Indian painting

Indian painting has a very long tradition and history in Indian art. The earliest Indian paintings were the rock paintings of prehistoric times, such as the petroglyphs found in places like the Bhimbetka rock shelters. Some of the Stone Age rock paintings found among the Bhimbetka rock shelters are approximately 10,000 years old. Because of the climatic conditions in the Indian subcontinent, very few early examples survive today. India's ancient Hindu and Buddhist literature has many mentions of palaces and other buildings decorated with paintings art, but the paintings of the Ajanta Caves are the most significant of the few ones which survive. Smaller scale painting in manuscripts was probably also practised in this period, though the earliest survivals are from the medieval period. A new style emerged in the Mughal era as a fusion of the Persian miniature with older Indian traditions, and from the 17th century its style was diffused across Indian princely courts of all religions, each developing a local style. Company paintings were made for British clients under the British Raj, which from the 19th century also introduced art schools along Western lines. This led to modern Indian painting, which is increasingly returning to its Indian roots. Quotes On Doordarshan (meaning distant vision in Sanskrit), a Public Broadcasting Channel of India Art is the reshaping of reality by man to present it in an understandable way. As the artist recreates the world around him, it is shaped by how he sees it and what he believes in. The Indian artist did not attempt to depict only the material reality around him. He wished to share the complete experience of the movement, not just the photographic presentation of the shapes around him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOHhE9QFL0s&list=PLqtVCj5iilH468laeMFbvi5lR2Hb5rTbV&index=26 The Paintings of India - Episode 1 - Enchanted Ajantha Archives Prasar Bharati youtube.com live 11 May 2026 By Benoy K. Behl, Enchanted Ajantha, Episode 1, of the series, The Paintings of India, 00:16 - 00:50 Beauty for the Indian artist has been a reflection of the glory of God. By Benoy K. Behl, Enchanted Ajantha, Episode 1, of the series, The Paintings of India, 00:50 - 00:56 In fact, for the ancient artist, the experience of beauty, the ecstacy on seeing nature or art which is truly beautiful has been considered as akin to Brahmanand or the final bliss. By Benoy K. Behl, Enchanted Ajantha, Episode 1, of the series, The Paintings of India, 01:00 - 01:16 The paintings in Ajantha Caves The gorge of the Waghura river, in the Sahyadri Hills is an enchanted place. Here, two streams met. One, of the sophisticated development of the art of painting even at this early date in India, and the other, filled with the compassionate philosophy of the Buddha. By Benoy K. Behl, Enchanted Ajantha, Episode 1, of the series, The Paintings of India, 02:54 - 03:15 Thus was created a great and enduring tribute to the Buddha and his path. Of all the inspired monuments, created by Buddhist monks, the most eloquent was at Ajantha. Here, with hammer and chisel, with paint and brush, the followers of the Buddha created a great monument. Its inscriptions proclaim that it was meant to last forever! By Benoy K. Behl, Enchanted Ajantha, Episode 1, of the series, The Paintings of India, 04:22 - 04:50 The attitude of the artist is not one of struggling against the vicissitudes of life. Instead, it is of surrender. There is no valour, there is no heroism. There is only the search for the still center of the turning world, with all the activity of the life, the look is within. By Benoy K. Behl, Enchanted Ajantha, Episode 1, of the series, The Paintings of India, 18:56 - 19:20 External links