The document discusses the secrets to the enduring quality of ancient Indian cave paintings, noting that they were protected from direct weathering by being located far inside caves, had organic polymer coatings on the base surfaces, and were created using specialized techniques like natural pigments, brushes, and application on wet plaster before the plaster dried. It also provides details on the basic colors and constituents used in the paintings, as well as examples of cave paintings at important heritage sites in India like Ajanta that have survived for thousands of years.

1. Secrets of Endurance of
Ancient Indian Cave Paintings
A.S. Nene #
# Prof. of Civil Engineering (Retd), VNIT Nagpur, India
prof.ashok.nene@gmail.com

2. The main purpose of painting
•Enhance the aesthetics of any structure.
•Improve the durability
•Protecting from natural weathering agents
and insects etc.
Out of more than 125 world heritage sites , 35
sites are located in in India. Two cave paintings
are among these site and some ten more are
in waiting list.

3. Basic Colors & Constituents
White color - shells or mother of pearls or from white clay
and resins of Neem or Wood Apple tree with white soil or lime.
Yellow color - yellow wood trees (Haridra) and yellow soil
Red color - Sindur (Vermilion), Gaierik (Red ochre), Hingul
(Cinnabar) or Laksharus (Shellac) to get light, medium, dark
and very dark shades respectively.

4. Black color - lamp black collected in earthen pot.
Blue color - blue minerals or indigo and resin of wood apple.
Golden color - gold foil pulverized with fine sand. The mixture
is poured in water and top suspension is separated and mixed
with hide glue.
Hide glue- (Sirus or Shirus) from fresh skin of a buffalo
cooked in water till it becomes soft as butter.

5. Brushes - three types, broad, medium and fine.
made from hairs of ears of calf, stomach part of
sheep or tail of squirrel respectively. A set of
three brushes are required for each color.
Composite Colors -made by mixing two or
more basic (pure) colors

6. Natural Polymers for base coats
1 Ash
2 Bark of Neem
3 Bark of Pakar tree
4 Bee wax
5 Belgiri (aegle pulp)
6 Black gram (Udad)
7 Brick powder
8 Clay
9 Cow dung
10 Egg white
11 Flowers of Silk
cotton tree
12 Green gram
(Moog)
13 Guggul
14 Hemp fiber
15 Jaggery
16 Juice of Cactus
17 Mahuwa flowers
18 Milk, curd or ghee
19 Mustard cake
20 Linseed oil
21 Powder of Cattle
horn
22 Resin of Sal tree
23 Rice husk
24 Saaf flower oil
Ajanta caves: Clay, cow dung, stone powder, rise husk and lime.
Sirgirea caves: Tempered kaolin clay, rice husk, Coconut shell
fibers and lime.
Bagh caves: Red clay, green gram, lime and jute.

7. Sample formula
Mix 3 parts of slaked lime and 1 part of
powder of dry raw/unripe banana. Add
water to make butter like mixture. Such
leveling coat gives a marble finish to the
wall surface.

8. Frescoes paintings done on wet plaster in which
colors become fixed as the plaster dries. The Ajanta
Frescoes have a special importance of their own.
They are found on the walls and ceilings at Ajanta.
Pre-historic paintings were actually engraved in
caves.
Ajanta frescoes

9. Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka
A magnificent repository of rock paintings
within natural rock shelters. The rock shelters,
discovered only in 1957, comprise a group of
"five clusters of rock shelters" with paintings
painted some 3,000 years ago.

10. Secrets of endurance of cave painting
1. The sites ,far away from , protected from direct
exposure of light and weathering agencies.
2. The base surface was pre-coated with organic
polymers.
3. The paints and pigments meticulously prepared
using organic / herbs and minerals.
4. Special tools and brushes of different types
5. Adequate knowledge about ancient Indian
techniques essential for restoration

11. References
1. Manasollas of King Someshwara or
AbhilisharthachintamaNi
2. Nene, A.S. (2012)
3. Nene, A.S. (2008)
4. Satish Chandra (2003)
5. Shilpratna by Shrikumar
6. Vishnu-dharmottara Pooran