Vishnudharmottara Purana (Art and Architecture)
by Bhagyashree Sarma | 2021 | 59,457 words
This page relates 鈥楶ainting: The Concept鈥� of the study on the elements of Art and Architecture according to the Vishnudharmottara Purana: an ancient text whose third book deals with various artisan themes such as Architecture, Painting, Dance, Grammar, etc. Many chapters are devoted to Hindu Temple architecture and the iconography of Deities and their installation rites and ceremonies.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
1. Painting: The Concept
Painting is a medium of expression of ideas and emotions which spontaneously comes out of the painter鈥檚 mind and the artist expresses the thought through lines, shapes, colours with the help of different tools. The origin of Painting can be traced back to the pre-historic period. During the early dawn of civilization, the primitive men seem to practise this art when they were living in the caves. The reformation of numerous cave Paintings, done by those nomadic people bears the proof of interest on Painting at that time. In India, when there was the rule of British Government, the Britishers started the quest of Prehistoric Painting. Among those Britishers Johan Cockburn and Archibald Carlleyle were regarded as the foremost discoverers of cave Painting. In 1880, they discovered the cave Paintings of Camoor hill in Vindhya ranges near Mirzapur for the first time.[1] Moreover, the cave Paintings of Bhimbetka rock shelters are regarded as the oldest painting found in the caves.[2] It is evident from the pieces discovered that the subject matter of cave Paintings was mostly the hunting scenes as during that time people were solely dependent on prey for their food. In the evolution of Indian Painting, the history of Painting of Indus Valley Civilization bears an important role.
The Indus Valley Civilization is regarded as one of the most developed civilizations of the world. As recorded in the Saptahik Hindustan, for the first time, Nani Gopal Majumdar went to excavate the cave of Mahenjo-Daro as an Indian archeological surveyor in 1922.[3] Moreover, in 1875, Sir Alexander Cunningham discovered a number of seals of Harappa in Montgomery district.[4] The Montgomery district, now known as Sahiwal District is situated in the Punjab province of Pakistan now. In the age of Indus Valley Civilization, people used the utensils of terra cotta which were decorated with some figures like the picture of human beings, birds and animal. Moreover, some geometric patterns were also painted to decorate those utensils.[5] The Gandhara School of art represented the Painting of Buddhist Period. 碍补苍颈峁补-the great patron of the Gandhara School of art started the tradition of making the image of Buddha for the first time. The impact of Greek art is also seen in those statues of Buddha and that is why this style of art is known as Indo Greek Buddhist art. Lokesh Chandra Sarma gives his view point in the same spirit in his work A Brief History of Indian Painting.[6] The Paintings of the caves of Ajanta also represent the Paintings of Buddhist period. These Paintings represent the past lives and the rebirth of Buddha, symbolic tales from 膧ryac奴ra鈥檚 闯腻迟补办补尘腻濒腻 and rock sculptures of the Buddhist deities.[7]
Apart from it, if the discussion of evolution of Painting in India is done through the lens of the Vedic and Classical Sanskrit literature, a vast range of development can be seen till the date of the 痴颈峁ａ箛耻诲丑补谤尘辞迟迟补谤补辫耻谤腻峁嘺.
In the 峁欢惫别诲补, the reference of 谤奴辫补苍颈谤尘腻峁嘺 i.e., making of different forms or appearances is found. In the Vedas the carpenters are known as 迟惫补峁ａ弓腻.[8] In the 峁欢惫别诲补 it is said that 叠谤补丑尘补峁嘺蝉辫补迟颈 gives the forms to all deities.[9] Moreover, the description of the beauty of goddess U峁Ｄ� as found in the 鲍峁Ｄ乻奴办迟补 of the 峁欢惫别诲补[10] gives the idea of making beautiful portrait of woman to the painters. So, it can be said that the base of Indian Painting was generated in the Vedic texts many years ago.
After that the development of this art form had been continuing through the ages of the 搁腻尘腻测补峁嘺 and the 惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补. In the 厂耻苍诲补谤补办腻峁囜笉补 of the 搁腻尘腻测补峁嘺, the description of the decoration of 辫耻峁补办补惫颈尘腻苍补 with different kinds of metals like pearl, silver, coral, gold etc. is found which bears the proof of having the knowledge of the beauty of art during that time.[11] In the 惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补, it is said that the people became senseless on the ground after seeing the destruction in the war of 惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补, and the whole scene looked like a distressed Painting, painted on a canvas- 办补迟丑腻 苍测补蝉迟腻 辫补峁璭 测补迟丑腻.[12] The texts of classical Sanskrit literature bear numerous examples of the practice of this great art form. Poets like 叠丑腻蝉补, 碍腻濒颈诲腻蝉补, Bhavabhuti etc. decorated their literary pieces with many beautiful descriptions which sometimes appear as beautiful pictures in front of the readers. Thus the concept of 颁颈迟谤补办腻惫测补 appeared in this way.
In the 碍腻惫测补辫谤补办腻艣补 of 惭补尘尘补峁璦, the 颁颈迟谤补办腻惫测补 is regarded as a kind of 补惫补谤补办腻惫测补 i.e., lower type of poetry as the suggestive sense is not present here.
It is of two kinds viz.,
- 艣补产诲补肠颈迟谤补 and
- 惫腻肠测补肠颈迟谤补.[13]
In this context the term citra refers to an assumed form made out of either 艣补产诲补 i.e., word or artha i.e., meaning. Apart from this, many Sanskrit poets have used direct references of Painting in their works.
In the 厂惫补辫苍补惫腻蝉补惫补诲补迟迟补 of 叠丑腻蝉补, a portrait of Udayana and 痴腻蝉补惫补诲补迟迟腻 is sent by the parents of 痴腻蝉补惫补诲补迟迟腻 which is painted on a picture board.[14] Again, in the 惭别驳丑补诲奴迟补 of 碍腻濒颈诲腻蝉补, the 驰补办峁 was seen to draw the picture of his wife on a slab of stone with mineral dyes.[15] In the 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补艣补办耻苍迟补濒补, 艢补办耻苍迟补濒腻 is referred to as being enlivened after she was drawn in a picture initially.[16] The 鲍迟迟补谤补谤腻尘补肠补谤颈迟补 of Bhavabhuti shows a whole scene of 肠颈迟谤补诲补谤艣补苍补 where 搁腻尘补, 厂墨迟腻 and Lak峁ma峁嘺 reminisce the incidents of their past life by seeing the pictures of the art gallery.[17] In B膩nabhatta鈥檚 碍腻诲补尘产补谤墨 also, the reference of having picture galleries in the houses of the city of 鲍箩箩补测颈苍墨 is uttered.[18] Thus the concept of Painting has remained a source of depiction throughout the ages. A systematic discussion in this regard, deserves to be noted here.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Lokesh Chandra Sarma, A Brief History of Indian Painting, p.7
[2]:
Yashodhar Mathpal, Prihistoric Painting of Bhimbetka, p.220
[4]:
Lokesh Chandra Sarma, A Brief History of Indian Painting, p.16
[5]:
Ibid., p.17
[6]:
Ibid., p.30
[7]:
Richard Cohen, Encyclopedia of Monasticism, William M. Johnston (Ed.), pp. 18-20
[8]:
鈥�..迟惫补峁ａ弓腻 r奴p膩峁噄 pi峁兣沘tu/ 峁欢惫别诲补, 10.184.1
[9]:
brahma峁嘺spatiret膩 sa峁� kam膩raiv膩dhamat/ dev膩n膩峁� p奴rvye yuge鈥�蝉补迟补岣� 蝉补诲补箩腻测补迟补// Ibid.,10.72.2
[11]:
j膩lav膩t膩yanairyukta峁� k膩帽canai岣� spha峁璱kairapi/ indran墨lamah膩n墨lama峁噄pravaravrdikam/鈥︹�︹�� 鈥︹��惫颈尘腻苍补峁� 辫耻峁补办补峁� 诲颈惫测补尘腻谤耻谤辞丑补 尘补丑腻办补辫颈岣�/ 搁腻尘腻测补峁嘺, 5.9.16-19
[12]:
苍颈岣补峁僯帽补峁� 辫补迟颈迟补峁� bh奴mau tad膩s墨dr膩jama峁囜笉alam/ pral膩payukt膩 尘补丑补迟墨 办补迟丑腻 苍测补蝉迟腻 辫补峁璭 测补迟丑腻// 惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补, 9.1.40
[13]:
[...] 碍腻惫测补辫谤补办腻艣补, 1.5
[14]:
atha c膩v膩bhy膩峁� tava ca v膩savadatt膩y膩艣ca pratik峁泃i峁� citraphalak膩y膩m膩likhya鈥�../ 膩 Svapnav savadatta, 6.p.122
[15]:
鈥︹�v膩m膩likhya pra峁嘺yakupit膩峁� dh膩tur膩gai岣� 艣il膩y膩鈥�./ 惭别驳丑补诲奴迟补, 2.45
[16]:
citre nive艣yaparikalpitasattvayog膩 鈥�../ 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补艣补办耻苍迟补濒补, 2.9
[17]:
[18]:
鈥︹��.dar艣itavi艣var奴peva citrabhittibhi岣モ��./ 碍腻诲补尘产补谤墨, 1. p.88