Mural paintings are artworks that are painted on the walls of caves and palaces in India. The exquisite frescoes painted on the caves of Ajanta and Ellora, as well as the Bagh caves and Sittanvasal, are the earliest evidence of murals. This article will explain to you the background and important features related to Mural Paintings in India which will be helpful in Indian Art and Culture preparation for the UPSC Civil service exam.

Mural Paintings - Historical Perspective

• From the 2nd century BC through the 8th - 10th century AD, Indian mural painting has a long and illustrious history.
• Murals from this time may be found in more than 20 locations around India, mostly natural caves and rock-cut chambers.
• Distinct time periods resulted in different mural painting techniques, which this page seeks to illustrate.
• Paintings of this type have been discovered in a number of locations around India.
• Ajanta, Armamalai Cave, Ravan Chhaya Rock Shelter, Bagh caverns, Sittanavasal caves, and Kailasanatha temple in Ellora are examples of the beauty and exquisiteness of mural paintings.
• The majority of the murals are found in natural caves or rock-cut chambers.

Mural Paintings - Features

• Mural Paintings differ from all other forms of graphic art in several ways.
• Due to their sheer enormity, the Mural paintings are one-of-a-kind.
• They are too enormous to fit on paper and must be painted on the walls of large structures, such as caverns and temples.
• Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism are the major themes.
• Their organic relationship to architecture and broad public importance are two major qualities that distinguish them.
• The expressive practicality of Indian murals is abundant.
• The use of colour, design, and theme treatment in mural paintings has the potential to drastically alter the perception of the building's spatial dimensions.
• Mural Paintings are the only kind of art that is really three-dimensional, as they alter and share space.
• Natural resources such as terracotta, chalk, red ochre, and yellow ochre mixed with animal fat were used to create the color pigments used in ancient Indian mural paintings.
• Human and animal figures, hunting, family scenes, court life, deities, and stories from the Buddhist 'Jataka' were among the subjects. The paintings were painted by ancient painters with skillful hands and keen eyes.

Ajanta Cave Paintings

• Ajanta caves, one of the oldest remaining murals on the Indian subcontinent, were sculpted out of volcanic rocks in the 4th century AD.
• It is made up of 29 caves carved in the shape of a horseshoe.
• These caves are well-known for their stunning mural paintings, which were created during the rule of the Mauryan Empire and took four to five centuries to finish.
• The Sunga period is represented by the murals in caves 9 and 10, while the Gupta period is represented by the rest.
• The cave paintings in caverns 1 and 2 are the most recent of Ajanta's caves.
• Murals and fresco paintings can be found on the cave walls (painted on wet plaster). They work in the tempera style, which involves the use of pigments.
• The paintings depict human ideals and social fabric, as well as period styles, clothes, and accessories.
• Hand gestures are used to express emotions. The paintings are distinguished by the fact that each female figure has a distinct hairstyle.
• Even animals and birds are depicted as having feelings. Themes in these paintings span from Jataka stories to Buddha's life to complex flora and fauna decorative patterns.
• The caves' walls are adorned with graceful human and animal positions. Vegetable and mineral dyes were used as the painting medium.
• Some important paintings:

• Scenes from the Jataka stories of the Buddha's previous lives as a bodhisattva, the Gautama Buddha's life, and so on.
• Cave No. 16 - The Dying Princess
• King Shibi gave his flesh to save the pigeon in the Shibi Jataka.

Ellora Cave Paintings

• The mural paintings in the Ellora caves may be seen in five caverns, with Kailasa temple being the most famous.
• There were two phases to these murals. The first phase of the paintings took place while the caverns were being carved, while the second phase took place millennia later.
• Vishnu and his spouse Lakshmi are carried into the sky by Garuda, the celestial bird, in older artwork. Later paintings feature a procession of Shaiva holy men in Gujrati style.
• All three religions (Buddhism, Jainism, and Hinduism) are represented in the artworks.
• Images of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Vishnu are two of the most famous Ellora cave paintings.
• Images of Lord Shiva surrounded by his devotees and Apsaras are other examples of Ellora cave paintings.

Sittanavasal Cave (Arivar Koil) Paintings

• These murals have a striking resemblance to paintings from Bagh and Ajanta. Not only is there artwork on the walls, but also the ceiling and pillars.
• The paintings are based on the Jain Samavasarana subject (Preaching hall).
• Some academics believe the caverns date from the Pallava period, when King Mahendravarman I excavated the temple, while others say they date from the 7th century when the Pandya ruler rebuilt the shrine.
• Vegetable and mineral colors are utilized as the painting medium, which is applied on a thin layer of wet lime plaster. Yellow, green, orange, blue, black, and white are prevalent colors.
• A pond with lotuses is the focal point of the paintings at Sittanavasal. Monks collect flowers in this pond, which also features ducks, swans, fish, and other creatures. This image depicts Samavasarana, an important Jain religious scene.
• After attaining realization, Tirthankaras delivered sermons in Samava-sarana, a particular, gorgeous audience hall (kevala-jnana).
• This spectacular scene drew bulls, elephants, apsaras, and gods into the audience hall.

Bagh Cave Paintings

• Bagh caves in Madhya Pradesh are an extension of the Ajanta school, and their excellent work is comparable to that of the Ajanta caves in terms of design, execution, and ornamentation.
• The figures are more neatly modeled, have a sharper contour, and are more terrestrial and human in appearance.
• Rang Mahal, Cave No. 4, features exquisite murals on the walls illustrating Buddhist and Jataka tales, similar to those found in Ajanta.
• These paintings, however sparse and deteriorated now, reflect religious topics in the context of current people's lifestyles, making them more secular.

Armamalai Cave Paintings

• These natural caves, located in the Vellore area of Tamil Nadu, were turned into a Jain temple in the 8th century.
• Within the cave, there are unbaked mud buildings that served as a resting spot for Jain saints.
• The tales of Astathik Palakas (deities defending eight corners) and Jainism are shown in stunning colorful murals on the walls and roof.

Ravan Chhaya Rock Shelter

• These ancient fresco paintings on a rock shelter in the Keonjhar district of Odisha are in the shape of a half-opened umbrella.
• This shelter is thought to have served as a royal hunting lodge. The painting depicting a royal procession, which dates from the 7th century, is the most remarkable.
• The relics of Chola era paintings from the eleventh century are also significant.

Lepakshi Paintings

• These mural paintings were painted on the Veerabhadra temple walls at Lepakshi in the 16th century and are located in the Anantapur region of Andhra Pradesh.
• They were created during the Vijayanagara period and have a religious theme centered on the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Vishnu's incarnations. Primary colors, particularly blue, are conspicuously absent from the paintings.
• They illustrate a deterioration in the quality of the painting. Black is used to outlining the forms, figures, and details of their costumes.

Jogimara Cave Paintings

• It is an artificially created cave in Chattisgarh's Surguja district. It dates from roughly 1000-300 BC and contains a few paintings and inscriptions in Brahmi script depicting a love story.
• The cave is said to be an addition to the amphitheater, and it was decorated with paintings. Paintings include dancing couples as well as creatures such as elephants and fish.
• A strong red outline can be seen in the paintings. White, yellow, and black are among the other colors employed. Sitabenga's rock-cut theatre is also close by.

Badami Murals

• A later mural tradition is exemplified here.
• The western Chalukyan dynasty's capital was Badami.
• From 543 until 598 CE, this dynasty governed the region.
• The Badami caves were excavated under the patronage of Chalukya king Mangalesha.
• Mangalesha was Pulakesi I' s younger son and Kirtivarman I's brother.
• Because of the devotion of the picture of Vishnu, Cave No. 4 is also known as the Vishnu Cave. Here, the years 578–579 CE are referenced. As a result, we know the period when the cave was carved as well as the patron's Vaishnava leanings.
• Palace scenes are shown in paintings. Kirtivarman is seen in a painting seated in the palace, enjoying a dance scene with his wife and feudatories.
• The paintings are a continuation of the mural painting tradition in south India, which stretches from Ajanta to Badami.
• The king and queen's faces are reminiscent of the Ajanta modeling, with wide eye sockets, half-closed eyes, and protruding lips.
• By contouring different regions of the face to create projecting structures of the face itself, these artists of the 6th century CE were able to generate volume.

Murals under Pallavas

• In Tamil Nadu, the Pallavas succeeded the Chalukyas further south.
• They were generous arts patrons.
• Many temples were built by Mahendravarman I (7th century) in Panamalai, Mandagapattu, and Kanchipuram.
• King Mahendravarman I is given various titles in an inscription at Mandagapattu, including Vichitra Chitta (curious-minded), Chattakari (temple-builder), and Chitrakar Puli (tiger among artists), indicating his interest in artistic pursuits.
• Rajasimha, the Pallava ruler, was a patron of the paintings at Kanchipuram's temple.
• Only fragments of a painting of Somaskanda survive – a huge, round face.
• In comparison to the previous phase, this one has more decoration. However, the torso is depicted similarly, but lightly enlarged.

Murals under Pandyas

• The Pandyas were also patrons of the arts.
• Thirumalapuram caverns and Sittanavasal Jaina caves are two examples.
• Paintings can be found on the shrine's ceilings, verandas, and brackets.
• There are dancing celestial nymphs to be seen.
• The bodies are colored yellow and the contours are vermillion red.
• Dancers have expressive faces and limbs that are supple. Their eyes are elongated and protrude from their faces at times. This is a distinguishing element in many later Deccan and South Indian paintings.

Murals under Cholas

• From the 9th through the 13th century CE, the Cholas dominated the region.
• In the 11th century CE, the Cholas were at the height of their dominance, and this is when their masterpieces appeared.
• Brihadeswara Temple at Thanjavur, Gangaikonda Cholapuram, and Darasuram were all erected under the reign of Rajaraja Chola and his son Rajendra Chola.
• Narthamalai is home to Chola paintings. The Brihadeswara Temple houses the most important paintings.
• There were two layers of paint visible. During the Nayaka period, the upper layer was completed (16th century).
• Narratives and many manifestations of Lord Shiva are depicted in the Chola paintings (original layer), including Shiva in Kailash, Shiva as Nataraja, and Shiva as Tripurantaka.
• There is also a painting of Rajaraja, his tutor Kuruvar, and other items.

Vijayanagara Murals

• Following the Chola fall, the Vijayanagara Dynasty conquered the region from Hampi to Trichy.
• The capital was Hampi.
• The paintings at Thiruparankundram, near Trichy, are from the 14th century and depict the Vijayanagara style in its early stages.
• The Mandapa's ceilings are covered in paintings.
• Events from dynastic history as well as the Mahabharata and Ramayana are depicted.
• Paintings depicting Vidyaranya, Bukkaraya Harsha's spiritual teacher, being carried in a palanquin in a parade; Vishnu incarnations.
• Profiles of people and objects are shown. Frontal eyes are large, and waists are slender.
• Paintings on the walls of the Shiva Temple in Lepakshi, Andhra Pradesh.
• Vijayanagara paintings have lines that are still but flexible.
• Faces are viewed from the side.

Naayaka Murals

• Vijayanagara styles have been extended.
• Thiruparankundram, Srirangam, and Tiruvarur are among the places where you can see them.
• Episodes from the Mahabharata, Ramayana, and Krishna Leela are shown in Nayaka paintings.
• Paintings between the 14th and 17th centuries can be found in Thiruparankundram.
• Scenes from Mahavira's life are depicted in 14th-century paintings.
• There is a panel in Tiruvarur that tells the story of Muchukunda.
• The Ramayana is told in 60 panels in Sri Krishna Temple at Chengam, Arcot.
• Male figures are depicted as having thin waists and lighter abdomens.
• Nataraja's painting at Thiruvalanjuli is an excellent example of Nayaka art.

Kerala Murals

• In this style, many aspects of the Nayaka and Vijayanagara styles were included.
• The artists drew inspiration from current Kathakali and Kalam Ezhuthu traditions.
• Human beings have been rendered in three dimensions using vibrant and vivid colors.
• Paintings on the walls of shrines, temple cloister walls, and palace walls.
• The paintings' subject matter ranges from common Hindu mythology to localized interpretations of the Mahabharata and Ramayana, as well as oral tales.
• Three palaces where these mural paintings are present are - the Dutch Palace in Kochi, the Krishnapuram Palace in Kayamkulam, and the Padmanabhapuram Palace in Padmanabhapuram (Travancore, now in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu).
• Panayannarkavu (temple) in Pundareekapuram, Thrikodithanam Sri Rama temple in Thrikodithanam, Vadakkunnathan temple in Thrissur are other examples.

Conclusion

From the 2nd century BC through the 8th - 10th century AD, Indian murals have a long and illustrious history. Murals from this period have been discovered in more than 20 locations around India, mostly natural caves and rock-cut chambers. The caverns of Ajanta, Bagh, Sittanavasal, Armamalai Cave (Tamil Nadu), RavanChhaya rock shelter, and Kailasanatha temple in Ellora Caves are among the greatest achievements of this period.