LATER MURAL TRADITIONS

 LATER MURAL TRADITIONS

EVEN after Ajanta, very few sites with paintings have survived which provide valuable evidences to reconstruct the tradition of paintings. It may also be noted that the sculptures too were plastered and painted. The tradition of cave excavations continued further at many places where sculpting and painting were done simultaneously.

Badami

• One such site is Badami in the State of Karnataka.
•  Badami was the capital of the early Chalukyan dynasty which ruled the region from 543 to 598 CE.
• Badami was the capital of the western Chalukyan dynasty.
• The Chalukya king, Mangalesha, patronised the excavation of the Badami caves. He was the younger son of the Chalukya king.
• Mangalesha was the younger son of Pulakesi I and the brother of Kirtivarman I.
• Cave No. 4 is also known as the Vishnu Cave because of the dedication of the image of Vishnu. The date 578 – 579 CE is mentioned here. Thus, we get the period during which the cave was carved and also the Vaishnava leanings of the patron.
• Paintings depict palace scenes. A painting shows Kirtivarman seated in the palace and watching a dance scene with his wife and feudatories.
• The paintings are an extension of the mural painting tradition from Ajanta to Badami in south India.
• The faces of the king and queen are reminiscent of the modelling seen in Ajanta, with their eye-sockets large, eyes half-closed and protruding lips.
• These artists of the 6th century CE were able to create volume by contouring different parts of the face to create protruding structures of the face itself.

Murals under the Pallava, Pandava and Chola Kings

• The Pallava succeeded the Chalukyas further south in Tamil Nadu.
• They were great patrons of the arts.
• Mahendravarma I (7th century) built many temples in Panamalai, Mandagapattu and Kanchipuram.
• An inscription at Mandagapattu mentions the king Mahendravarman I with several titles such as Vichitrachitta (curious-minded), Chaityakari (temple-builder) and Chitrakar Puli (tiger among artists) – showing his interest in artistic activities.
• Paintings at the temple at Kanchipuram were patronised by the Pallava king Rajasimha.
• Painting of Somaskanda here – only traces remain – large, round face.
• There is increased ornamentation in this period as compared to the previous. But, the depiction of the torso is much the same although a bit elongated.
• Pandya's also patronised art.
• Examples: Thirumalapuram caves and Jaina caves at Sittanavasal.
• Paintings are seen on the ceilings of the shrine, in verandas and on the brackets.
• Dancing figures of celestial nymphs are seen.
• Contours are in vermillion red and the bodies are painted yellow. Dancers have expressions on their faces and show supple limbs. Their eyes are elongated and sometimes protrude off the face. This is a distinctive feature seen in many later paintings in the Deccan and South India.
• The Cholas ruled over the region from 9th to the 13th century CE.
• The Cholas were at the height of their power in the 11th century CE and this is when their masterpieces appear.
• Temples built during the reign of Rajaraja Chola and his son Rajendra Chola – Brihadeswara Temple at Thanjavur, at Gangaikonda Cholapuram, at Darasuram.
• Chola paintings are seen in Narthamalai. Most important paintings are seen in the Brihadeswara Temple.
• Two layers of paint were seen. The upper layer was executed during the Nayaka period (16th century). The Chola paintings (original layer) depict narrations and various forms of Lord Shiva, Shiva in Kailash, Shiva as Nataraja, as Tripura taka. Also there is a portrait of Rajaraja, his mentor Kuruvar, etc.

The tradition of building temples and embellishing them with carvings and paintings continued during the reign of the Chola kings who ruled over the region from the ninth to the thirteenth century. But it was in the eleventh century, when the Cholas reached their zenith of power, that masterpieces of the Chola art and architecture began to appear. The temples of Brihadeswara at Thanjavur, Gangaikonda Cholapuram and Darasuram in Tamil Nadu were built during the reigns of Rajaraja Chola, his son, Rajendra Chola and Raj a raja Chola II, respectively. Though Chola paintings are seen in Nartamalai, the most important are those in Brihadeswara temple. The paintings were executed on the walls of the narrow passage surrounding the shrine. Two layers of paintings were found when they were discovered. The upper layer was painted during the Nayak period, in the sixteenth century. Thanks to the cleaning of the surface painting, examples of the great tradition of painting during the Chola period were unveiled. The paintings show narrations and aspects related to Lord Shiva, Shiva in Kailash, Shiva as Tripurantaka, Shiva as Nataraja, a portrait of the patron Rajaraja and his mentor Kuruvar, dancing figures, etc.

 Vijayanagara Murals

• After the Chola decline, the Vijayanagara dynasty brought the region from Hampi to Trichy under its control.
• Hampi was the capital.
• Paintings at Thiruparankundram, near Trichy (14th century), represent the early phase of the Vijayanagara style.
• Virupaksha Temple at Hampi
  • Paintings on the ceilings of the Mandapa.
  • Depicting events from dynastic history and also from the Mahabharata and the Ramayana.
  • Examples of paintings: portraying Vidyaranya, Bukkaraya Harsha’s spiritual teacher carried in a palanquin in a procession; incarnations of Vishnu.
  • Faces and figures are shown in profile. Large frontal eyes, narrow waists.
• Lepakshi in Andhra Pradesh – paintings on the walls of the Shiva Temple.
• Features of Vijayanagara paintings:
• Lines are still but fluid.
• Faces are in profile.
• Figures and objects are shown two-dimensionally.
• These features were adopted by later artists such as those of the Nayaka Period.





Paintings of the Nayaka dynasty in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries are seen in Thiruparakunram, Sreerangam and Tiruvarur in Tamil Nadu. In Thiruparakunram, paintings are found of two different periods—of the fourteenth and the seventeenth century. Early paintings depict scenes from the life of Vardhaman Mahavira. 

The Nayaka paintings depict episodes from the Mahabharata and the Ramayana and also scenes from Krishna-leela. In Tiruvarur, there is a panel narrating the story of Muchukunda. In Chidambaram, there are panels of paintings narrating stories related to Shiva and Vishnu— Shiva as Bhikshatana Murti, Vishnu as Mohini, etc. In the Sri Krishna temple at Chengam in Arcot District there are 60 panels narrating the story of the Ramayana which represent the late phase of Nayaka paintings.

KERALA MURALS (during the period from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century)

The distinct style was developed but a lot of the features of the Nayaka and Vijayanagara styles were adopted.

• The artists took ideas from the contemporary traditions of Kathakali and Kalam Ezhuthu.
• Vibrant and luminous colours, human figures have shown 3-dimensionally.
• Paintings on the walls of the shrines, on cloister walls of temples, also in palaces.
• The theme of the paintings – from locally popular episodes of Hindu mythology, local versions of the Mahabharata and Ramayana through oral traditions.
• More than 60 sites with mural paintings
  • Three palaces: Dutch Palace (Kochi), Krishnapuram palace (Kayamkulam), Padmanabhapuram palace (Travancore, now in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu).
  • Pundareekapuram Krishna temple
  • Panayannarkavu (temple), Thirukodithanam
  • Sri Rama temple, Triprayar
  • Vadakkunnathan temple, Thrissur

More than sixty sites have been found with mural paintings which include three palaces—Dutch palace in Kochi, Krishnapuram palace in Kayamkulam and Padmanabhapuram palace. Among the sites where one can see the mature phase of Kerala’s mural painting tradition are Pundareekapuram Krishna temple, Panayanarkavu, Thirukodithanam, Triprayar Sri Rama temple and Trissur Vadakkunathan temple.

 Even today we observe that mural painting on interior and exterior walls of houses in villages or havelis is prevalent in different parts of the country. These paintings are usually made by women either at the time of ceremonies or festivals or as a routine to clean and decorate the walls. Some of the traditional forms of murals are pithoro in parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat, Mithila painting in northern Bihar’s Mithila region, warli paintings in Maharashtra, or simply paintings on the walls, be it in a village of Odisha or Bengal, Madhya Pradesh or Chhattisgarh.

 EXERCISE 

 1. What are the main features of Badami cave paintings? 

 2. Write an essay on Vijayanagara paintings. 

 3. Describe the mural traditions of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.