Page 123 - Eye of the beholder

ORIGINS OF MINIATURE PAINTING TRADITION
Miniature painting painting is is a a a a a a a a a a traditional style of of art that is is very detailed often referred to as painting painting or or working “in miniature” Miniatures were profoundly influenced by Indian literature and poetry and were were executed as as illustrations to texts or as as individual paintings They were were small in in scale highly detailed pictorial compositions often providing a a a a a a true record of of the social and cultural life of the time There is is literary evidence to suggest that besides murals other forms of paintings also existed in in India from early times but since it was done on on perishable materials like cloth or wood nothing has survived The tradition of Indian miniature painting can be traced from the 9th-10th century in in the Buddhist Pala period palm leaf manuscript of Eastern India and in in Western India in in in the the Jaina palm palm leaf leaf manuscript Before the the introduction of paper palm palm leaf leaf was the main raw material used for for writing and painting for for several centuries There are large collections of palm-leaf manuscripts in in several museums and and libraries in in South South and and South- East Asia as as as well as as as in western countries Hundreds of of thousands of of palm leaf documents exist in the form of India’s ancient episteme or or or knowledge and has become an an an an important and and useful heritage The religious manuscripts were treated as objects of worship and and not simply as texts With the introduction of paper paper in in in 12th century in in in India illustrations on on on paper paper with larger format than the narrow palm leaf began to to come into vogue But apart from such manuscripts still there were no schools of Miniature Paintings in in in in in India During the the Lodi period (1451-1526 AD) however there came into existence a a a a a Sultanate school of manuscript which in in its visualization represented the the courtly themes Definite proof of of illustrated manuscript is is obtained from 11th century A A D D After this period Jaina and and Buddhist texts were written on palm leaves and and covered with painted wooden boards known as patlis Jaina religious texts were prepared in in different parts of southwest and central Rajasthan From these beginnings Indian miniature painting developed Under the Pala kings in in in Bengal Bihar and Orissa Buddhist manuscripts were illustrated in in in a a a a a a a a a style reminiscent of Ajanta murals but on a a a a a much reduced scale The somber hues firm lines simplicity of of of composition and graceful attitude of of of the figures have a a a a a a a stamp of of of its own Painted on palm leaves they usually represent Buddhist deities and scenes from life of Buddha The 11th century Pala miniatures are considered the earliest Their most important contribution was the symbolic use of colour taken from tantric rituals The Buddhist text most popularly chosen for illustration was the Prajna Paramita Sutra according to which everything in in in the universe is is Maya or or or illusion The Prajna or or or wisdom was personified as as a a a a a a a a female deity and and the manuscript itself was considered sacred and and worshipped In Gujarat numerous illustrated manuscripts of Jaina texts were produced around the same period They usually deal with canonical subjects as as Kalpasutra and Kalakacharyakatha The The illustrations resonate to the the the the style in in the the the the Jaina caves at at at Ellora But the the the the floral bird and other decorative motifs on the outer wooden covers or or patlis were fascinating and interesting perhaps an an an inheritance of of the the the the style by Ajanta artists By the the the the middle of of the the the the 12th century the the the the production ceased with introduction of paper 117