned back from the waist upwards) and samanata(back view of a squatting position with bent body).From the beginning of the Mahayana phase, in Ajanta one cannot find a single scene in which the

poses of characters are monotonous. This is particularly so with the depiction of women shown in

congregation. One can notice restricted body positions, tending to monotony, in the pre-Christian Hinayana

paintings. ****(Vasanth may choose some examples)***

RELIGIOUS MOTIFS

In early, Hinayana period the doctrine, rather than the Buddha, was worshipped. The Buddha himself was

remembered only in symbolical references, the Bodhi-tree and the Feet of the Master.

Later in the Mahayana period the image of the Buddha came to be worshipped. Bodhi-sattva

became another important divine aspect that was included worthy of worship. The Bodhi-sattva-s of the

Mahayana pantheon are personifications of the virtues and power of the Buddha. They are Beings who

have renounced the possibility of Buddha-hood in order to devote themselves eternally to the alleviation of

the pain of human existence. Their successive incarnations were compiled into, what are known as, Jataka

stories. These saving divinities invited the prayers of men like the gods and goddesses of the contemporary

Hindu practices.

On the walls of Ajanta are depicted these Jataka stories and incidences from the life of the Master

with extraordinary felicity and devotion.


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PORTRAYAL OF WOMEN

Women of Ajanta are art connoisseurs delight. One starts wondering how such women came to be

depicted in a religious shrine at all. The Ajanta artist has painted the whole range of women characters:

ladies of court and their maids, common women in their house-hold chores and dancers. They are drawn

with great zest and each one is a brilliant study. They crowd around the heroines, decorating themselves,

move about with great dignity in swaying rhythm and listen to holy sermons, recorded in frozen dance

poses. The Ajanta womon was the theme that gave full scope for expression of creative genius for the

Ajanta artist.

Undoubtedly the Ajanta artist had succeeded in reproducing the soft roundness of her breasts, the

curves of her hips, the turn of her head, the contortions of her body, the gestures of her hands, or the

slanting glance of her eyes. Every one of the Ajanta women is invariably refreshing.

Clothed in Nakedness

We wonder why very sensuous women were

painted at all in these religious caves. To add

to our bewilderment, we find that the normal

practice in Ajanta depicts the heroines in the

scenes naked, or in near nudity, while all the

maids in the same scenes are fully clothed.

Nandas wifeConversion of Nanda, Cave 1

CourtiersChampeyya jataka, Cave 1

Nandas Wife

Conversion of Nanda,Cave 16

Holy Bath

Lustration and enunciation,Cave 1


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Black is Beautiful

Further, we may have no explanation for the

fact that most of the heroines of Ajanta are

dark complexioned. Perhaps contemporary

taste included black as an attractive

complexion for skin. It may be pointed out

that the sweetheart of the hero of Kalidasas

Megha-dhutam was a dark complexioned

beauty. Werent both Rama and Krishna

black? Some even opine that this is due to

the southern influence.

DEPICTION OF MOVEMENT

The treatise Vishnu-dharmottara prescribes the qualifications for the painter. It says: "He who paints

waves flames, smoke, streamers fluttering in the air, according to the movement of the wind, should be

considered a great painter." Accordingly Ajanta painters took great pleasure in composing scenes

involving movement with great zest.

The floating clouds, the swaying foliage and apsaras and

gandharvas flying swiftly through the air, produce a fantastic

movement and excitement, and every connoisseur of art was

intoxicated by its beauty. Some even consider that such scenes are

considered to be influenced by Kalidasa's poetry.

Or was it the other way about?

HUMOUR

Humour has always been an integral part of Indian life. In literature we

find vidooshaka-s and court-jesters found a prominent place in royal

courts. In Ajanta, we find a clown in every court scene invariably.

Very often he was at his pranks, even in serious situation. Clowns and

cherubs are found in playful moods on the ceilings. On the left is

shown a servant stealing fruits when the royal household is immersed

in a religious discourse.

The Ajanta artist is enigmatic. He has painted humorous

scenes in the most unlikely places!

Padmapanis ConsortPadmapani panel

Cave 1

Black ApasarasAdoring the Buddha Panel,

Cave 17

Indras Descent, Cave 17

Servant Stealing FruitChampeyya Jataka,

Cave 1


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PAINTING ON THE CEILINGS

For reasons unknown, the Ajanta artist did not paint religious themes on the ceilings. (There are, however,

a few places on the ceilings, where the painted motifs can be associated with religion, like in the central

carpet-design in Cave 17, and images of the Buddha in Cave 19. These should be taken as exceptions.) But

on the ceilings the colour scheme and delineation are rendered with equal craftsmanship. Spontaneity of

movement is evident in all these. These drawings have taken the texture of a carpet, brilliantly woven,

immediately captivating the eyes and filling the senses. The ceilings are filled with geometric designs,

flower decorations, animals and birds and scenes in lighter vein.

Geometric Designs

One of the themes is the huge concentric circle enclosed in a square, with

number of flowery bands within it, as are usually to be found in the centre of

the ceiling, main hall, antechamber and inner shrines.

Another equally cherished theme consists of a number of rectangular

panels filled with decorative motifs framed by smaller squares or rectangles with

representations of fruit and floral forms. The overall effect is that of an enormous

printed textile spread over the sanctuary.

These decorative panels is a store house of ornamental design. These patterns are very similar to

decorations done in relief sculptures in Ajanta and elsewhere.

Many of the motifs and ornaments that we find on the ceilings of Ajanta are still alive. They have

been absorbed into the different branches of Indian artistic expressions and are esteemed even today: in the

decorations on the floor, like alpana, rangoliand kolam, jewellery, brocades and borders of conventional

saris, dresses, etc.

Animal Motifs

Ajanta ceilings are replete with animals

and birds. They are both realistic like bulls

in repose or in fight, mythical animals and

birds. They along with creepers and flowers

fill up the face harmoniously. In sheer

In front of ShrineCave 2

In the main Hall,Cave 1


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dynamism and movement the animals on the ceiling, one may say, are superior than the compositions on

the wall!

Scenes in a lighter Vein

Clowns and cherubs are found all over the ceiling,

cradled amongst flowers, playing on a swing, frolicking

around are some of the common scenes in lighter vein.

Most intriguing and least expected in a

religious shrine are the scenes,

depicting a king in his harem and

friends enjoying each other's company

with wine!


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24

PHASES OF AJANTA ART

Ajanta paintings were done over a period of eight centuries, from the 2nd century BC to the 6th century

AD. During this period there have been many changes - changes in taste, manner, and style on the one

hand, and attitude towards life and beyond, and religious lore. The history of these changes reflected in art

too. It is fascinating to follow these changes, thus, the development of art style. For each generation

expresses in works of art its own concept of beauty, and how it modifies or rejects the ideals of the past.

Sometimes simplicity is emphasised. At other times profuse and lavish ornamentation is in fashion.

During one period, painters prefer studied dignity and what they call 'good taste'. During others they like

rich decoration so much that every inch of a given wall is filled with endless and delicate ornamentation.

This is style - style that is different in every age and always changes.

In most forms of art one may discern a gradual progression. A lack of experience in making and

employing tools, in narration, etc is generally the beginning. This is often called archaic style. Then

follows a mature phase, a phase of quiet dignity without excesses. Repetition of ideas, called mannerism is

perhaps the next stage to be followed by over-ornamentation, a style known as baroque. It is then decline

sets in. Ajanta is an example for this artistic development.By sheer chance, the development of style from the beginning to its final decline can be witnessed

within the physical limits of Ajanta. In this respect Ajanta has no parallel.

Pre-Classical Period (2nd-1st Centuries BC)

In the development of any art form, the initial stage is generally called archaic or in simple terms, primitive.

This phase is characterised by rigid and lifeless portrayals. The artist is yet to understand true

representation of movement. Nor has he perfected composing scenes.

But the earliest existing examples of Ajanta

painting, of the 2nd-1st century BC in the Caves 9

and 10 cannot be classified as archaic in the strictest

sense of the word. They have already entered the

transitional period that was to carry them on to the

classical phase. This is evident from the subtle,

beautifully drawn sketches that effectively portray the

poses and gestures of the human

figure, lively representation of

animals and the grandeur of trees

and flowers.

Raja with Retinue, Cave 10

Shad-danta Jataka, Cave 10


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Classical Period (4th-5th Centuries AD)

By the 4th and 5th centuries, AD, art in Ajanta reached a

stage that must be called classical. The classic style means not

only perfect mastery of the subject, but turning all this skill

and knowledge to the noble purpose of creating beauty:

everything is idealised, realism is only known and used in

order to create things of beauty and perfection. There is a

dignity and nobility in classic art that allows no exaggeration,

no excess, no overstatement and no dramatisation.

Period of Mannerism (End 5th Century AD)

By the end of the 5th century, there are signs that the Indian artist has made a change of style. These signs

are at first minute departures from the purely classical sentiment, and a very hesitant deviation from the

classical concepts of beauty and idealism. This is the period of mannerism.

In this phase on can notice repetition in certain

specific features of the composition. For example, there

is a monotony in the sitting posture of Vidhura-pandita.

During this period one can notice that the differences

have been narrowed in the portrayal the sacred and the

secular as compared to the earlier classical phase.

Children Playing with HenHariti Shrine, Cave 2

Rakshasi in disguiseSimhala Avadana, Cave 17

Vidhura-pandita JatakaCave 2


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Baroque Period (Mid 6th Century AD)

By the middle of the 6th century the style turned baroque, a

style of over-ornamentation and exaggeration.

The broad vision is progressively dissected into

compartments so that the narrative is painted, not in an idyllic

landscape, but in a maze of pillars in royal pavilions, palace

windows, porches, balconies, city walls, shops and

monasteries.

The eye-slits are stretched out of all proportion to the

face, men look effeminate and women exaggeratedly

feminine, with bulging curves and rounded breasts. Both men

and women wear excessive ornament.

Period of Decline (End 6th Century AD)

Artistic standards were in the decline from the end of the 6th century; mercifully this phase did not last

long, for the Ajanta caves were abandoned forever, for reasons unknown.

The poses and decorative elements are, now, exaggerated with

heavy heads, elongated eyes, excessively large mouths, thin legs, and the

superfluous hand gestures. In addition the composition is too crowded.

The entire execution became careless, perhaps because of mass

production, and the finish of the paintings was summary.

The figures of the Buddhas came to be enclosed in separate

cubicles, horizontally covering the whole of the upper panels.

Compared with the other Buddhas on the walls of Ajanta painted

earlier, those that are painted this way lack refinement and finish.The colours are naive, flat and unnuanced and the lines wanting in

feeling.

Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, Cave 1

Women in a Palace Scene,Cave 1


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The same is true of many other compositions of the

period. In place of the shapely palms and sensitive

fingers, we have they rather stiff and simplified, which

have nothing in common with the linear expression of

soft curves typical of Ajanta.

AJANTA -INSPIRATION AT HOME

Just as the sculpture of the Gupta period provided a standard for the entire Asian world, so the paintings of

Ajanta, in style, in type and in technique, exerted their influence on Buddhist art for centuries to follow.

The paintings in the Bagh caves in the State of Madhya Pradesh, the paintings at Ellora, the Jain

paintings of the early Pandyas at Sittannavasal near Pudukkottai in Tamilnadu, Hindu paintings of the

Chalukyas at Badami in Karnataka are perpetuation of the refinement of the great murals of the Ajanta

caves.

AJANTA -INSPIRATION ABROAD

The famous paintings of Sigiriya (Srigiri) in Srilanka, contemporary with the great period of activity at

Ajanta, may be regarded as rather bold provincial reflections of the Ajanta manner.

The spread of Buddhism northward and eastward over Turkestan to China brought with it a

diffusion of the great styles of Indian sculpture and painting. The vast painted complex that once decorated

the niche of the 175-foot Buddha at Bamiyan in Afganisthan represents the Ajanta style modified by a

somewhat more linear and decorative Iranian idiom.

The eastward diffusion of the Ajanta style at sites like Kyzil and Turfan is marked by a gradual

reduction of the Indian mode to a hard and wiry linear manner.

Similar parallels between Ajanta and the Japanese art of the 8th century are to be found in the

famous wall-paintings in the Horyu-ji Kondo.


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END OF THE AJANTA EPOCH

The creative period of Ajanta ended as mysteriously as it had begun. Some of the unfinished caves, which

were quite obviously abandoned unexpectedly, show that the emigration took place over a comparatively

short span of time.

Even if some of the caves continued to be lived in for a few hundred years after the 6th century, the

merchant wealth that financed the decoration and ornamentation of the shrines had apparently been

exhausted.

A parallel to such an unceremonious end can be seen in the abrupt cessation of sculptural activities

in Mahabalipuram almost around the same time as that of Ajanta, leaving behind almost all the sculptural

masterpieces incomplete.


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MILESTONES IN INDIAN PAINTING

(Note: It is possible to give examples of each one of these, if necessary)

2 cent. BC - 2nd century AD - SATAVAHANA

Ajanta (caves 9 & 10); Caves at Karle, Nasik and Bhaja

1 - 3 century - KUSHANA

Only example is found in Central Asia

4 - 6 century - GUPTABagh caves in Madhya Pradesh

4 - 6 century - VAKATAKA

Ajanta (all except caves 9 & 10)

6 - 8 century - WESTERN CHALUKYA

Vaishnava Cave at Vatapi (the earliest Hindu painting of King Mangalesan)

7 - 9 century - PALLAVA

Kailasanatha temple at Kanchipuram

7 - 9 century - EARLY PANDYA - Sittannavasal near

Pudukkottai,Tamilnadu8 - 10 century - RASHTRAKUTA

Ellora Caves

9 - 13 century - IMPERIAL CHOLA

Brihadiswara temple at Tanjavur

9 - 16 century - PALA OF BENGAL

Paintings on Palm-leaves

11 - 13 century - HOYSALA

Paintings on palm-leaves

11 - 13 century - KAKATIYATemple on Tripurantaka Hill, Andhra Pradesh

11 - 15 century - MEDIEVAL WESTERN

llustrations on palm-leaves (Beginning of Miniature paintings)

14 - 17 century - VIJAYANAGARA

Virupaksha temple at Hampi and Virabhadra temple at Lepakshi

16 - 18 century - MOGHUL

Miniature paintings

16 - 19 century - RAJASTHANI

Mewar, Bundi, Kota, Bikanir, Jodhpur, Kishangarh and Kachhawa Schools - Miniature paintings17 - 18 century - PAHARI

Basholi, Gular, Kangra, Jammu, Chamba and Tehri Garhwal

Schools - Miniature paintings

17 - 19 century - DECCANI

Ahmadnagar, Golkonda and Bhijapur - Miniature paintings

17 - 18 century - NAYAKA

Temples at Thanjavur, Chidambaram and Madurai

(This style led to Thanjavur paintings and Kalamkari paintings)


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SCULPTURES OF CAVE 1

Though Ajanta is justly famous for its paintings, the caves contain some exquisite

sculptures, some of which would be briefly discussed.

THE BUDDHA IN THE SANCTUM

The door frame of the shrine are elaborately carved with scroll-work, floral motifs,

naga-s, mithuna-s (couples), female figures standing on makara-s (crocodile motifs), etc.

The pillars of the ante-chamber have beautiful bracket-figures of women with attendants.

The colossal relief sculpture of the Buddha in the shrine is a fine specimen of

Ajanta sculpture. He is seated in thepadmasana(lotus-posture) in dharma chakra

pravartana mudra (setting-wheel-of-Dharma-in-motion-attitude).

On either side is a standing chamara(fly-whisk) bearer. They are profusely

ornamented and their luxuriantly coiled tresses fall gracefully on one side. The

vidyaadhara-s (flying-celestials) with garlands in hand on either side of the halo amidst

clouds represented by ringlets are also well conceived figures.

Below, on a double-lotus pedestal is carved the Wheel of Law in profile. This isflanked on either side by a deer to suggest the sermon at Sarnath. In the figures of the five

monks flanking the left deer can be recognisedpancha vareeya bhikshu-s (first-five-

disciples). The halo and chhatra(umbrella) over the head are painted.

THE GREAT ENCOUNTERS

Three out of the four encounters, usually called the Ominous Sights, in the life of Gautama,

which prompted him to forsake the life of pleasure, are carved over the cell to the left of the

entrance.

The panels to the right depict the young prince Gautama on a horse-driven chariot

going for a ride, where scenes of death (extreme left), old age (left centre) and disease

(right) confront him. At the centre he is seen listening to the music of a lady holding aveenaon her lap. Within the three chaitya-arches below, musicians, playing the vinaare

shown in different poses.

PS: Should we include this at all?


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Cave One

This is the first cave that one finds when entering the Ajanta complex, and it is vihara, a

monastery. This is one of the finest vihara-s and it is dated to the end of the 5th centuryAD.

One enters through a porch which has crumbled. The

front hall (about 20 metres by 3 metres) leads into thesquare congregation hall (about 20 metres by 20

metres.) The left and right aisles, and the rear veranda

are all about 3-metre wide. There are 14 cells formonks to reside. From the rear veranda one can enter

the shrine through an ante-chamber.

The ceiling is supported by twenty exquisitely

carved and beautifully painted pillars.

The front porch has crumbled, but it still contains

several bands of fine carvings.

This cave, along with Cave 17, contains the best of

Ajanta. Almost all the areas of the walls, pillars andthe ceiling are painted.

Shrine

Rear Veranda

CongregationHallC

ells

Cells

Entrance


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SHIBIJAATAKA

The story of the generous King Shibi might have been very popular. Anecdotes of this

charitable king are found in Buddhist, Hindu and Jain lore. Two incidents are painted in

Ajanta, the story of the king rescuing a pigeon in this cave and, the story of donating his

eyes to a blind person in Cave 17.

The Story : Bodhi-sattva was born as King Shibi, the benevolent monarch. Gods Yama

and Indra wanted to test his magnanimity. Indra took the form of a pigeon and Yama that

of a pursuing hawk. The pigeon sought protection from the king. But the hawk claimed

the pigeon as his legitimate prey and appealed for justice. The king, in order to protect

the surrendered pigeon, offered a portion of his own flesh equal in weight to that of the

pigeon. As he started cutting his flesh and putting it on the scale, the pigeon became

heavier and heavier. Finally the king himself had to climb on to the scale. It is then that

the gods revealed their true forms and showered on him great boons.

The story in this cave is depicted on the inside wall of the front

verandah, between the main doorway and the window to the left of it.

The narration is done

in three episodes. Onthe extreme left is the

first scene where the

pigeon seeking refuge.

The scene where the

king offers his own

flesh is painted on the

right. The much

damaged scene of the

deva-s in heaven

celebrating is at the

bottom.

1. King rescues

Pigeon 2. King weighs

himself

3. Rejoicing in

Heaven


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SCENE 1:SHIBI RESCUES A PIGEON

The first episode starts in the left.

This shows King Shibi in a palace

surrounded by ladies of the courtwhen the pigeon alights on his lap

to seek refuge. This part of the

painting is greatly damaged.

Towards the right there is

a Royal Pavilion.


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SCENE 2:KING WEIGHS HIMSELF

The second and main

episode, King weighs

Himself, begins

immediately to the right of

this pavilion. In this scene

the king is standing by the

side of the scales and

appears to be on the point

of sacrificing his own

flesh to save the life of the

pigeon.

The third episode, which is painted below the earlier one is damaged almost beyond

recognition; but a few fragments show that it is the climax in which the gods, human

beings, animals and birds are rejoicing at the Raja's success.


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CONVERSION OF NANDA

Conversion of Nanda is an episode from the life of the Buddha. This story is depicted in

this cave and also in Cave 16, where the same scene is depicted with even greater force and

feeling. The composition is also somewhat different. The Ajanta artist was not

monotonous.

The Story: After attaining Enlightenment, the Buddha converted both his wife and his son

to the monastic order, to lead a life of compassion and austerity. But his cousin, Nanda,

was weak at heart and was initially reluctant to join the order, but later converted to monk-

hood. He had his head shaved and went about begging as a mendicant. On hearing this, his

wife Janapada-Kalyani swooned.

However Nanda was not really happy and was brooding over his beautiful wife.

The Buddha wanted to show him the right path. The Buddha took him to the heavenly

abode of Indra, the lord of the gods. Nanda could see women more beautiful than his wife

and wanted to stay there permanently. He was then ridiculed by the others for favouring a

life of pleasure that is transitory. Bitten with remorse Nanda came to his senses.

Coming back to the earth he lived the life of a monk following the Law.

Some scenes from it are painted above the window on the inside wall

of the front veranda to the left of the main doorway, beyond the

narration of Shibi Jaataka.

Only a part of the story is depicted in this cave. In the main scene, shown in the centre, is

depicted the action when Nanda comes to his own house as monk begging for alms. The

1. Nanda begging for Alms

2. Maid

attempting to

revive Queen


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next scene is shown on the left, where the maid is trying to revive the Queen, who had

swooned on seeing his husband as a begger.

Nanda begging for Alms

On the right, beyond the door, Nanda is

standing in the garb of a bhikshu. Inside

the apartment on the left, an attendant is

seen announcing the arrival of Nanda to Princess Janapada-Kalyaani, Nanda's wife. He

kneels down deferentially to announce the Bhikshu. His dress is fascinating, almost

modern, and we come across this dress in other scenes. Perhaps it was the standard livery

for palace attendants. To his right is a maid with a trayin her hands. Her poise is exquisite

and her hair-style noteworthy.

There is another female figure to her right sitting face-to-face with the princess.

She seems to be in discussion with the queen. There are two more damsels in a dejected

mood behind the princess. The focus of attention all most of the character is the queen, who

is receiving the sad news, on the left.


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NANDA AS A BEGGER

Nanada, in the dress of a monk, is seen in this scene standing at

the door of his own house begging for alms. He is calm,

dignified, and radiating a glow of compassion. He has come to

his own house seeking food. He has reconciled to the situation,

at least for the present.

The queen is receiving the

painful news that her husband

is at her doorsteps begging in

his own house. The state of her

mind is eloquently conveyed

by the artist. Janapada-

Kalyaani, sitting on a throne

with down cast eyes, has a

melancholy expression. She is

extremely graceful. Thegraceful fingers of her left hand

show the agitation in her mind.

The hand gestures reminds us

of dance mudra-s.

The Ajanta artist has employed

simple, but effective methods to

show depth. The dark-green

backdrop, laid out evenly,

presents a contrast to the warm

brown of the characters.The custom of women

decorating their forehead with a

tilak, also known as bindi, is a

common sight today, is only

occasionally found in Ajanta. In

this mural we find that both the princess and the lady-attendant with a tray are both wearing

the bindi.


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MAID TRIES TO REVIVE THE PRINCESS

On hearing that her husband was at the door in the garb of

a begger Nandas wife swooned. In order to help her, a

beautiful maid is seen pouring over her mistress. She is

bending over a rail and water with petals of flowers is

pouring out of a pitcher. The mistress is reclining on acouch, which is not shown in the picture.

In the painting one can see the expert draughtsmanship of

the Ajanta artist, for example in the the busts and the

pitcher, sketched in extremely graceful curves, with long

sweeping brush-strokes. The melancholy mood is

conveyed through mystical soft colours.


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PALACE SCENE OF THE NAAGA KINGDOM

This is an unidentified scene painted on the left wall of the inside of the front verandah.

The scene depicts the court of naagaking. He and his queen have halos of cobra-

hoods over their heads. They are watching dancing being performed by a dancer. The

crowded scene, composed of beautifully attired ladies of the court, female attendants,

dwarfs and other courtiers, is typical of the late period.This is one of the scenes on the Ajanta walls where dancers are shown.

In the middle of the composition

the dancer can be seen. The dancer

is sketched in extremely graceful

curves. The colour scheme is also

very beautiful

(We may omit this panel.)


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SHANKHA-PAALA JAATAKA

Shankha-paala Jaataka is a long story painted on a small compact

space on the left side of the main hall.

The Story: Attracted by the wealth and splendour of the naaga-world that he happened to

visit, Bodhi-sattva born King Duryodana of Magadha, wished to be born as a naaga king

in his next birth. He was, then, born as Shankha-paala, king of the serpents in his next birth

and inherited enormous wealth. But soon he got tired of all the luxuries of royal life. He

became enlightened on hearing a sermon by an ascetic, who was the king of Magadha

before he became a saint.

Shankha-paala decided to end this aimless life and went and lay on an ant-hill.

Some hunters spotted the huge snake, caught him and treated him cruelly. Alaara, a

compassionate merchant, took pity on the snake and released him paying some

compensation in the form of cattle to his captors.

The grateful Shankha-paala took Alaara to his kingdom and treated him as a royal

guest. Later Alaara became a monk and proceeded to the Himalayas to preach the Law.


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The story on this composition starts with Shankha-pala listening to the sermon of an ascetic

which led to his abandoning his royal life.

1. Shankha-

pala listening

to Sermon

2. Huntersdragging

Shankha-pala

3. Alara offering

Ransom to free

Shankha-pala

4. Shankha-pala

thanks Alara


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Scene 1: SHANKHA-PALA LISTENS TO A SERMON

In this scene an ascetic, shown on the left, is giving a sermon. The head is obliterated

though the outline of the body is visible.

Before him is sitting on a cushion is the

serpent-king Shankha-pala listening to the

sermon. His hands folded in prayer he sitswith great devotion and in humility. A group

of listeners, young women and men, aged

people, birds and beasts sit around the ascetic.

Among the persons present is a

woman listening to the sermon. She is

squatting with her back to the artist in a

graceful pose, leaning to her right. She is

supporting her head with her right hand,

resting her elbow on her knee. The Ajanta

artist is adept in portraying human figures in

a variety of poses, sthaana-s. This pose istypical in India, even today. A composition of

great observation and draughtsmanship!

We see the bolster at the back of the king has interesting patterns


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Scene 2: TRAVAILS OF SHANKHA-PAALA

After hearing the sermon the naga-king decides to end his

aimless life. What follows is depicted in this scene. While he

was lying on an ant-hill some hunters find the snake and

they torture him by dragging. We can see on the top the

group pulling the huge snake by a rope drawn through hisnose. The snake-king endures all the pain without resistance.

The effort of pulling such a huge snake has been very

realistically shown.

Just below the snake we see Alara, a cattle-dealer offers

some money and cattle as compensation for freeing the

tortured snake. This part is badly damaged. Still we can see

some cattle. The realistic portrayal of the cattle shows the artist's acute observation.

(**Picture from Behl to be aadded.)


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SCENE 3:SHANKHA-PAALA AND ALARA

At the bottom left of the panel, we see Shankha-paala, in

his royal form, in conversation with Alaara, his rescuer.

The royal features of Shankhapaala with his naagahood

and the rustic demeanour of Alaara, the merchant, are

studies in contrast.

One can the consistency in portraying characters. For example, Alara is shown thrice and

physical features have not changed.(**Picture from Behl to be added.)


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MAHAAJANAKA JATAKA

This painting is considered as referring to certain scenes from Maha-

janaka Jataka. Scenes from thisJatakaare painted on the left wall of the

main hall starting from the top of the door of the second cell and covering

the rest of the wall.

The Story: Bodhi-sattva born Mahaajanaka was the son of Aritha-janaka, who was banished from

his kingdom Mithila by his brother Pola-janaka. Maha-janaka went all over the world as amerchant and amassed enough wealth to help him regain his father's kingdom. In the meantime his

uncle Pola-janaka died survived by his most beautiful and haughty daughter, Shivali. Before his

death he expressed the wish that Shivali should marry only that person who could fulfil three

conditions. Thus he set about three almost impossible conditions.

Maha-janaka fulfilled all three conditions and married Shivali without knowing that he is

marrying his cousin. However, the pomp and luxuries of the palace life was not to his liking. In

spite of the pleadings from his queen, Maha-janaka finally renounced the world and went to the

Himalayas to meditate upon the Truth.

Thejatakastarts only after the marriage of Maha-janaka. Fortunately the scenes are painted mostly

in the chronological order, excepting that the one among the earlier scenes of shipwreck is paintedat the very end.

IMPORTANCE OF THE PANEL

The narration of thisjatakais of great importance from the point of view of art history. Due to the

fortunate survival of the major portion, depiction of thisjatakaoffers scope for a detailed study of

both the art style and method of narration of this period.In terms of the art style, the depiction belongs to the baroque period. These paintings show

the beginning of deterioration from the classical elegance to baroque ostentation.

A detailed study of these paintings would be rewarding as it could provide a wealth ofinformation regarding jewellery, textile and dress, musical instruments, architecture, etc.

Ajanta artist has followed certain conventions in composition. Scenes are not separated

from each other by frames. Instead tactfully placed rocks, gateways and pillars serve as vague

dividers that do not irritate the eye. Further, the narration may not be painted chronologically.Ajanta artist has painted portraits of the same character in different scenes resemble each other

very closely. We may infer some in these panels.


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The Composition:

We may consider that the story is narrated in four acts. The first act starts on the left where we seethe king in dilemma and the queen trying to captivate him (1). The dance scene on the right is an

attempt by the queen to captivate the king (2). In next act that follows we find the disturbed king

going through the palace gate to the forest to seek counsel from an ascetic (3), which is painted toits right (4). The third act starts where the king announces the decision to the shocked royal

household (5) and the final act his leaving the palace (6).

3. King goes

to Hill

e 5. King

announces6. King leaves Ship Wrck

(Earlier

Scene)


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ACT I

SCENE 1:MAHA-JANAKA IN DILEMMA

In the first scene of Act One, shown on the extreme left, we see

Maha-janaka in Dilemma. In this the king is seen sitting on a bed,

leaning on a striped bolster. He is wearing a crown adorned with

gems. On his left is Shivali, his queen, leaning against him. Theking does not look at his wife. But, he has a wild and vacant look.

His right hand suggests the despair.

The queen is scantly clothed, perhaps to captivate the king with

her charm! A number of maids are seen in the scene. Some ofthem are looking anxiously the royal couple and the others the

dance that is taking place outside. In front of the king is an urn. A

dwarf, who is to be found in most of royal scenes in Ajanta, is inattendance sitting on the ground to the right of the king.

Beyond the pavilion is the second scene of this act where

a dancing girlattempts to divert theattention of the king.

This scene is

separated from theprevious one by a

few pillars.


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SCENE 2:DANCER WITH MUSICIANS

Beyond the pillars, which perhaps separate the scenes,

we see in the next scene in which a dancing girl with

musiciansis entertaining the dejected king to draw himto the pleasures of the world and to divert his attention

from spiritual pursuits. Dancing must have been a

sophisticated art during this Mahayana period, as can beseen in this scene.

A professional dancer strikes a graceful pose oftribhanga while her hands eloquently express themudras (hand-gestures). She is wearing a two-piece

upper garment attired of matching colours and a skirt of

contemporary design. Her ornaments are sophisticatedand extensive - thumb-ring set with a miniature mirror,

the ear-rings of elaborate design, and the head-dress


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consisting of strings of pearls and flowers.

She is surrounded by a group of five musicians. Two are playing flutes, two are playingcymbals, one a pair of standing drums, another playing a bell-shaped drum, close to damaruof

Lord Nataraja, and the fifth, with her back to us, a stringed instrument. Like the dancer, all the

accompanying musicians show great dynamism and movement.

The palatial surroundings and decorations, the accompaniment of a host of musicalinstruments, the fantastic garments and elaborate ornaments have all successfully contributed to

staging a spectacular scene.

Undeterred by all these, we see in the next act,Maha-janaka leaves the palacethrough the palacegate. The gate perhaps divides this act from the last one.


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ACT II: MAHA-JANAKA SEEKS ADVICE FOM AN ASCETIC

The queen was not successful in her attempt in holding back the

king and Maha-janaka's mental turmoil has not ceased. In order

to seek advice from a saint, Maha-janaka, with his entourage,

goes out through the palace gateon an elephant.In the next scene Maha-janaka meets an ascetic in the

Himavali Hill. The ascetic with matted hair and a rosary in hishand is delivering his sermon from a stone platform. Among the

large number of listeners we find the king with his hands folded

in deep reverence. We find a pair of deer at the feet of theascetic with faces tilted up, as if in rapt attention.


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ACT III:MAHA-JANAKA ANNOUNCES HIS DECISION

The third act, where the enlightened Maha-janakaannounces his decision to abdicate, is full of pathos

and feeling.

On the left is the king announcing his decision

to renounce the world in spite of the pleadings ofQueen Shivali. There are a few attendants around the

royal couple, two are waving the whisk. The girl

behind the queen is stunned with her eyebrows drawn,and the girl above the queen is musing with a finger on

her cheek. The dwarf is still holding on to the same

vantage position.


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ACTIV:MAHA-JANAKA LEAVES THE PALACE

Now we come to the last scene of the drama of Maha-janaka

leaving the palaceon horseback through the palace gate. As per

the Ajanta convention the gate separates the new act from the

previous one.

The king is seen leaving the palace in full regal splendour. The

royal umbrella is held aloft. He led by a procession of his loyal

subjects A large number of palace musicians a flute palyer, a

cymbal-player, a conch-blower, a mridangist are in attendance.

The panel that follows is an earlier scene, of part of the story

chronologically anterior to the part just describe, of shipwreck

and its sequel. This is greatly damaged.


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ASTUDY OF THE PANEL:

PORTRAYAL OF CHARACTERS

It is interesting to study how the Ajanta artist has portrayed characters. He has maintained

continuity in dress and physical features of the characters, but brings out the contrast in the

expressions of the characters.

THE KING

The king is depicted three times: when the queen was captivating, when hemeets an ascetic and when he announces his decision. Though the sitting

posture in all the three scenes is the same, the emotional atmosphere is different.

In the first scene of Act One, the newly-wed king was in regal splendour - tworows of necklaces sparkling with diamonds and pearls, one is short fitting theneck and the other an elaborate one slightly longer. These are in addition to the

pearl-studded sacred-thread.

He has a vacant look reflecting his mental conflict and his hands showing his

inner pain.

When he met the ascetic the elaborate necklace was replaced with a lessostentatious one. (But why the sacred-thread is now around the left elbow, which

in Hindu practice, is worn only doing ceremonial ablution to the deadforefathers? Was the Ajanta artist careless?)

Coming to his expression, sitting before the sage, now, his whole deportment is

one of humility and utter surrender, his hands folded in prayer.

And finally, when he announced his decision to renounce, he had cast off

every-thing including the sacred-thread, excepting the close fitting beads. Isthe removal of the sacred thread suggestive of the impending sanyaasa?

His visage is now serene and full of compassion and love, but of

firm determination. His hands compose dharma chakra mudra(preaching-attitude) to show that he has now found the path.


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THE QUEEN

The change in the attitude of Shivali is even more pronounced in the two scenes she in

depicted, when pleading with the king in the first scene and when being informed of the kings

renunciation. While pleading with the king in the first scene she is shown a

conceited queen. She is nude and coquettish, and is determined towin over her husband into worldly pleasures using all charms.

When the King announced his Decision to quit she is well-drapedlady sitting "erect like a candle undisturbed by air" ready to receive

the heart-breaking news.


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MUSICIANS &MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

Musicians playing musical instruments have been shown many scenes in Ajanta. A variety ofmusical instruments have been depicted, both in paintings and in sculpture. These cover the period

from the 2nd century BC to about the 6th century AD. So Ajanta offers scope for study of

development of musical heritage of India. We can see both the continuity and change over the

period as presented in Ajanta itself.

In this narration musicians are shown in

two scenes. The accompanying musicians

of the dancer in the earlier scene were

cymbal-players, flautists, drummers and amusician playing a string-instrument. The

bell-shaped drum with a narrow ring for a

grip looks more like some of the drumsused in folk music. The standing drums are

no more found in India. We are not able to

make a judgement on the string-instrumentas this part of the painting is somewhat

mutilated.

A slightly different group of musicians

accompany the king when he abdicates. The

musician blowing a conch-shell is shown withpuffed cheeks and popping eyes. Conch is still

being used for heralding the arrival of important

people like the king or during the ceremonialprocession of deities and puja-s in temples and

houses. The mridangam (or pakhawaj) player is

shown very realistically. His instrument and

playing technique are the same as those usedtoday, betraying an unbroken musical tradition of

not less than 15 centuries.

We can witness another set of musicians in the

composition Descent Of Indra in Cave 17. In theBodhi-sattva Padma-paani panel (Line 3) in this

cave itself we come across the kinnara-s playing

musical instruments, one of the instrumentsresembling modern mandolin.


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DANCERS AND DANCING

Dancers have been portrayed also in other scenes in Ajanta.

For example, Dancer in the Naaga-Court in this cave is one.Fortunately we have a composition depicting dancers

accompanied by musicians belonging to the earlier period,

namely of the 2nd-1st centuries BC in the dancers andmusicians painted in Cave 10, though badly damaged.

One can feel unaffected gay abandon in the Hinaayana

masterpiece, as against the Mahaayana painting being more

stylised. Simple clothing and the few ornaments, such asbangles of conch-shell modelled on traditional folk ornaments

of the pre-Christian era painting is in contrast to the

beautifully designed garments, the variety of glittering

trinkets, and bewildering coiffure of the dancer in the Maha-janaka court. The costumes, the hair styles, the shape of the

eyes and the general atmosphere all epitomise the final phasein the development of the Ajanta style of painting.

Dancing and painting have close relationship in Indian art.

Knowledge of dancing was prescribed for painters. Gestures

of every character, particularly, the women show influence of

dance.


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PRODUCING RELIEF THROUGH COLOURING

One of the methods of creating an illusion of the third dimension is through skilful use of colours.Ajanta artist has used various techniques for this. Among them two are important. One is through a

number of shading techniques called vartanaand the other is a method of adding highlights, calledujjotana.

In the execution of thefigure of Maha-janaka and other

characters, the artist has made use

the ujjotana technique that is, byadding white patches appearing on

the chin, breasts, arms, legs or

wherever an elevation of form wasdesired.

Adding to this was the use of blue

colour, especially for the

background to create an illusion ofdepth by contrasting with the warm

red and brown colours. The visual

depth is enhanced by this judicioususe of blue - of lapis lazuli - by

contrasting it with the warmth of

the red and brown tones. The

illusion of spaciousness is alsoevident where the reddish ochre,

yellow ochre and dark brown tints

applied to the dancing girl and herimposing costume stand out against

a plain bluish-green background.


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Draughtsmanship

A noteworthy feature of Ajanta is

the expert draughtsmanship. Theperfection of painting technique is

displayed in the extraordinary

breadth and confidence of

draughtsmanship - the varyingthickness of line drawn with a free

flowing sweep of the brush to

depict the oval faces, archedeyebrows, aquiline noses, and fine

sensitive lips. The lines have

become darker to serve as a suitable accessory to the vartana (shading) and ujjotana (adding-

highlights) techniques for creating an illusion of depth.


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DEMARCATION OF SCENES AND ACTS

Studying the compositions of Ajanta some consider that the Ajanta artist followed certainconventions in separating acts and scenes. This composition offers scope for such a conclusion.

A gate is often placed to herald the beginning of an act. We have two examples for this - one at the

end of the second scene, the king on an elephant starts a new act. The other is when the king passes

through the gate once more, finally leaving the palace on a horse-back after abdication.

Within the first act the pillars of the pavilion separates the first scene from the following one of

dance performance.

Gate demarcate

Acts

Pillars separateScenes

Gate

demarcate

Acts


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CONTEMPORARY FASHIONAjanta is a treasure house to study the contemporary fashion intextiles, jewellery, etc. As an example, the chamara-bearing girl in

the last scene of the king leaving the palace after his abdication

sports an upper-garment with rows of geese printed on it - a fashion

referred to in the contemporary literature.

The tailored dress of the dancer as well of the other character is aproof of high degree of sophistication in both fabric design and dress-

making. That there are no monotonous repetitions in the dress isalso to be noted.

The glorious tradition of ikkat, where the yarn is dyed to

suit design, leading to todays Chngudi, Patola andPochampalli, was initiated here


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BAROQUE OSTENTATION

By the middle of the 6th century (***Check the date****), classical phase of simplicity and balancegave way to a style of over-ornamentation and exaggeration called baroque. We have a maze of

pillars in royal pavilions, palace windows, porches, balconies, etc. The scenes are crowed. The eye-

slits are stretched out of proportion to the face, men look effeminate and women exaggeratedly

feminine, with bulging curves and rounded breasts. Both men and women wear excessive ornament.The narration of Maha-janaka Jataka belongs to this period.

Eye-slits Stretched out of proportionMaze of pillars in royal pavilions, palace windows, porches, balconies,

etc and crowded Scene

Bulging Curves Over-ornamentation


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LUSTRATION AND RENUNCIATION

On the rear wall of the main hall there is a panel showing some religious

ceremony taking place in three adjacent pavilions. Some feel that these

scenes are from Maha-janaka Jataka, depicting lustration and

renunciation of Maha-janaka. However, the main characters do not

resemble those in the narration of Maha-janaka Jataka in the earlierpanel.

The panel offers scope for the study of many features of Ajanta art traditions, like the

composition and portrayal of women. In terms of composition, this panel is one of the

masterpieces of Ajanta, a proper synthesis of the details. The various skin-colours and the

red of the columns of the pavilion are harmoniously blended against the green leaves of

banana trees, producing a delightful colour-pattern. The lavish furnishing and royal

splendour of the palace is striking.


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In the central pavilion is shown the preparation for the ceremony.In the pavilion on

the extreme right depicts the scene of the king being given aceremonial bath. In the left

panel we find the ascetic being given homage.


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PREPARATION FOR THE CEREMONYThe first scene, of the preparation, is shown in the

central pavilion. Two ladies are shown, one on the

right with a tray and the other kneeling. An old man

leaning on his staff and the other carrying a pitcher

on his shoulder. The posture of the lady with a tray isexquisite. Just outside the pavilion four beggars are

seen begging. Banana trees in the background is a

part of colour compisition.

CEREMONIAL BATH

In the pavilion

swaminathan ajanta rhapsody

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