Indian paintings have a long history, dating back to prehistoric times as seen in the Bhimbetka caves. Regional styles developed over centuries influenced by religion and local traditions. Notable early examples include paintings from the Ajanta, Bagh, and Sittanavasal caves dating from the 3rd century BC to 7th century AD, showing scenes from daily life, mythology, and religion. While styles varied by region and time, a remarkable unity in concepts and techniques is seen across Indian paintings.

1. By: Jyoti Ahlawat, Megha Meelu, Manika Aggarwal, Sajida shah, Tsering

2.  PAINTINGS as an art form has flourished from
early periods in India, as is evident from
various epics, other literary sources and
archeological surveys.
 Since there never was a nodal body to preserve
and develop art in India, it was the initiative,
enterprise and imagination of those dedicated
humble artists that kept alive the ancient
traditions. Their exquisite themes inspired by
life around them, painted in their homemade
bright colors employing indigenous styles have
enriched the cultural diversity of India.
SCENE OF SAMAVA-SARVANA, SITTANAVASAL /YORCK
PROJECT,PUBLIC DOMAIN

3. 1. REMARKABLE UNITY AND CONSISTENCY: Though there were regional variations
and individual styles, the works produced in diverse geographical and cultural regions
shared certain common values, concepts and techniques.

4.  VISION OF LIFE: The old paintings serve as a valuable record of the thoughts and aspirations
of our ancients. the art, in general, was inspired by life, by reflecting upon human
concerns and aspirations; and celebrating and delighting in the life of this world

5.  RELIGION: Religion had little to do with the
mode of artistic expression.
 It was at once Hindu, Buddhist & Jain, as it’s
stylewas a function of time and region, not religion
E.g.: an image of Vishnu and an image of Buddha of
the same period are stylistically the same, religion
having little to do with the mode of artistic
expression.

6. 1. Pre-Historic Period : before 3rd century BC
 Natural caves and smaller shelters in India very often contain prehistoric
paintings.
 BHIMBETKA CAVES , Madhya pradesh is home to the oldest known art by
humans.
Cupules are the earliest form
of art and have been found
on every continent except
Antarctica. The actual term
"cupule" was invented by
archeologist Robert G.
Bednarikto to describe
simple, round hemispheric
cavities
The oldest known art dating from at least 290,000BCE is
the series of Cupules discovered an ancient quartzite cave
called Auditorium Cave, Bhimbetka, Madhya Pradesh
(north central India). The cave is a 25m long horizontal
cave and in the centre stands an enormous boulder called
Chief's Rock
Paintings inside Bhimbetka caves

7. 1. Ancient period: 3rd to 7th century BC
1. BHIMBETKA CAVES
2. AJANTA ELLORA CAVES
3. BAGH CAVES
4. JOGIMARA CAVES
5. RAVA CHAYYA SHELTER

9. •CAVES HAVE FORMED IN QUARTZITE ROCK IN NORTHERN FRINGES OF
VINDHYACHAL RANGES.
•IN A WIDER AREAAROUND BHIMBETKA THERE ARE KNOWN MORE THAN 1,700 ROCK
SHELTERS.
•BHIMBETKA MAY CONTAIN SOME OF THE OLDEST PAINTINGS MADE BY HUMANS.
•THE OLDEST PAINTINGS HERE ARE SOME 15,000 YEARS OLD.
•HERE ARE THE OLDEST PETROGLYPHS(A ROCK CARVING, ESPECIALLYA PREHISTORIC ONE.)
•SOME CAVES CONTAIN JUST FEW FAINT PAINTINGS BUT SOME HAVE MANY LAYERS
OF DRAWINGS ON WALLS AND CEILINGS. CEILING IN SOME ENORMOUS CAVES IS
QUITE HIGH - BUT STILL COVERED WITH EXQUISITE DRAWINGS

10. •ARTISTS IN BHIMBETKA USED MAINLY WHITE AND RED COLOR OF DIIFERENT
SHADES, OCCASIONALLYALSO GREEN, YELLOW AND ORANGE.
•THESE COLORS WERE PREPARED BY COMBINING MANGANESE, HEMATITE,
WOODEN COAL, SOFT RED STONE, PLANT LEAVES. SOMETIMES ANIMAL FAT AND
EXTRACTS OF LEAVES WERE USED AS WELL.
•BRUSHES WERE MADE OF THE FIBER OF PLANTS.
•PROVIDE MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THE LIVES OF PREHISTORIC PEOPLE FROM
THEIR BIRTH TO DEATH.
•THESE DRAWINGS INCLUDE THE SCENES OF FESTIVITIES, RELIGIOUS RITES, DAILY
WORK AND HUNTING. SCENES SHOW ALSO FIGHTS OF ANIMALS, COLLECTION OF
HONEY, BODY DECORATION.
•AMONG THE ANIMALS ARE SHOWN BISONS, TIGERS, LIONS, WILD BOAR, ELEPHANTS
WITH TUSKS, ANTELOPES, DOGS, LIZARDS, CROCODILES, PEACOCKS, SNAKES AND
OTHERS.

11. BISON PURSUINING HUNTING
ART IN CAVE
MEN DANCING IN ROW
AN ANIMAL FIGURE IN CAVE

12. SCENE OF RED ARCHERS SUPERIMPOSED ON WHITE FIGURES ON WHITE FIGURES

13. •INITIALLY FIGURES IN DRAWINGS
WERE LARGER AND THERE IS MORE
ATTENTION ON SCENES OF
EVERYDAY LIFE. INITIALLY JUST
OUTLINE OF ANIMAL OR PERSON
WAS DRAWN.
• LATER THEY BECAME SMALLER
AND MORE ELABORATE AND
APPEAR MORE AND MORE
RELIGIOUS MOTIVES. OUTLINE OF
FIGURES WAS FILLED WITH COLOR
AND DETAILS.

15. •CONTAINS THE OLDEST INDIAN PAINTINGS OF HISTORICAL PERIOD, MADE
AROUND THE 1ST CENTURY BC.
•THE ARTWORK HERE IS FAR FROM PRIMITIVE - WE SEE A WORK OF
EXPERIENCED, PROFESSIONAL ARTISTS.
•ZENITH OF AJANTA THOUGH CAME IN 460 - 480 AD, DURING VAKATAKA
DYNASTY. MAJOR PART OF PAINTINGS IN AJANTA THOUGH ARE FROM THIS
PERIOD.
•MURALS IN AJANTAARE WORLD-RENOVNED AND TELL STORIES OF THE LIFE
OF BUDDHAAND OTHER PLOTS CHARACTERISTIC FOR BUDDHIST ART.
•MANY OF WOMAN PAINTINGS AND SCULPTURES DEPICT SUCH MYTHICAL
BEINGS AS YAKSHAS, NAGAS, VRIKSHIKAS, RIVER GODDESSES GANGAAND
YAMUNA.

16. •PAINTINGS OF AJANTAARE MURALS.
•IN AJANTA MURALS WERE MADE IN A SPECIFIC WAY, INVOLVING SEVERAL STAGES
OF WORK.
•FIRST THE SURFACE WAS PREPARED - STONE SURFACE WAS CHISELED TO MAKE
ROUGH SURFACE HOLDING THE PLASTER. THEN THERE WAS LAID PLASTER
CONSISTING OF CLAY, LIME, HAY AND DUNG.
•PAINTINGS WERE MADE WHILE THE PLASTER WAS WET AND COLORS WERE MADE OF
MINERALS AND PLANTS.
•THIS TECHNIQUE ALLOWED TO MAKE PAINTINGS WHICH PRESERVED MUCH OF
THEIR ORIGINAL GLORY EVEN AFTER 1,500 YEARS OF ABANDONMENT IN TROPICAL
CLIMATE.
•PLASTERING WAS DONE BY REALLY SKILLFUL ARTISANS - EVEN SOME OF
SCULPTURES WERE PLASTERED TO GET EFFECT OF SMOOTHNESS.
•UNUSUAL SHINE WAS ACHIEVED BYADDING POWDERED CONCHES AND SEASHELLS -
SUCH POLISHED PLASTER HAS GLASSY SURFACE.

17. MURAL DEPICTING SCENE FROM JATAKA STORIES

18. MURAL IN CAVE 17

19. BUDHHA FIGURES
•MAIN CHARACTERISTICS ARE THE USE OF FREE FLOWING LINES FOR DELINEATING
BEAUTIFUL FIGURES AND THEIR DELICATE INNER FEELINGS; TOGETHER WITH USE OF
SHADING DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE BODY TO PRODUCE THREE DIMENSIONAL
EFFECTS IN THE IMAGES. THE OTHER WAS USE OF PROPER COLORS AT TIMES
CONTRASTING AND AT TIMES MATCHING TO CREATE MAGICAL EFFECTS.

20. •CHITRASUTRA PAID ENORMOUS IMPORTANCE TO THE DELICATE PAINTING OF THE
SOULFUL AND EXPRESSIVE EYES THAT POURED OUT THE ESSENCE OF THE SUBJECT.
IT DESCRIBES FIVE BASIC TYPES OF EYES.
•THE ARTIST WAS TOLD THAT THE EYES ARE THE WINDOWS TO THE SOUL; AND IT IS
THROUGH THEIR EYES THE FIGURES IN THE PAINTING OPEN UP THEIR HEART AND
SPEAK ELOQUENTLY TO THE VIEWER.
•THE PAINTING OF THE EYES CALLED THE “OPENING OF THE EYES” WAS THEREFORE
THE FINAL AND MOST IMPORTANT DETAIL TO BE PAINTED. IT WAS USUALLY DONE IN
THE GUIDING PRESENCE OF THE MASTER OR WAS COMPLETED BY THE MASTER
HIMSELF.
• IT IS NOT THEREFORE SURPRISING THAT THE EXPRESSIVE SET OF EYES OF THE
AJANTA TRADITION CONTINUE TO INFLUENCE GENERATIONS OF INDIAN ARTISTS.

21. •SHAKTI MAIRAA NOTED ARTIST WRITES “I DID NOT SEE THE FIGURES AS HAVING
BEEN RENDERED IN A PARTICULARLY FORMAL WAY. THEIR PROPORTIONS WERE
USUALLY OFF — HEAD AND UPPER TORSOS TOO LONG FOR THE REST OF THE BODY,
ARMS OUT OF PROPORTION WITH LOWER LIMBS, THERE WAS HARDLY ANY
EVIDENCE THAT THE STRICT RULES OF DRAWING IN THE VISHNUDHARMOTTARA
HAD BEEN FOLLOWED! WHAT I SAW WAS A POWERFUL FREEDOM AND LOOSENESS
IN DRAWING, WHAT WE ARTISTS HOPE TO ACHIEVE AFTER WE HAVE LEARNED ALL
THE RULES OF DRAWING. THESE ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGES WERE FREE FROM
FORMALISM, AND THAT IS THE STRENGTH OF THE EXPRESSED EMOTIONS
AND LAVANYA IN THIS WORK.
FOR ME, THE REASON WHY THE AJANTA PAINTINGS ARE SO GREAT IS THAT THEY DID
NOT GET BOGGED DOWN IN THE FORMALISM OF ART MAKING.
AS AN ARTIST, I WOULD URGE YOU TO EXPERIENCE THE MYSTERIES BEYOND
COGNITIVE INTELLECT. DON'T JUST TRYAND UNDERSTAND THE WORK, TRYALSO TO
EXPERIENCE IT DIRECTLY. THAT IS WHERE THE REAL RASA IS. “

23. •IT IS CONSIDERED THAT IT SERVED AS A RESTING PLACE FOR THE GIRLS
EMPLOYED IN THEATRE.
CONTRARY TO OTHER ANCIENT INDIAN CAVE PAINTINGS DRAWINGS HERE ARE
NOT RELATED TO RELIGION: HERE IS ADORNED A ROCK-CUT CAVE SUPPOSEDLY
USED AS DRESSING ROOM OF ACTRESSES IN NEARBY OPEN-AIR THEATRE.
•PAINTINGS SHOW DANCING COUPLE, FISH AND ELEPHANT FIGURES, SEEN
ALSO UNCLEAR PAINTING OF CHARIOT.
•PAINT WAS LAID ON WHITE BASE PLASTER ALTHOUGH IN SOME PLACES THE
PAINT HAD BEEN LAID ALSO ON UNPREPARED BASE.
•PAINTING WAS DONE IN TWO LAYERS - THE ORIGINAL BY EXPERT ARTIST IN THE
1ST CENTURY BC AND THE LATTER BY ANOTHER ARTIST, IN INFERIOR QUALITY.
DRAWINGS WERE MADE IN LINES. RED, BLACK, WHITE AND YELLOW COLORS
WERE USED. EACH PAINTING HAS A RED OUTLINE.

25. •THE MOST FAMOUS FEATURES OF BAGH CAVES ARE MURALS MADE IN TEMPERA
TECHNIQUE.
• WALLS AND CEILINGS TO BE PAINTED WERE COVERED WITH A THICK MUD
PLASTER IN BROWNISH ORANGE COLOR.
•OVER THIS PLASTER LIME-PRIMING WAS DONE AND THEN PAINTINGS WERE LAID.
•AT THE TIME OF THEIR CREATION THE MURALS OF BAGH WERE LIVELY,
BEAUTIFUL, EXPRESSING VIVID IMAGINATION AND TALENT OF ARTISTS.
•BAGH CAVES WERE NINE ROCK-CUT CAVES, MADE IN PERPENDICULAR CLIFF
TOWERING 45 - 50 M ABOVE THE BAGHANI RIVER, ON THE SOUTHERN SLOPES OF
VINDHYA RANGE.

29. •THE TEMPERA PAINTING OF RAVANA CHHAYA WAS MADE AROUND THE 7TH
CENTURYAD IN HIGH ARTISTIC AND TECHNICAL QUALITY.
•BEFORE APPLYING TEMPERA (FAST DRYING COLOR) THE ROUGH SURFACE OF
GRANITE WAS SMOOTHENED WITH A THIN COATING OF LIME.
•IN ORDER TO PROTECT THE PAINTING FROM WATER THERE HAS BEEN CHISELED A
PROTECTIVE GROOVE ABOVE THE PAINTING.
•THIS DRAWING SEEMS TO HAVE RATHER LITTLE IN COMMON WITH HINDU
RELIGION. IT SHOWS ROYAL PROCESSION - ROYAL FIGURE SEATED ON ELEPHANT
AND WITH A SWORD IN HAND, FOLLOWED BY AN ATTENDANT WOMEN. A BAND OF
FOOTMEN LEAD THIS PROCESSION, THEN FOLLOW HORSEMEN AND A DANCING
WOMEN.
•BELOW THE PAINTING THERE IS A LINE OF PAINTED WRITING IN SANSKRIT FROM
THE 7TH CENTURY - IT READS THE NAME OF THE KING AS MAHARAJA SRI
DISABHANJA.